The Ghosts of Berkeley Square

The Ghosts of Berkeley Square follows two 18th-century officers whose bucolic stupidity lands them under a peculiar curse, trapping their spirits in a grand Berkeley Square townhouse until a reigning monarch visits. Over two centuries their antics become part of the house's character, a string of comic mishaps and etiquette-obsessed hauntings that bewilder servants, residents, and a steady stream of visitors. When new occupants arrive and gossip hints that a royal visitor might appear, plans and pratfalls ensue as living people try to cope with or exploit the persistent phantoms. The film plays its supernatural premise for laughs, letting period manners and modern sensibilities collide without revealing the final fate of the ghosts. Minor household staff add extra comic sparks.

Released in 1947, the film was directed by Vernon Sewell and adapted from the novel No Nightingales by Caryl Brahms and S.J. Simon, with Robert Morley, Felix Aylmer and Yvonne Arnaud among the principal cast, with Claude Hulbert too.

Contemporary reviews were mixed and modern viewers give it lukewarm scores, the film holding a 5.214/10 rating from 8 votes on some sites. Critics praised lead performers' comic timing but said the humour often feels dated, with themes of social manners and lingering tradition in light farce.

It never became a mainstream classic, but it remains a curiosity for fans of postwar British cinema and Robert Morley collectors. The mix of ghostly gags and period costume gives a snapshot of 1940s comic taste, and the film turns up now and then on specialty channels and festival retrospectives.

The Ghosts of Berkeley Square did not secure major awards or high profile nominations, and it isn't commonly listed among the era's prize winners. Its reputation rests mainly on performer work and quirky premise rather than formal accolades. Formal recognition has been limited to modest mentions in period press.