Based on "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, this fresh, funny new version of Scrooge, by Channel 4 comedy writer Brian Luff, takes the much-loved Christmas story and turns it into a traditional British pantomime. While staying true to the original story, and using lots of the original dialogue, the script includes plenty of snappy banter, knockabout humour, audience participation and slick, modern comedy routines. The production requires a very large cast with lots of parts for children. It features Mrs Fezziwig as the panto dame and an hilarious double act called McKinley & Maconie - a couple of out of work actors turned charity fundraisers. There's a messy slapstick "grape treading" routine with Mr & Mrs Fezziwig during Scrooge's journey with the Ghost of Christmas Present and the part of Jacob Marley's ghost is ideal for a comedian. Have a very Merry Christmas with Mr Scrooge!

The Grand Life' is the funny and touching memoir of the life and times of Patrick Langley Griffin OAM, growing up in the post war years of a gloomy Britain in the 40's and 50's, then through his long career an hotelier in some 'Grand' hotels in England and Australia. Part 2: 1967 to 1988 Patrick L Griffin OAM, growing up in the post war years of a gloomy Britain in the 40s and 50s, through his fifty years as a hotelier in grand hotels across the UK, Europe and Australia. His memoir is filled with characters famous, infamous and hitherto unknown. From his first star encounter with Charlie Chaplin, the memoir is filled with tales of film stars, rock legends, celebrities, Heads of State and politicians, as well as the British Royal Family. No less enjoyable are the tales of ordinary folk, just as full of laughs, tears and crazy behaviour. The memoir is full of humour, candour and genuine empathy for the common humanity that binds us all. Born in Rugby, England in 1946, his early youth was spent in Swanage, Dorset, where the family had moved to escape the German bombing while their father served in the RAF. Although not academically inclined, his charm, wit and unfailing ability to make lemonade when he was given lemons ensure his childhood and public school years are filled with adventures and hilarious mishaps. His career started in 1963 as a trainee manager at Te Grand Hotel in Eastbourne, a very traditional Victorian-era five-star hotel, where he found his passion for hospitality. Half a century of social and political change comes to life, from post- war austerity and bureaucracy through the Swinging Sixties and the 'Summer of Love' in Amsterdam, to England's industrial upheaval and 'Winter of Discontent' of the Seventies. He moved to Australia as the century drew to a close for a new beginning, opening two hotels that would set a new benchmark in luxury hotel standards. His resilience and sense of humour helped him to survive and thrive.

“A charming, comic, and ultimately poignant story about the creation of the most famous Christmas tale ever written. It’s as foggy and haunted and redemptive as the original; it’s all heart, and I read it in a couple of ebullient, Christmassy gulps.” —Anthony Doerr, #1 New York Times bestselling author of All The Light We Cannot See Laced with humor, rich historical detail from Charles Dickens’ life, and clever winks to his work, Samantha Silva's Mr. Dickens and His Carol is an irresistible new take on a cherished classic. Charles Dickens is not feeling the Christmas spirit. His newest book is an utter flop, the critics have turned against him, relatives near and far hound him for money. While his wife plans a lavish holiday party for their ever-expanding family and circle of friends, Dickens has visions of the poor house. But when his publishers try to blackmail him into writing a Christmas book to save them all from financial ruin, he refuses. And a serious bout of writer’s block sets in. Frazzled and filled with self-doubt, Dickens seeks solace in his great palace of thinking, the city of London itself. On one of his long night walks, in a once-beloved square, he meets the mysterious Eleanor Lovejoy, who might be just the muse he needs. As Dickens’ deadlines close in, Eleanor propels him on a Scrooge-like journey that tests everything he believes about generosity, friendship, ambition, and love. The story he writes will change Christmas forever.

THE STORY: A highly inventive adaptation of the classic Dickens story, paired down to its essential elements. In this version, we encounter a company of traveling players about to enact the Dickens story. As the on-stage trunk of supplies opens, ac

Over 150 years after its original composition, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol continues to delight readers. The figure of Ebenezer Scrooge has become a cultural icon, and Tiny Tim's "God Bless Us Every One" is as familiar as "Merry Christmas." It is not surprising that Dickens' "ghostly little book," as he called it, has proved popular with playwrights and screenwriters. In everything from elegant literary treatments to animated musicals, the role of Scrooge has been essayed by actors from George C. Scott to Mr. Magoo. This critical account of the story's history and its various adaptations examines first the original writing of the story, including its political, economic, and historical context. The major interpretations are analyzed within their various media: stage, magic lantern shows, silent film, talkies, and television. Dickens' other, lesser known Christmas stories, like "The Cricket on the Hearth," are also examined and compared to the immortal Carol. Finally, a complete annotated filmography of all film and television productions based on A Christmas Carol is included, with commentary on each version's loyalty to the original text. The book includes 25 previously unpublished photos as well as analysis of previously undocumented productions. The text includes a foreword by the distinguished film and literary scholar Edward Wagenknecht, a bibliography and an index.