"The Ghosts of Motley Hall" (1976) TV series 1976-1978

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3

Release Date:

25 April 1976 (UK)

Genre:

Family

Plot Keywords:

Kids And Family

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

 (Series Cast Summary - 6 of 8)

Arthur English	...	Bodkin / ... (16 episodes, 1976-1978)
Freddie Jones	...	Sir George Uproar / ... (16 episodes, 1976-1978)
Nicholas Le Prevost	...	Sir Francis 'Fanny' Uproar / ... (16 episodes, 1976-1978)
Sean Flanagan	...	Matt the Footman / ... (16 episodes, 1976-1978)
Sheila Steafel	...	The White Lady (16 episodes, 1976-1978)
Peter Sallis	...	Mr. Gudgin / ... (11 episodes, 1976-1978)

Runtime:

30 min (20 episodes)

Country:

UK

Company:

Granada Television

Ghostly uproar at Motley Hall

This comedy from the creator of the immortal Catweazle is set among the ghostly inhabitants of dilapidated Motley Hall who are determined to keep their home from being sold or otherwise intruded upon by the rude living.

Matt the eighteenth century stable-lad, Bodkin the Elizabethan Fool, Fanny the eighteenth century fop, Sir George the Victorian fogey and the enigmatic White Lady are the ghosts; their foil is the ghost-shy real estate agent Mr. Gudgin.

The special effects of ghosts appearing and disappearing etc. are indeed special, in the same way as Doctor Who's "I can see the string" monsters, but as with Doctor Who and other great shows of that era, this only adds to the charm. The characters each bring points of view to bear on their predicaments based on their respective historical origins and conflicts occasionally arise from these culture clashes. The regular cast and guest actors are good to excellent as one would expect from the likes of Freddie Jones, Nicholas le Prevost etc.

This is the sort of story, like Catweazle, which stimulates the imagination irresistibly to create new scenarios for the characters, and the desire to join in with their adventures is considerable. As a child "The Ghosts of Motley Hall" seemed to offer me a very attractive idea of a possible after-life; it would be nice to think we could all spend our after-lives so amusingly.