Ghosts co-creator on accidental hidden meaning behind baby name
"If we were cleverer writers, that would have been the reason why we came up with it," said Mathew Baynton.
Ghosts came to an end on Christmas Day with an episode that saw Alison (Charlotte Ritchie) and Mike (Kiell Smith-Bynoe) return from hospital with their new arrival – baby Mia.
As a refresher, Alison was revealed to be pregnant in the season 5 premiere, which remained a key subplot in later episodes as the couple frantically made preparations and said goodbye to their lack of responsibility.
Mia's name was confirmed in the Ghosts Christmas special 2023 trailer, prompting Kitty (Lolly Adefope) to hilariously express her confusion: "I thought she was called bumpy."
Fans may be wondering whether there's any particular significance to the name Mia in the eyes of the Ghosts writers or the world of the show – so we put the question to co-creator Mathew Baynton, who revealed an accidental hidden meaning.
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He began: "We literally just sort of came up with a few [names] until we had Mia and thought, 'Oh, yeah, that feels about right,' and then it was only way, way afterwards that I realised it's a Mike and Alison compound."
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Fans can make their own minds up on whether this merging of names – Mi(ke) and A(lison) – was also a happy accident in-universe or a deliberate decision by the new parents.
Baynton added: "If we were cleverer writers, that would have been the reason why we came up with it, but it wasn’t at all."
The arrival of Mia will, of course, change the lives of Mike and Alison forever, but the baby's birth also has an impact on the ghosts, who have become quite accustomed to dominating the attention of their mortal friends.
Co-creator Laurence Rickard explained: "From early on, we identified the fact that they are sort of a family in all but name, but I don't know the degree to which they've ever consciously gone, 'Oh, that's what we are!'
"And now this child arrives… and that's the family. The ghosts start to realise, 'Oh, hang on, then by default we actually aren't,' which is tricky for all of them. They've all got some sort of family dynamic, particularly with Alison, but by extension with Mike, too."
He added: "I think some handle it worse than others. Obviously, because Kitty's always felt this incredible kinship with Alison, I think that was the most prevalent sense of jealousy."
For more on the Christmas special, check out our full recap of the Ghosts ending – including insights from the writer's on that flash-forward scene – and our comment piece questioning whether the show's farewell was undermined by its two finales.
Ghosts is available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Check out more of our Comedy coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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