'Ghosts' Stars Asher Grodman, Richie Moriarty Reveal How Cast of BBC Original Have Been 'Helpful'

By Tania Hussain

The smash hit CBS adaptation of the BBC series Ghosts has proven to be a success on this side of the pond as the American sitcom broke broadcast records in its freshmen year for the 2021-2022 season. While it is usually a risky venture with comedy getting lost in translation, Ghosts has no doubt stood on its own with CBS thanks to a vibrant roster of characters, unique to American culture. During a conversation at Montreal's Just for Laughs ComedyPro as part of the world-famous event's 40th-anniversary festival on July 30, series stars Asher Grodman and Richie Moriarty along with co-showrunner Joe Wiseman told Canadian media and event goers that the cast of the BBC One series has been "incredibly helpful" throughout their debut season.

"They were involved early on. They would read drafts and send us their thoughts. All their ideas were very helpful," Wiseman said of the BBC cast — including Mathew Baynton, Simon Farnaby, Martha Howe-Douglas, Jim Howick, Laurence Rickard and Ben Willbond — who also serve as executive producers on the CBS version.

Praising their kindness, Moriarty told JFL ComedyPro panelist host Richard Crouse, Canadian media and fans that the BBC cast has been "personally very lovely" to his co-stars, sharing further how they are in touch with their BBC family "all the time" now. "They are huge supporters of ours and just been very lovely — they've been cheerleaders of ours since the beginning, which has been hugely helpful."

Grodman adds with his character Trevor Lefkowitz mirroring the BBC version's pantless ghost Julian Fawcett (played by Farnaby, whom he met earlier this spring in New York City), the pair got a chance to discuss "costume management," which he jokes was a "very special moment" between the actors who bare more than their soul on their respective sitcoms thanks to a cheeky getup. "He gave me some tips. We had a discussion about elastic straps," Grodman said.

Elsewhere in the conversation for the Just for Laughs festival, the award-winning filmmaker and star of 2015's The Train, revealed how surprised he was by the show's success, further admitting it was something he and his castmates could never have imagined as an ensemble. "I think it surprised all of us," Grodman said. "But on the page, it was so different than anything else and it was so joyful — in making the pilot, [we] had this idea that if we could just survive the pandemic — if this can just somehow get on the air, it could work."

His co-star Danielle Pinnock — best known for playing Prohibition-era jazz singer, Alberta Haynes — revealed the wildest thing that has ever happened to her since the show's success has been getting noticed on the street now. "I'll be out on the street looking like Harriet Tubman and — I went to the movies looking crazy last week and the man doing the popcorn was like 'Ghosts! Alberta! Oh my God, we love the show so much!" and I'm literally looking like I'm on the underground railroad. I'm like, I've got to get dressed up now!"

Ghosts Season 2 returns on Sept. 29 at 8:30 p.m. ET on CBS. For more on Ghosts and everything Season 2, stay tuned to the very latest about the show, news about the cast, and everything in between only on PopCulture. In the meantime, relive the first season of Ghosts on Paramount+ for free from June 3 to Sept. 2, 2022. 

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