''A Christmas Carol'' is a 2000 British

crime In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Ca ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and d ...

television film A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie or TV film/movie, is a feature-length film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a television network, in contrast to theatrical films made for ...

, written by

Peter Bowker Peter Bowker (born 5 January 1959) is a British playwright and screenwriter. He is best known for the television serials '' Blackpool'' (2004), a musical drama about a shady casino owner; ''Occupation'' (2009), which follows three military servi ...

, that first broadcast on ITV on 20 December 2000. The film is a modern adaptation of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

' 1843 novella of the same name, and stars

Ross Kemp Ross James Kemp (born 21 July 1964) is an English actor, author, and television presenter. He rose to prominence in the role of Grant Mitchell in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders''. He is also known for his other roles as Graham Lodsworth in ' ...

in the role of Eddie Scrooge, who finds himself repeatedly living the same Christmas Eve while he is haunted by ghosts. The story is set nearly entirely on a London housing estate. The film was one of a number of projects offered to Kemp as part of his "golden handcuffs" deal with ITV, following his departure from '' EastEnders''. 9.41 million viewers watched the film on its debut Wednesday night broadcast. The film is also regularly repeated on ITV3 during the buildup to Christmas each year. The film has never been released on DVD.

Synopsis

Eddie Scrooge is an unscrupulous loan shark living on a poor inner-city estate, who brings misery to everyone who knows him.

Jacob Marley Jacob Marley is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol'', a former business partner of the miser Ebenezer Scrooge, who has been dead for seven years.Hawes, Donal''Who's Who in Dickens'' Routledge (1998), Goog ...

, a local criminal and associate of Scrooge is shot dead. On Christmas Eve,

Bob Cratchit Bob Cratchit is a fictional character in the Charles Dickens 1843 novel ''A Christmas Carol''. The abused, underpaid clerk of Ebenezer Scrooge (and possibly Jacob Marley, when he was alive), Cratchit has come to symbolize the poor working condi ...

, one of Scrooge's debtors, assists Scrooge on collecting debts from the estate. Scrooge declines an invitation to Christmas dinner from his nephew Dave, a police officer. That night, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Marley, who tells him to expect three ghosts. The first ghost, Scrooge's father, shows him visions of his past, including his troubled upbringing and meeting his now ex-girlfriend Bella, a nurse who splits from Scrooge upon noticing the misery he causes to his debtors. Scrooge rudely dismisses his father and finds the next morning that he is living the same Christmas Eve all over again, and is able to predict the events of the day. Scrooge chooses to change nothing about the day. That night, Marley reappears, standing in for the second ghost, and shows Scrooge visions of the present Christmas, including the festivities of his debtors, who are nonetheless happy. Bob's son, Tim spends the day in hospital suffering from cistic fibrosis. Two teenagers living rough on the estate die from hypothermia, and their ghosts appear before Scrooge and Marley. Scrooge once again wakes up on Christmas Eve, and half-heartedly attempts to change events to impress Bella. Scrooge finds the sick teenagers and opts to help them. The girl dies regardless because Scrooge chose to look for Bella rather than call an ambulance. Marley returns one last time and convinces Scrooge to confess that he is partially responsible for his murder; Marley was making a move on the territory of a crook named Stiles, whom Scrooge told where to meet Marley. Scrooge concedes that he does not enjoy his life and Marley vanishes. Attempting to escape the haunting, Scrooge meets the third ghost, a child that Scrooge recognizes but he is not sure where from. It turns out to be his son, Marley Scrooge. Eddie is so happy to have his son. The boy, his son takes Scrooge to the near future, where Tim dies and the Cratchits split apart in grief. Scrooge's belongings are flogged outside his home following his death, which is celebrated by his debtors. Scrooge vows to change his ways if he is allowed to return to the present, which he is. His son agrees. Scrooge saves the sick teenagers, cancels all his debts and anonymously gives his money away to many of those he has wronged, including the Cratchits. He reveals the identity of Marley's killer and spends Christmas with Dave and his family. Scrooge tells Bella about his hauntings and despite her disbelief she takes him back. Years later, Scrooge and Bella are ice-skating with their son - who appeared to Scrooge as the third ghost.

Cast

as Edward "Eddie" Scrooge *

Warren Mitchell Warren Mitchell (born Warren Misell; 14 January 1926 – 14 November 2015) was a British actor. He was a BAFTA TV Award winner and twice a Laurence Olivier Award winner. In the 1950s, Mitchell appeared on the radio programmes ''Educatin ...

as James Scrooge, Eddie's Dad (the

Ghost of Christmas Past The Ghost of Christmas Past is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption. Following a visit from ...

) * Liz Smith as Joyce * Michael Maloney as

Angeline Ball Angeline Ball (born 28 June 1969) is an Irish actress and singer who resides in London, England. She is known for her roles as Imelda Quirke in Alan Parker's '' The Commitments'' (1991) and as Tina in John Boorman's '' The General'' (1998). Sh ...

as Bella *

Ray Fearon Raymond Fearon is an English actor. He played garage mechanic Nathan Harding on ITV's long-running soap opera ''Coronation Street'' and voiced the centaur Firenze in the Wizarding World film series ''Harry Potter'' and '' Fantastic Beasts''. ...

(the

Ghost of Christmas Present The Ghost of Christmas Present is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption. Following a visit fr ...

) *

Mina Anwar Mina Mumtaz Anwar (born 20 September 1969) is a British actress and singer. Early life Anwar was born in Church, Lancashire in 1969. She was educated at Accrington Moorhead High School, and gained an A level in Theatre in Performance at the Acc ...

as Julie *

Lorraine Ashbourne Lorraine Ashbourne (born 10 April 1961) is an English actress. Career Ashbourne has appeared on British series and television films, including: '' The Street'', ''True Dare Kiss'', '' Thin Ice'', ''In a Land of Plenty'', ''Boon'', '' Playing th ...

as Sue Cratchit * Daniel Ainsleigh as Dave (Fred in the original novella) *

Claudie Blakley Claudie Blakley (born 4 January 1974) is an English actress. She trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. In 1998, she won the Ian Charleson Award for her performance in ''The Seagull'' at the West Yorkshire Playhouse in Leeds. She is ...

as Ellie *

Chloe Howman Chloe Howman (born 1978 in London, England) is an English actress. The daughter of actor Karl Howman, her sister is actress Katy-Jo Howman. Career The sisters' first appearance was in 1986 with their father, as children in his series ''Brush Str ...

as Jane *

Bill Thomas William Marshall Thomas (born December 6, 1941) is an American politician. He was a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 2007, finishing his tenure representing California's 22nd congressional district an ...

as Ted * Ben Tibber as Tiny Tim Cratchit * Ben Inigo-Jones as Marley Scrooge, Eddie's Son (the

Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's 1843 novella ''A Christmas Carol''. The Ghost is one of three spirits which appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption. Following a vis ...

)

External links

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christmas Carol (2000 film), A 2000 television films 2000 films British Christmas films British supernatural television shows British television films Christmas television films Films based on A Christmas Carol Films directed by Catherine Morshead ITV television dramas London Weekend Television shows Television series by ITV Studios Television shows based on A Christmas Carol

Synopsis

Cast

See also

External links

References