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"The Grey Lady" is the first episode of Series 2 of Ghosts and its 7th episode overall. It premiered on 21 September 2020.
Plot[]
The episode begins with a dream sequence where Alison and Mike have successfully converted Button House into a hotel which becomes a success. The dream ends with Alison being woken up by the ghost of the pigeon (who was killed in Moonah Ston). The couple have also become adjusted to sharing Button House with its ghostly residents; with Alison starting the Captain's morning laps, putting music on for Thomas, electronics for Julian and Pat, and reading books for Fanny, Kitty, Mary and Humphrey. In the basement, the ghosts of the plague pit victims also enjoy the company of an archaeologist who has been studying and working to exhume their remains since its discovery (see Getting Out).
Later that day, Alison approaches the archaeologist in the basement to ask him to move his van. She explains that a photographer is coming to take photos of Button House for their brochure. As it turns out, the couple have run out of money to continue renovating the house giving them no choice but to put their hotel project on hold. They have decided to advertise Button House as a wedding venue (or for other functional events), in order to generate an income to continue renovations.
The archaeologist complies just as the photographer arrives. While taking photographs, Fanny interrupts by forcing Alison to get the photographer off the grass and gets captured in a photograph. The photographer discovers this when he is checking the photos and he ends up sharing it on Facebook, giving Fanny the title of "The Grey Lady".
Mike sees the post and after doing some research in the library, it is discovered that Fanny can be captured on camera. Alison considers giving up the idea of hosting weddings and functions due to this incident, and when ghost hunters visit Button House, hoping to get a glimpse of Fanny. The couple initially dispel these rumours, only to soon change their mind when they are mentioned on the news.
Alison tries to convince the ghosts to help her, but they all refuse. This prompts her and Mike to reenact the ghosts' abilities after she learns from her husband that the ghost hunters are paying them £200 for admission. The Captain informs the other ghosts of the couple's plan, prompting Robin and Julian to make use of their ghostly abilities thwart them (Robin gives Alison an electric shock in the basement, while Julian prevents Mike from reenacting his ability to move objects physically). Since the ghost hunters were really after Fanny, the Captain hides her in the basement with the plague pit ghosts.
The ghost hunters eventually begin growing impatient, causing some to start doubting whether the "Grey Lady" exists or not. Pat and Thomas try to help the couple prove their existence when one of the ghost hunters sets up a voice recording machine to pick up the ghosts' voices, but it does not work.
Meanwhile, Alison manages to bribe Julian to help her knock over Mike's favourite mug she dislikes in exchange for a game on her phone. Fanny hurries out of the basement due to her disgust towards the plague pit ghosts and almost gets caught on camera by a psychic blogger. However, the Captain manages to push her out of the camera on time while attempting to beat his time record for his laps.
For their final attempt to prove the Fanny's existence, Alison dressed up as Fanny to fool the ghost hunters but is exposed by Robin. This causes the rumours of the "Grey Lady" to be deemed as false and the ghost hunters leave just as dawn breaks. However, this relieves the couple since they can use Button House as a venue for weddings or functions without any worry about the ghosts. The episode ends with Alison discovering that Julian has spent all her money on the game on her phone, and he knocks over a small cup instead of Mike's mug before beginning his Nelson Mandella impression (the ghosts were trying to do impressions club earlier).
Historical notes[]
- The Captain says "For King and Country!" a battle cry and slogan commonly used during WWI.[1]
- Pat wants to watch the 1986 World Cup, which he did not get to see since he died in 1984. It was during this match that Argentine footballer Diego Maradona scored an illegal goal with his hand. The referees did not have a clear view of the goal, and so allowed it to stand, giving Argentina a 1-0 lead against England. Argentina ended up winning the match with a 2-1 score.[2]
- Humphrey is reading a biography of Charles I, the only British monarch to be executed by beheading.[3]
- Thomas mentions the 3rd Earl of Wimborne during impressions club. While Wimborne is a real town in South West England, the 3rd Earl of Wimborne does not exist.
- Fanny mentions Robin looking exactly like one of the performers in a side show she attended. In Victorian times, freak shows were popular, and included acts such as people with birth defects or disfigured by disease. Fedor Jeftichew, also known as Jo-Jo the Dog-Faced Boy, was a Russian sideshow performer who suffered from hypertrichosis, a condition which causes an abnormal amount of hair growth over the body.[4] It is possible that Fanny draws a comparison between the two.
Trivia[]
- As seen on Mike's Facebook comments, the location of Button House is: Button House, Hemel Hempstead, KT11 3CR. Unsurprisingly this postcode doesn't actually exist, but if it did it would be just a few miles from the real West Horsley Place.
- The photographer's name is Rory, which can be seen on his social media page.