There's more Madame Arcati, which can only be a bonus when Dench has the role. And there's a riff on the pros and cons of having a ghostwriter that I think is quite clever.

Leaving aside one's devotion to the previous versions of Blithe Spirit, this latest version is well cast, upbeat and a bit of a rainbow in a time marked so heavily by unwavering rain clouds.

Spirited performances and wonderful costume design stand little chance against script and direction that smother sparks beneath slapstick and treacle.

This is a loud, hysterical affair, not a droll one.