BBC Ghosts Season 2 : Life references
After months of putting it off, Season 2 is finally finished!
Episode 1 - The Grey Lady
Captain’s “For King and Country” is in reference to George VI
Thomas references Twelfth Night by William Shakespeare
Julian plays ping pong and says it takes him back to the David Lloyd in Chelsea
Julian spoils the World Cup quarterfinals for Pat, implying he watched it when alive
Mary was mostly illiterate
A 14th century grindstone is found in the cellar
Captain unsurprisingly mentions the war again
Julian thinks he can do an impression of Nelson Mandela
Thomas does an impression of an earl, but I couldn’t find anything on them so please excuse my lack of British know how
Julian didn’t believe in ghosts when he was alive
Pat lists his skills in life: knot-tying, tent-pitching, archery
Julian references Newsnight
Fanny has been to a sideshow
I’m assuming Pat and Julian are referencing Bruce Forsyth, which Julian has before
Not a life thing, but I find it interesting that both Robin and Captain have said ghosts can’t feel the cold, only for Captain to question it
Side note: Thomas’ cheese commercial made me hungry
Fanny’s dress is made of silk
I like to think Captain talking to Dante’s taxidermy means he likes dogs
Captain likes running, a no brainer
Captain remarks that he’s in his prime and that’s he’s still got it, implying that he at least believed he was in good health when alive
Episode 2 - About Last Night
Mick the plague ghost comes back the village they’ll eventually die in
Mick claims to have had an orange, have seen a bear kill a man, and met the king and went fishing
He brought salt and clothes for the other plague ghosts, which led to their deaths
Side note: Mick coughing up the blood was so scary to me, dying from a sickness
Thomas may be able to cook, since he says he wished he could make Alison breakfast - lamb’s kidney and onion- before being cut off. I wonder if Thomas learned or liked to cook
Thomas acknowledges he wasn’t formally invited to the party, a custom he’s used to
None of the surrounding villages were struck with plague
Captain asks to watch a war documentary while Pat wants to watch football
Julian believed that you should drink more alcohol when hung over
Mary offers a remedy: mushrooms soaked in goats milk and vinegar till it’s warm
Pat says that cola is good for a hang over
Side note again: Thomas is really sweet when he informs Alison of Dante’s disappearance, or the multiple times he’s wished to help her with things like cooking and cleaning. We love a helpful king
Fanny loved Dante like her own child according to Thomas, and she once told Julian she loved Dante more anything else in the world. If she did have kids, I wonder if the relationship was strained. Also, it’s such a notable fact that everyone knows it, including ghosts that weren’t around for Fanny’s life
I know he’s easily coerced into not doing it, but the fact that Captain wanted to tell Fanny immediately that Dante was missing is very sweet
Julian has extensive experience in public inquiries, specifically being the one getting asked the questions
Julian describes how it make an alcoholic drink to Alison
Kitty’s heard white wine helps with stains
Fanny is not fond of mice
Mary thinks Veronica, Clive and Annie are nice names. I won’t include Daniel because it was her having a close call with Daniel
Dante used to like sitting by the fire
Episode 3 - Redding Weddy
Captain’s soldiers at Button House were apparently prone to giggling and horseplay
Introduction of Captain’s Lieutenant, Havers
We see Captain being informed that France has surrendered, which occurred in June 1940
Captain requested a service revolver
Lieutenant Havers had an emergency lockdown initiated shortly after
Havers informs Captain he wants to be involved in fighting, and has put in a transfer for the North Africa front
Pat is, unsurprisingly, well versed in activity badges, and everyone else can recite them
Robin knows how to skin a mammoth
Julian, my dear, you are way off. It took Mary more than 300 years to talk about the witch trial if she did indeed die in the 1610s
Julian references Chariots of Fire from 1981, Mississippi Burning from 1988 and The Towering Inferno from 1974
Little reference to the next episode when Thomas says he would show Julian his glove if he had one. Also, the wedding guy says the backyard looks like a bomb site, when it literally is one. Stuff like that make the show so much cooler
Julian used to do boxing for Cambridge
Fanny and Kitty read Lady Chatterley’s Lover by D. H. Lawrence
Julian references the Suez crisis
Thomas references Jack and the Beanstalk
Pat calls the laptop the computer that folds
Pat was with Carol at her parents’ house when the moon landing happened, eating fish and chips and trying a jumbo battered sausage for the first time
Julian was a student at Cambridge when the moon landing happened and having his first threesome
Captain claims that his dog Barry is buried where the bomb is, which is obviously untrue, but he also says that where they buried their pets, plural. I like to think Cap’s soldiers had a few dogs about
