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Ghosts: The Possession of Button House
A warm, funny feature-length Ghosts that clears the low bar for TV spin-offs. Critics call it a delight for fans, with real energy once the body-swap plot starts.
The reservations are modest: gentle chuckles rather than big laughs, no hand-holding for newcomers, and little visual flair. Score 3.5 out of 5.
Dir. Simon Hynd · 2026 · PG · in UK and Irish cinemas from 23 October
The setup
The BBC sitcom Ghosts has run for years on one idea: a crumbling country house, Button House, is home to a crowd of dead residents from different centuries, and the only living person who can see them is Alison. The film, directed by Simon Hynd, who directed many of the series' episodes, is written by the same team that made the show (Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond), with Lolly Adefope and Charlotte Ritchie among the returning cast.
Per the reviews, the house has been sold and its renovation has stalled, and the ghosts are missing the person who could talk to them. Then a Ouija board in the wrong hands gives the story its engine: a body swap, with a disgraced MP ending up in the body of a teenager. That is as far as this review goes.
A delightful, Ealing-esque caper with added body-swap shenanigans
Dan Jolin, Time Out
What works
Critics agree that it feels like the show, only roomier. Time Out's Dan Jolin gives it four stars out of five and says it clears the low bar usually set for TV spin-offs: the mix of cosy comedy, mild edge and sentiment survives, and the plot gets enough going on to avoid feeling like an extended episode. The Guardian's Cath Clarke calls it "a delight" and a treat for fans, with more energy and silliness than the usual small-screen spin-off, and says that every ghost in the ensemble could carry a script alone.
The body swap also gets credit for handing the ghosts new material. LondonNet singles out Scott Ellis Watson for mimicking Simon Farnaby, and says the physical comedy builds once the swap begins.
What doesn't
The reservations are small, and they are about ambition rather than quality. Time Out says the film runs on steady chuckles more than big laughs, and that newcomers get no hand-holding: the in-jokes and the cast are not reintroduced. LondonNet agrees that it will baffle anyone who does not know the series, calls the story a shaky bridge from the TV finale, notes that much of the film stays inside the house and that Hynd's direction has little visual flair, and wishes the script were more willing to be edgy. Critics also disagree about how much the film leaves the house: Time Out says it expands beyond it, LondonNet says it mostly stays in.
The headlines on Screen Daily ("a charming transition to the big screen") and Empire ("non-stop chuckles") point the same way: warm, not wild.
Is this for you?
Toggle what applies. The answer is a rough guide built from what the critics say, not a verdict on you.
Where to watch
In cinemas in the UK and Ireland from Friday 23 October, per Time Out and The Guardian. We found no confirmed release elsewhere in Europe, and availability varies by country, so check local listings.