Binny and the Ghost

Binny and the Ghost (Binny und der Geist) is a German crime-mystery television series for children and teenagers, which was produced by UFA Fiction for the Walt Disney Company (Germany). The series was created by producer Steffi Ackermann and author Vivien Hoppe. The first episode of the series premiered in Germany on 23 March 2013 on Disney Channel. The series finale aired on Disney Channel in Germany on 15 May 2016. The plot of the series was concluded in the last episode.

Plot
13-year-old Binny moves with her parents from Hamburg to Berlin into an ancient villa. There she discovers that her room is already inhabited by a 14-year-old ghost named Melchior. However, he doesn't know why he has been a ghost for over a hundred years. Melchior does not know the 21st century, and Binny does not understand Melchior, who was born in 1900. Finally, in order to get rid of the ghost that is completely upsetting her life, Binny decides to help Melchior uncover the secret about his past. Only in this way can Melchior be freed from his ghostly life. In the process, the two teenagers often get involved in dangerous situations and have to solve crimes together. Binny and Melchior help people as well as ghosts whose bodies are trapped in the human world as long as their last task is not fulfilled. And the Watch Hunters in particular want to prevent Binny and Melchior from discovering the truth about the magical watches and the spirit world.

Development
In 2012, the German Disney Channel convinced the US parent company Disney that they be allowed to produce their own series of programs. They searched for new ideas from independent production companies and were attracted by the pitch from under the working title Binny und der Geist. The idea for the series came from the producer Steffi Ackermann and the author Vivien Hoppe, while casting was carried out by Daniela Tolkien. On 8 November 2012, the production of a pilot episode of Binny and the Ghost was confirmed. became UFA Fiction in August 2013.

Filming
Shooting the pilot episode began on 9 November 2012 in Berlin and the surrounding area, followed by the first season of Binny and the Ghost. Filming of the first season continued until autumn 2014. The long timescale was due, among other reasons, to the availability of the main actors which was restricted to the school holidays. Filming of the second season began on 13 March 2015 and continued until the end of 2015. One episode of the second season was filmed in the zoo on the Reilsberg in Halle.

Main

 * Merle Juschka as Binny Baumann, a teen girl who tries to help Melchior with different problems.
 * Johannes Hallervorden as Melchior von und zu Panke, a friendly and funny teen ghost.
 * Katharina Kaali as Wanda Baumann, Binny's mother.
 * Steffen Groth as Ronald Baumann, Binny's father.
 * Eliz Tabea Thrun as Luca Schuster, Binny's friend and classmate.
 * Stefan Weinert as Hubertus van Horas, the main antagonist of the first season.
 * Stefan Becker as Bodo, Hubertus and Rhett's second-in-command.
 * Robert Köhler as Rhett Thorn, the main antagonist of the second season.

Recurring

 * Inga Busch as Steffi Schubert
 * Anselm Bresgott as Mark
 * Patrick von Blume as Principal Rötig
 * Paul Maximilian Schüller as Martin
 * Hoang Dang-Vu as Jan
 * Lucas Reiber as Niklas Neudecker

Release
The pilot episode of the series aired on 23 March 2013 on Disney Channel, which at the time was only available on pay TV. Season 1 first aired regularly from 26 October 2014 to 18 January 2015 on Disney Channel, which is now on free TV. The second and final season first aired on Disney Channel from 10 April 2016 to 15 May 2016. Seasons 1 and 2 were added to Disney+ on 23 October 2020.
 * Germany, Austria and Switzerland

The first season premiered on Disney Channel on 13 December 2014. Season 2 premiered on Disney Channel on 7 July 2016. In South Africa, seasons 1 and 2 were added to Disney+ on 18 May 2022.
 * Africa, Middle East and Balkans

The first season premiered on 27 July 2015 on Disney Channel under the title "Billie and the Ghost" and with a British-English dub. Season 2 premiered on Disney+ on 18 May 2022 and was released along with the first season under the title "Binny and the Ghost" and with English dubbing from the US.
 * UK and Ireland

To date, the series has not been released in the United States or Canada.
 * United States and Canada

Trivia

 * In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the first season of the series was broadcast on the Disney Channel under the title Billie and the Ghost. In the British-English dub of the first season, created specifically for these two territories, Binny was renamed Billie and Melchior was renamed Malcolm.
 * In the eighth episode of the first season, one horse is named Maximus, which is a reference to the horse Maximus from Disney's animated film Tangled. Both horses have the same fearless and brave personality, but differ in coat color.
 * The third episode of the second season was filmed at the Bergzoo in Halle (Saale). Famous backdrops were the Humboldt penguin enclosure, the predator house as well as the seal enclosure and the skull monkey tunnel near the zoo entrance.