Captain has a letter with William written on it, which he tucks into his clothes. Captain says he was just thinking about Havers, which would later link to how they both knew about operation William
Havers gets a new service revolver
Captain has poster in his office about men wanted in the army, and also a wall full of books
Captain and his soldiers played cricket
Julian references 9 1/2 weeks, a 1986 erotic movie
Thomas always chooses pistol
Julian sold 50 crates of AK-47 assault rifles to the Libyans in 1983 to pay for his orangery
Julian uses a grenade and a flamethrower on Thomas, I don’t know if his “I’m melting” line is meant to reference the Wizard of Oz or not
The statue outside, Florence, was one of Kitty’s best friends
Kitty’s sister would pretend to not be able to find her when playing hide and seek
Kitty once hid for a whole day and night, and got so hungry she had to eat a bit of her purse
I mean it’s just meant to look funny and be a reference but Julian can canonically spin a ball on one finger
Nobody has ever found Kitty during hide and seek
Nice canon Cap in a coat, love a bit of that
He also smokes, or at least fiddles the occasional pipe
Oh and he threw that envelope into the hole with the bomb
Captain buried a prototype limpet mine, which was so secret only he and Havers knew about it, along with the blueprints
Captain talks bomb mechanics with Robin, the cutest thing I’ve ever seen
Pat knows about 2001: A Space Odyssey
Robin thinks the earth is flat
There’s a bit of speculation here: I can’t actually say with absolute certainty that Captain really saw Havers go. Maybe it’s wishful thinking that Havers would turn back and salute one last time, maybe it did happen, maybe it didn’t
Episode 4 - The Thomas Thorne Affair
Robin would wear a space suit, Mary a seashell dress, Tom double denim with aviators, Julian misses pants, Pat’s wearing his lovely gist, Kitty wears the same as Alison, and Captain would wear his uniform
Julian is unsurprisingly well versed in political tactics like the spin
Captain identifies a musket ball
It’s the one that made Thomas very dead
This is another thing I’m uncertain about: whether Thomas feels pain or just does it for dramatic affect
Quick side note before sad Thomas lore, I think I forgot to mention last time that Julian mentioned Great Expectations
Thomas died October 10th, 1824
Thomas came to Button House when it was owned by the Highams’, Thomas and Francis were invited
They can both ride horses
Thomas had stated the house was pleasant to look at, but he wouldn’t want to live there (rippppp)
Thomas was in love with Isabelle Higham
Thomas wrote a poem called Hermione and Roger and recited in front of everyone ( turns out he always sucked, but his poetry didn’t really sound that bad to me in this episode )
Isabelle played the harpsichord
I always wonder during this episode how Thomas remembers his death so wrongly, whether he’s lying about it or simply so horrified he forgot I don’t know
Even so, I think Thomas genuinely was in love and didn’t misinterpret as much before Isabelle
Thomas challenged some guy to a duel, we love a gun brandishing king
Francis is a bitch- anyway back to Thomas
Thomas went twenty paces instead of ten, should’ve listened to ten duel commandments Thomas
The first animation with the spinning paper thing was shown
Julian with his bloody playboy magazine, I’m not surprised
First mention of Annie, Mary’s bestie
Humphrey is such a lovely soul, learning to admire the little things like shoes
Okay wait, Alison says “you’ve literally got forever” which parallels Captain’s “we’ve got forever”
HOLD UP THAT DUEL GUY WAS INSULTING MARY SHELLEY
Thomas shot a bird and apologised before he died
Isabelle never came to see Thomas before he passed, he was left alone to die
Julian cried at Thomas’ death
Francis rigged the whole thing to trick Thomas and Isabelle in order to get Higham House
Francis and Isabelle’s son was George’s grandfather
Everyone is related through Robin and his sister
Poor Tom, you stay how you die and that letter isn’t going anywhere
Episode 5 - Bump in the Night
Cap likes to count with Humphrey’s hands
Captain tells Alison of life from the knees “Trust me, you don’t want a hernia” either he had one or knew someone who did
Humphrey knows that hedgehogs will leave flees in the rug
Also Captain and Humphrey’s exchange “Pick me up at six. Literally” “Very good” is so cute
Fanny references oyster forks
She assumes they’re eating oysters at the wedding
Julian sings “I’ll make love to you” by Boyz II Men
Humphrey on guard is cute
Captain does his own little vocalisation of what I’m assuming is a long way to Tipperary
Kitty assumes the intruders are there for a masked ball
Julian references the Bramptons and assumes it’s insurance fraud
Captain knows it’s a burglary
Pat tries to put them under a citizens arrest, so cute
Alison taught Kitty acronyms - Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain
Captain calls the police the constabulary
Captain - “why is no one ever alive when you need them?” Very telling, Cap
Julian gets worried Margaret Thatcher is dead. Too late Julian
