Marley's Ghosts

Series two, and scatty magistrate Marley (Sarah Alexander) still hasn't got the hang of other people not being able to see her unhelpful undead companions (John Hannah, Jo Joyner and Nicholas Burns). When she's not arguing with them in public and looking mad, they're pushing her into genteel farce, this week involving the stuffy local residents association. A nicely made sitcom with an enviable cast, although the awkward premise is a ball and chain.

Episode two of the spectral sitcom that has more than a hint of Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased) about it. Frazzled magistrate Sarah Alexander remains actively haunted by three recently deceased spirits: her slobbish husband John Hannah, uptight work colleague and lover Nicholas Burns, and daffy local vicar Jo Joyner. While she considers exorcism to retain her sanity, a break-in unexpectedly brings her haunters together. The high concept doesn't feel like it has quite bedded in, but the cast are game and there's a good Transporter 2 joke.

Marley's Ghosts which was of a number of original sitcoms that are to be produced by the repeat-heavy network GOLD. Unlike the Sky and NBC collaboration, Marley's Ghosts is an awfully traditional affair albeit one with a far-fetched plot line in which magistrate Marley (Sarah Alexander) finds herself plagued by a plethora of undead faces from her past. The craziness begins when Marley's drunken husband Adam (John Hannah) dies after choking on a chicken bone. When his ghost reappears at his own funeral, Marley starts conversing with him much to the chagrin of her colleague and lover Michael (Nicholas Burns). Michael's fury at Marley's situation leads him to be hit by the car of the inept local vicar (Jo Joyner) with both eventually dying and joining Adam as ghosts only Marley can see. It's clear to see that writer Daniel Peacock has primarily written for children's TV up to this point as Marley's Ghosts has a rather juvenile streak running throughout it. A lot of the jokes are quite obvious however I have to admit that I did chuckle quite a few times especially at a recurring gag involving a pair of randy pensioners. Despite a loopy premise and some corny gags, Marley's Ghosts was strangely watchable thanks primarily to its game cast. I particularly thought that John Hannah gave a better performance than the show deserved as Marley's depressed husband who realised the error of his ways after his death. Similarly impressive was Jo Joyner who gave one of her best post-Eastenders turns to date and she seemed to be having a whale of time as the kooky vicar. While Marley's Ghosts isn't going to win any points for originality it does give me hope that the people at GOLD know what they're doing when it comes to producing original content and I'm looking forward to what they have to offer in the future.

John Hannah opens up on death

John Hannah is about to star as a ghost in a gentle new Gold comedy.

Even though I don't believe in ghosts whatsoever, I've placed this to one side for this new comedy, where Sarah Alexander is Marley, whose husband, lover, and vicar all kark it in varying degrees of amusingness, and then return to haunt her. John Hannah, Nicholas Burns, and Jo Joyner all torment Alexander in a really annoying and intrusive manner, a set of supernatural pests who exasperate Marley more than frighten her, their presence more like a summer ant infestation than the Amityville horror.

John Hannah interview

I'm enjoying the comedy stuff now.

John Hannah shows lighter side in Marley's Ghosts

That moving Four Weddings scene has followed him around for more than two decades, but John Hannah's latest role is definitely on the lighter side. He even strips to his pants for laughs, the actor tells Keeley Bolger.

Preview: Marley's Ghosts

It's not hopeful and frankly, despite Daniel Peacock's protestations that 'it has always been on my mind to write something like Marley's Ghosts' since he was a kid, this feels like something that needed a lot more work or a quick burial - one of the two.

Video: Jo Joyner on donning a dog collar

Jo Joyner has admitted she felt a bit strange wearing a dog collar for her new role, but she loved playing a vicar in upcoming UKTV Gold comedy Marley's Ghosts.