The Ghost Hunter is a general name for a series of novels by Ivan Jones

Ivan Jones (author)

Ivan Jones is a British writer of fiction. His work includes novels, picture books, plays, poetry anthologies, television series and many adaptations for BBC Radio.-Novels and Picture Books:...

 about a Victorian

Victorian era

The Victorian era of British history was the period of Queen Victoria's reign from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. It was a long period of peace, prosperity, refined sensibilities and national self-confidence...

 shoe-shine boy who has become a ghost. The boy, called William Povey, is trying to escape from the evil and obsessive Ghost Hunter, Mrs Croker. Her intention is to bottle all ghosts and eventually to use their spectral energy to make herself immortal.

The Ghost Hunter series

1. The Ghost Hunter (1998) (Scholastic)
2. The Ghost Hunter at Chillwood Castle (2000) (Scholastic)
3. The Ghost Hunter's House of Horror (2001) (Scholastic)

The Ghost Hunter

In the first book, William Povey, a boy ghost from Victorian times, appears in Roddy's bedroom in the dead of night and frightens the wits out of him. William explains that he is being chased by a GHOST HUNTER and he needs help. After his initial fears and shock, Roddy decides to try to help his new friend. Apart from anything else, the ghost has some exciting abilities, such as passing through walls and flying, which Roddy is also able to do, thanks to the shoe-brushes which William lends him.

William does not yet know who the Ghost Hunter is, but what he does know is that it captures ghosts like himself and shoves them into a bottle where they are trapped for all time. It becomes Roddy's - and later his sister, Tessa's - job to help William escape the clutches of the Ghost Hunter.

The Ghost Hunter at Chillwood Castle

In the second novel, the Ghost Hunter, re-appears. She is decidedly more dangerous and plans to capture dozens of ghosts at the AGM - THE ANNUAL GHOST MEETING. This takes place at Chillwood Castle. Roddy and Tessa do all in their power to stop her.

The Ghost Hunter's House of Horror

The third book, moves the action to a more sinister level where Mrs Croker, presumed dead, returns to her old decaying house somewhere in London. She is now more powerful than ever and has created a machine called a SPECKTRIKA, which by using spectral energy from captured ghosts will free her of time itself. Her ambition is to live forever and capture all the ghosts she can. But her assistant, De-Sniff, causes an accident to happen and both he and The GHOST HUNTER are swept down a TIME PORTAL to Victorian England. There, at least for now, they are stuck. Will they ever return?

Television Adaption

In 2000, 2001 and 2002, the novels were adapted into The Ghost Hunter television series

The Ghost Hunter (TV series)

The Ghost Hunter is an award winning British children's drama series created for the BBC and based on the books The Ghost Hunter by Ivan Jones . It was first broadcast in January 2000 and the last series was first broadcast,in 2002. Repeats continue to be shown on BBC and CBBC as well as in other...

, a live-action drama, for the BBC and also the children's channel CBBC. There were three separate series, each of six half-hour episodes The BBC television series was a major success, achieving the number one rating in the Radio Times

Radio Times

Radio Times is a UK weekly television and radio programme listings magazine, owned by the BBC. It has been published since 1923 by BBC Magazines, which also provides an on-line listings service under the same title...

 poll of favourite children's programmes, coming ahead of Blue Peter

Blue Peter

Blue Peter is the world's longest-running children's television show, having first aired in 1958. It is shown on CBBC, both in its BBC One programming block and on the CBBC channel. During its history there have been many presenters, often consisting of two women and two men at a time...

, Grange Hill

Grange Hill

Grange Hill is a British television drama series originally made by the BBC. The show began in 1978 on BBC1 and was one of the longest running programmes on British television...

and a host of other programmes of the time. Viewing figures were very high.

The writers for the series were Ivan Jones, author of the books, Jim Eldridge

Jim Eldridge

Jim Eldridge is a radio, TV and movie scriptwriter with hundreds of radio and TV scripts broadcast in the UK and across the world in a career spanning over 30 years....

 and Roy Apps

Roy Apps

Roy Apps is a British screenwriter, dramatist and children’s author.He is one of only four writers ever to have received a personal BAFTA for outstanding contributions to children’s film and television....

. The director was David Bell.