The Ghost of Peter Sellers by Jewish director Peter Medak, who fled Hungary in 1956, tells the tale of his ill-fated Hollywood 17th century pirate comedy shot in Cyprus starring Peter Sellers and Spike Milligan in 1973. The original 'Ghost' movie was shot mostly on the Mediterranean Sea on real ships which nobody had ever dared to attempt before. Even before shooting began, the Greek captain delivering the pirate ship to Kyrenia's magnificent 7th century harbor was so drunk that he crashed the ship into the quay. The production descended further after Peter Sellers lost confidence in the film and fired the producers and then the director of photography.
Structured around Medak and his journey back to the island 42 years later, The Ghost of Peter Sellers is a timeline of events supported by eye-opening and heart-felt interviews with remaining cast members, production staff, Cypriot locals and others from the world of filmmaking. From Los Angeles to New York, from London to Cyprus, Medak recaptures what it was like to work with the genius talents of Sellers and Milligan whilst explaining the saga of the pirate film and how such a brilliant and funny idea could go so terribly wrong and become a total disaster.