The Ghosts Australia cast opens up about their life on the spooky set & connections to their characters
When it comes to working on Ghosts Australia, one thing is unanimous – the cast all believe in ghosts.
“I absolutely believe in ghosts,” Mandy McElhinney of the cast says. “When we die, that energy becomes a part of something – and sometimes it can get trapped. I think we’ve all had the experience of walking into a room and knowing someone’s just been there.”
The Australian remake of the hit UK and US supernatural comedy is told in eight parts and follows city couple Kate (Tamala) and Sean (Rowan Witt) who swap the property market for a crumbling country mansion they are unaware is haunted by a motley crew of ghosts.
Will this rogue bunch of ghosts push Sean and Kate to the brink of… death? (Image: Supplied)
Kate wants to revamp “Ramshead Manor” into a boutique hotel, but after a near death accident, Kate gains the power to see the dead and plans for their dream hotel and relationship are soon pushed to the brink after discovering their new housemates.
Filmed in Perth, and set at Woodbridge House, the series brings together a diverse cast of living and dead characters whose stories intertwine in unexpectedly heartfelt and hilarious ways.
For Rowan (Totally Completely Fine, Book Of Mormon) who plays Sean, one half of the living couple, the technical challenge of acting opposite invisible co-stars has been like “solving a puzzle.”
“I’ve had to learn everyone’s lines and where they are in space and time,” Rowan tells TV WEEK. “We shoot each scene three times – once with ghosts, once with their lines, and once without either. It’s like my own mental escape room.”
Mandy McElhinney plays one of the ghosts in the manor. (Image: Supplied)
But it’s not all work, with Rowan describing his time filming away with co-stars like forming one big new family.
“We have movie nights,” he says. “We borrow sugar off each other – it’s like being on school camp.”
That same warmth extends to Tamala (Cleverman, Nowhere Boys), who leads the series and really enjoyed the rare chance to flex her comedy muscles.
“This is really the first major comedy I’ve worked on,” she says. “There’s so much room for play, to go bigger and experiment – it’s so alive.”
An Indigenous actress, Tamala says cultural collaboration was key behind the scenes and enabled the series to bring Indigenous stories to light in front of the camera.
“We had First Nations writers who infused the storylines with their experiences as First Nations women,” she explains. “Being a First Nations actor and playing a character who is First Nations – I feel a great responsibility to my people and to myself.”
Did you know the show was filmed at Woodbridge House, an 1885 red-brick mansion built as a family home. It’s also been used by Guildford Grammar and as a Home for elderly women? (Image: Supplied)
For Mandy (Love Child, Paper Giants: Magazine Wars), who plays Eileen – an Irish publican potato famine survivor and mother of 13 – the series has been deeply personal.
“When I was cast, I asked if Eileen could come from Donegal in Ireland, because that’s where my dad is from,” Mandy says. “The costume designer was able to source textiles from the factories that were still operating in the 1800s, so I’m wearing what my ancestors would have worn. I feel so close to them – it was a really profound moment.”
Mandy grew up in Perth, so returning home to film has also been an exciting opportunity to reconnect with her sister and witness how her hometown has evolved over the years.
“I left because I didn’t see a future in the arts here,” she admits. “Now it’s booming. It’s full of life again.”
For Michelle Brasier (Thank God You’re Here, Aunty Donna), playing Lindy, an ’80s aerobics instructor ghost desperate for love, has been both healing and hilarious.
“Lindy’s vulnerable and brave,” Michelle shares. “Wearing a leotard everyday kind of healed my body issues. After everything I’ve been through – losing my brother and father, learning to walk again and being told I might die young due to a genetic condition just makes me want to drink life in. I’ll happily do this gig forever.”
As for Brent Hill (Hamilton, School of Rock), who plays Gideon, a pompous colonial ghost, he hints the show’s magic lies in its mix of humour, humanity, and the connection each person on set has formed with their character.
“I really viewed Gideon a lot as a child,” Brent says. “A lovely, sweet, innocent, sheltered child. He’s an endless optimist who gets incredibly stroppy when expectation doesn’t meet result.”
Spooky, sentimental and side-splitting, Ghosts Australia proves that death isn’t the end, it’s just where the fun begins.
You can watch Ghosts Australia on Paramount+.
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Lucy Croke
Since then, Lucy has worked on lifestyle, music, and entertainment magazines, chatting to everyone from music icons like Anton Newcombe from the Brian Jonestown Massacre to hanging on the set of Lego Masters with funnyman Hamish Blake and knows just where to find Sydney’s best aperitivo hour.
Being TV WEEK’s go to reality and streaming writer, Lucy is an encyclopedia of Married at First Sight and Real Housewives knowledge, and if you want to know the best crime documentaries on Netflix, she’s your girl. With a keen interest in reading and learning new social media skills, Lucy is constantly in the know of all things trending in the entertainment and real-life world for print and digital platforms.