Fanny admires the brushwork of her portrait
Cap and Pat watched Star Wars
Julian worries about getting RSI
Pat, Cap and Julian know Morse code
Julian lobbied against an animal welfare bill
Robin always gets excited by fire
Captain says he could have Robin shot off desertion, scaring Thomas
Alison meets a ghost who died hitchhiking. I find that to be an interesting concept, as the ghost is more based on the archetype. Makes me think about if Robin’s ability or character was created first
Uh, Pat talks about drugs going in unsavoury places
Fanny would make a good criminal
Captain says he fought in an actual battle, it’s difficult to hear but it’s there
Julian loves a good sauna
Mary believes that bad weather means bad tidings for the wedding
Fanny believes marriages should be at churches
Pat’s wedding day was the best day of his life, Carol wore velvet and he wore a brown three piece
Julian was drunk on his wedding day
Fanny’s wedding day was at Winchester Cathedral and she was given away by the Marquis of Granby
Robin had at least thirty children
Kitty can throw up, and had food in her stomach when she died
Robin says that’s never happened before
Captain is very good at decorating, no surprise
Pat recognises the kid who killed him
Mary and her wedding superstitious
Both Pat and Julian talk about Dennis Waterman
Robin and Julian talk about Mick Hucknall
Kitty’s dress is burgundy
Captain has great fashion sense
Thomas references Whitechapel
You know, Thomas’ explanation of how Clare looked was pretty accurate, he’s quite aware of emotions
Fanny stops in front of George’s portrait, just an interesting detail
Fanny had high expectations placed on her since she was a child
Alison and Mike got married young
Alison had second thoughts on their wedding day
Mary had a husband, who was crushed underneath a plough three years after their marriage
The man Pat recognises is Keith Darren Dean
First time hearing about Humphrey’s marriage: it was arranged, they were both from noble families, he was fourteen she was twelve
They didn’t love each other, and Humphrey believed she didn’t like him, they couldn’t understand each other because she was French
Course later we find out she thought highly of him
Keith has guilt that has lasted decades, that sounds so painful
Fanny and Thomas exchange a look when she finally comes around to the wedding, it’s just so sweet I had to mention it
Keith remembers the knot tying Pat taught him
Episode 7 - The Ghost of Christmas
Julian is giving a speech for a bill at the start of the episode, referencing saying goodbye to Margot the day before
He refers to her as ‘this woman from my wedding’ and implies he’s about to sleep with another woman by the end of the scene
Nickname count: Dearest, darling and dear
The baby, Rachel, is heard crying on the phone
Margot asks when Julian is coming home, so he lies to her and says he won’t be back for days
Pat loves Christmas cooking, such a dear
Captain wishes he had a whiteboard
Julian points out the humbugs, and says he hates Christmas
Captain misses hearing the King’s speech on Christmas
Pat liked playing games with his nephew and his son, Daley
Games like Buckaroo, Boggle, Yahtzee and KerPlunk
Thomas misses the mistletoe, implying he’s been kissed before
Kitty used to open presents in the morning and then after lunch Eleanor would pick the ones she wanted
Mary says that some babies can see ghosts until they start walking
Julian is in the warmest room in the house due to his legs
Julian was in Brussels once at a strip club, but he tells Margot he’s at a restaurant eating moules-frites and drinking a Sancerre
Margot seems at least skeptical of him
This is one of the Christmases he misses, the last four of his life that involve Rachel
Julian references the European Union
Fanny convinced Alison to follow the tradition of chopping a tree down and bringing it on for Christmas
Fanny planted at least fifty saplings in her time
It’s kind of funny that Julian is horrified by Mary getting naked
Thomas’ Christmas recital thing wasn’t that bad
From inference, it’s implied that Julian believes Margot wanted the baby, and that he had it thrust upon him
And if “I know, darling, I know” represents Margot, and Julian thinks that’s a reaction she would have, damn is that sad
She’s practically taking the blame for his misery
Julian would go for a drive if the baby got too irritating to him
It appears that out of the four Christmases away from Rachel, one was to do oil deals, one was to be in Brussels, one at Colonel Gaddafi’s palace, and possibly another in Brussels
Thomas and Cap have physical discipline
Pat would go to the shed to drink a Watney’s
Julian being considerate of Angela sleeping is either a new development, or something he was never pushed to do in life
The PC brigade may have interrogated Julian
Fanny seems to hold her Christmases in a high regard, despite George. Maybe it wasn’t always bad
Julian has kissed the wrong people under the mistletoe
Alison plays In the Bleak Midwinter on the piano
Rachel Fawcett is an MP for the Green Party, she’s a Major Leader of it
