This is an opinion-led ranking of the UK sitcom Ghosts, not an official order or a measure of audience consensus. It covers Alison and Mike Cooper and the seven core ghosts: Thomas, Julian, Lady Button (Fanny), Pat, Robin, the Captain and Kitty. The UK and US adaptations have different characterizations, so this list is about the BBC series alone.
I weigh warmth and empathy, comic distinctiveness, vulnerability or growth, and the effect each character has on the group. Those qualities do not combine into an objective score: as Mike actor Kiell Smith-Bynoe put it in a British Comedy Guide interview, “Everyone’s got their favourites and for their own reasons.”
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Ghosts: The Complete Series (DVD) | $39.96 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
![Ghosts [US Series] - Seasons 2 - 4](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51yH1FeuDRL._SL160_.jpg)
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Ghosts [US Series] - Seasons 2 - 4 | $65.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Gilbert and the Ghost | $7.88 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts | $7.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
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Ghosts: The complete guide to the supernatural - Phantoms, Poltergeists, Apparitions, Specters,... | $0.99 | Buy on Amazon |
10. Julian Fawcett
Julian is funny because he treats even life among the dead as another opportunity to angle for advantage. A morally compromised former MP, he can put on a diplomatic face, but self-interest is never far away. That combination makes him an effective source of sharp, cynical comedy—and the hardest character here to warm to. His charm is part of the joke, not a reason to mistake him for kind.
9. The Captain
The Captain brings a sharply defined point of view to the house: military hierarchy, discipline and order. Watching him try to impose those ideals on a group of ghosts who will not fall into line gives the ensemble a dependable comic friction. But rigidity is also his limiting trait. He can be entertaining to watch without being especially generous toward the people around him.
#1 Best Overall
8. Thomas Thorne
Thomas is a Romantic poet who speaks in theatrical flourishes and remains infatuated with Alison. His grand declarations make him instantly recognizable, and the gap between his lofty self-image and the ordinary frustrations of house life supplies much of his comedy. The same intensity can wear thin: his longing often takes up so much space that it becomes difficult to meet him on anyone else’s terms.
7. Lady Button (Fanny)
Fanny begins from a position of Edwardian certainty, trying to uphold the standards of a former owner in a house that has moved on without her. Her judgments and resistance to modern life can make her prickly company. What lifts her above the more rigid figures is her gradual softening: her attempts to understand 21st-century womanhood through Alison reveal curiosity beneath the disapproval. That development makes her more than a walking set of old-fashioned rules.
Rank #2
- All Region
6. Alison Cooper
Alison is the bridge between the living and the dead: she is the only person in the house who can see the ghosts, and their demands land on top of married life and stretched finances. That central role makes her essential to the group dynamic. Her appeal comes less from always being patient than from having to negotiate between two worlds that cannot communicate without her. The strain of that position is part of what makes the comedy work, even when the ghosts’ needs compete with her own.
5. The Captain
Here the Captain’s comic force deserves another look—but this placement would duplicate him, so the ranking should treat him only once.
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5. Robin
Robin’s immense age gives him a perspective no one else in the house can offer, yet his forgetfulness, limited speech and excitement about fire keep him far from a solemn sage. That contrast makes him one of the ensemble’s most distinctive comic presences. His confidence in his views can be exasperating, but childlike wonder and occasional flashes of unexpected insight make him difficult to dismiss as merely eccentric.
4. Mike Cooper
Mike cannot see the ghosts, but he remains invested in the potential of the house despite its condition. His long-suffering position is an unusually effective source of viewer identification: as Smith-Bynoe has observed, audiences can imagine themselves in Mike’s place. He is not the character with the most access to the supernatural jokes, but his patience and persistence give the human side of the story a grounded appeal.
3. Kitty
Kitty’s bubbly sweetness and innocence make her one of the easiest ghosts to like. She is a Georgian noblewoman, but her warmth matters more than her period manners; the complicated family background behind that sunny disposition also gives her a more vulnerable edge. Her characterization is distinct from the US adaptation’s version, which is one reason it is worth keeping the two shows separate when comparing favourites. TVLine’s UK–US character comparison provides context, not a popularity verdict.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.2. Thomas Thorne
Thomas’s theatrical romanticism is both his great strength and the reason he ranked lower earlier in the list. He is so committed to his own poetic drama that even his excesses become part of the pleasure of watching him. Yet his permanent infatuation with Alison can feel like an imposition rather than affection. That tension makes him more memorable than consistently lovable—which is why he does not take the top spot.
1. Pat Butcher
Pat earns the top place on warmth. Even after an accidental death by arrow, he remains encouraging and tries to lift the group’s morale. That instinct to bring people together is a real kindness, not just a comic pose. His team-building can be overbearing or ineffective, and not every ghost wants the pep talk; still, Pat’s impulse is usually to help. In an ensemble full of competing agendas, that generosity makes him the easiest character to root for.
Why the order is subjective
The show’s appeal is built around an ensemble, and a character’s weak spot is often part of what makes them funny. Pat’s encouragement can feel pushy; Thomas’s yearning can be amusing or exhausting; Julian’s social ease sits beside selfishness; and Fanny’s rigid standards gradually give way to understanding. Viewers who prize a distinctive comic voice over warmth may rank the Captain or Julian higher, while those drawn to vulnerability may prefer Kitty or Mike.
The BBC series ran for five series from 2019 to 2023, according to British Comedy Guide’s character guide. Its descriptions are useful for understanding the characters, but they do not establish a canonical likability order. The ScreenUK series page and BBC Programme Index provide production, premise and cast context; none supplies a representative audience ranking.
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