Blithe Spirit is based on the Noel Coward’s 1941 play of the same name and the 1945 film starring Rex Harrison and Constance Cummings.

Originally destined for a cinema release Blithe Spirit will now be shown exclusively on SKY Cinema.

If you’re unware of either the play or the original film then you’re in for a small treat as, unlike some period pieces, Blithe Spirit has stood the test of time well and is still as funny and enjoyable today as it was nearly eighty years ago.

The plot sees bestselling crime novelist Charles Condamine (Dan Stevens), who’s been tasked with writing his first screenplay, struggling with writers block. Married to his second wife Ruth (Isla Fisher) he still dreams of his first wife Elvira, who tragically died young in a riding accident. Planning his screenplay to involve ghosts he takes the opportunity to invite Madam Arcati (Judy Dench), a medium recently exposed as a fraud, to his house in order to perform a séance. Thinking it’s all a laugh Charles gets more than he bargains for when his dead wife (Leslie Mann) returns from the dead and, wanting to spend eternity with her husband, plots ways to kill him.

It’s hard to fault Blithe Spirit, fantastic performances from a sparkling cast, a great story, laugh out loud moments, you can’t really ask for much more than that, recommended.