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BBC Studios Productions’ ‘Ghosts’ to haunt Western Australia

From left are Screenwest CEO Rikki Lea Bestall, ‘Ghosts’ executive producer Sophia Zachariou, WA Culture and Arts Minister David Templeman, ‘Ghosts’ producer Bree-Anne Sykes, and director Christiaan van Vuuren at the ABC Studios in East Perth (Image: Liang Xu).

BBC Studios Productions Australia has partnered with Screenwest to bring the production of supernatural comedy Ghosts to Western Australia.

Announced as part of Paramount ANZ’s 2025 upfronts, the eight-part series follows lovebirds Kate and Sean, a couple about to jump into the hellscape that is the inner-city rental market until Kate inherits a huge mansion in the country.

Moving in together for the first time the young couple are attempting domestic bliss, but unbeknown to them, the house is haunted by a collection of needy spirits who carked it in Ramshead Manor over the past 200 years.

The original series, produced by Monumental Television in association with Them There, first aired on BBC One in 2019, with the fifth and final season becoming the UK’s most-watched comedy of 2023. There has since been a US version – currently in its fourth season – and a newly announced German adaptation.

The Australian version will be filmed in Perth in the coming months with support from the Western Australian Production Attraction Incentive.

Christiaan Van Vuuren and Madeleine Dyer will direct the episodes, which are being produced by Bree-Anne Sykes and executive-produced by Sophia Zachariou.

Josh Mapleston leads a writing team that includes script editor Libby Butler, along with Shontell Ketchell (Gold Diggers), Philip Tarl Denson (Zero-Point), and Steph Tisdell. The cast is yet to be announced.

Screenwest CEO Rikki Lea Bestall said the production represented an exciting start to the year for the state’s screen sector, which recently welcomed the third season of Binge courtroom drama The Twelve and the second season of the ABC’s Mystery Road: Origin.

GHOSTS has entertained audiences all around the world, and we’re so pleased to welcome Network 10, Paramount+ and BBC Studios Productions Australia to Western Australia for the Australian series,” she said.

BBC Studios Productions Australia general manager and creative director Kylie Washington said the state was the “perfect backdrop” for the series’ comedic antics.
 
“We’re excited to bring Ghosts to life with a unique cast of characters that reflect our very own history and culture,” she said.