In Ghosts BBC Happy Holiday episode, Thomas faces unexpected fans while Alison and Mike navigate their new bed and breakfast venture, writes GEMMA JOHNSON
There is a change in the air as we start the new series. Alison and Mike, after finally ridding themselves of scammer Lucy, are now firmly focused on operating The Gate House as a bed and breakfast. This episode was number seven on my Top 10 countdown of Ghosts, and with very good reason.
Thomas is being stalked, but by whom? And why? Here comes the welcome return of The Plague People, who have emerged from their pit to fangirl over Thomas. I am here for all of that! Kitty takes on the role of manager, protecting Thomas from his adoring legion of fans and flattering his ever-growing ego.
Fanny is positively outraged at the prospect of strangers staying on the grounds—more so that Alison is now ‘the staff’, which is not befitting of the lady of the house.
Then there’s Hat—let’s not forget Hat. Classic Robin is at play when he spots a skull discovered and reported on the news. He remembers that Hat gave him his furs, the ones he still wears now. In return, Robin gave him, well… a stick. Let’s hope that ghosts don’t do Secret Santa and, if they do, you don’t get Robin.
Another example of a classic, short, and sweet comedic moment from the writing team: The Plague People ask Alison for a picture of them with Thomas—she obliges, but of course, it is empty.
Pat and Mary are deeply engaged in a conversation about holidays. Mary is learning lots of new words—passport, flying, duty-free, blue ribbon, motorway, and Status Quo, for example. But things escalate quickly, going from the excitement of the airport to fighting for sun loungers, to everyone in the family getting diarrhoea, before finally deciding that holidays are actually a nightmare. I beg to differ, but then again, I haven’t been caught up in a military coup like Pat.
Thomas and his ego continue to grow; he now calls Kitty ‘Katherine’ and the Plague People ‘The Creatures’. He is rude, arrogant, and I love it! There is a saying: be careful who you stand on to get to the top, because you will have to pass them on the way down. Never has a saying been more applicable to Thomas than this one.
The Gate House plot is more of a background story within this episode. There are far too many classic moments from the ghosts, and it can’t compete. An example of this is when ‘Hat’ appears back on the television, much to the delight of Robin. However, the delight fades when it turns out that Hat was killed by hypothermia—Robin took his robes, and he died. Robin is suddenly quiet.
The takeaway lesson from this episode? Fame is fleeting.
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