★★★★

“This polished, paranormal staging rattles its chains as effectively as it warms the heart”

Christmas hasn’t always been twinkling lights and cosy fires – in Dickens’ time, ghost stories helped pass the long winter nights, a tradition cemented by ‘A Christmas Carol’. Mark Gatiss’ stage adaptation, ‘A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story’, leans into this seasonal spookiness, casting a chilling shadow across the festive favourite. Catch this show’s third run at the fittingly haunting Alexandra Palace if you fancy something darker this Christmas.

Scrooge and Marley revel in another year of ruthless debt collecting – until Marley drops dead. Fast forward seven years and Scrooge remains a miser with no care for people’s suffering. One fateful Christmas Eve, a night of supernatural encounters confronts him with the cost of his choices. Can he atone and will his redemption endure?

Gatiss’ adaptation honours Dickens’ legacy, faithfully preserving the original plot and prose while artfully reimagining it for theatre. Its more traditional feel is sharpened by the darker edge of ghostly encounters, with some playful asides adding wit and dimension to Scrooge. The conclusion stays true to Dickens, yet a satisfying twist underscores the permanence of Scrooge’s transformation and makes his ordeal all the more meaningful.

Director Adam Penford keeps the audience on edge, sustaining a haunting energy with slick stagecraft and well timed jump scares softened by moments of wit and affection. Towering, oppressive set pieces dominate with meticulous blocking ensuring clarity throughout. Smart use of the stage apron adds dynamism in the large space, and video projections cleverly augment the set.

Georgina Lamb’s movement direction injects bursts of merriment, with choreographed sequences adding welcome dynamism between darker passages. These moments not only heighten contrast but soften the focus on Scrooge, giving the production greater texture and variety.

Tingying Dong’s score demonstrates effortless range, shifting from deliciously eerie moments to bursts of Christmas cheer. The choral section is a particularly effective touch, bringing Scrooge into the fold.

Paul Wills’ impressive design brims with symbolism. Towering filing cabinets echo Scrooge’s isolation while his elevated desk reflects self perceived superiority. The stark bleakness of Scrooge’s office and Victorian streets are sharp contrast to the warmth of the Christmas scenes, creating a visual journey that underscores the character’s transformation. John Bulleid’s illusion design delivers clever sleight of hand and well timed jump scares, conjuring a genuinely haunted atmosphere. Philip Gladwell’s inventive lighting design dazzles, blending an array of effects to bring maximum drama. Ella Wahlström’s sound design perfectly captures a freezing Victorian Christmas, seamlessly layering whipping wind, clanging clocks and spectral sounds. Nina Dunn’s video design evokes the texture of real life London. Matthew Forbes’s puppet design extends the otherworldly feel but could benefit from deeper integration. The dog is undeniably charming despite its curious lack of hindlegs, while the ghost children are truly creepy.

This strong cast features famous faces. Neil Morrissey brings a lighter touch to Marley, sputtering comically to death before returning with a far more haunting presence. Matthew Cottle shines as Scrooge, capturing the frosty miser while subtly suggesting the man beneath. His performance blossoms into a more nuanced portrayal of redemption, avoiding the pitfall of manic exaggeration. The ensemble handles their multi roling with skill, shifting accents and characterisations with ease. The slightly echoey acoustics demand clearer diction at times, especially when employing accents.

‘A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story’ offers a darker take on the Christmas classic. This polished, paranormal staging rattles its chains as effectively as it warms the heart, making the trip to Alexandra Palace well worth the journey.

MIDSOMER MURDERS: THE KILLINGS AT BADGER’S DRIFT

Richmond Theatre

★★★★

“it is a joy to mingle with these quirky characters, brought to thrilling life by a talented band of actors”

Back in 1997, the body of Emily Simpson, a gentle, orchid-loving, older lady was found in her cottage in the rural, sleepy, chocolate-box village of Badger’s Drift. Her friend, eccentric spinster Lucy Bellringer, was adamant – despite the doctor’s diagnosis – that she was murdered. When proven right, the village descended into panic, the murderer strikes again, and millions of television viewers across the UK watched in delight and fascination as the quirky villagers spun their bizarre secrets around the mind of DCI Tom Barnaby (and his sidekick Sergeant Gavin Troy). The end of the millennium was in sight, but this could have been the forties or fifties. The wit and charm and appeal of the television series secured itself in the nation’s hearts within that first hour, and it is still going strong.

Based on the series of novels by Caroline Graham, that first episode has finally reached the stage, adapted and directed by Guy Unsworth. Murder mystery has always been an engrossing genre for theatre, inviting the audience to participate in their own minds and become one of the lead players trying to solve the puzzles. “Midsomer Murders: The Killings at Badger’s Drift” is no exception as it recreates the original, keeping the light-hearted, whimsy spirit. At times it almost seems like a spoof. It is often absurd, occasionally surreal, and invariably funny. The veiled shadows that supposedly lie beneath the surface are glimpsed, although they are not quite so deep and dark as we have been led to believe. Suspense may be lacking, but wit and silliness thrive, and it is a joy to mingle with these quirky characters, brought to thrilling life by a talented band of actors.

Daniel Casey has been promoted. Having played Sergeant Troy on the small screen, he now takes the helm as DCI Barnaby. A cool presence, he is unfazed by the craziness that surrounds him. James Bradwell’s Troy quietly and comically misreads the situations that Barnaby sees straight through, until he truly comes into his own, well and truly grabbing hold of all the wrong ends of all the sticks. But you can’t really blame him. These villagers are a secretive lot, and it is no surprise that each and every one is the main suspect at some point. Lucy Bellringer further embodies the confusion when she dramatically declares that “I am not what I am”. Julie Legrand brilliantly portrays this offbeat oddball, alternately guiding and then tripping up the investigation. We could all do with a bit of guidance, but we need no help in being tripped up as we come face to face with the subjects of Barnaby’s investigation. Alibis are like cockroaches that disappear as soon as any light is shed on them. First up is local GP, Trevor Lessiter, (a marvellous John Dougall) whose false defence hides a shady secret that Dougall expertly reveals later with a deadpan humour. His wife (Nathalie Barclay) is just as weighed down with whispered secrets that arrive as so-called ‘wrong numbers’ on the telephone. Dougall amazingly, and unrecognisably, reappears as local busybody, Iris Rainbird, who keeps a scrapbook of all the goings-on. Her son Dennis, the local undertaker (Rupert Sadler), is deliciously camp with a sinister sneer. For reasons that you must discover for yourself they are both struck off the suspect list fairly early on.

It is a surprise, at curtain call, to see how small the cast is. Doubling and trebling abound. Nathalie Barclay also convincingly and sassily plays gold digger Katherine Lacey, betrothed to rich widower Henry Trace (yes… Dougall again). Rupert Sadler re-emerges as Katherine’s artist brother, Michael, who opposes his sister’s ambitions. Or does he? You need to be on your toes to keep up. David Woodhead’s various sets certainly help matters, slickly sliding on and off, stage left and right and up into the wings. The sense of location is precisely signposted, as is the sense of foreboding, triggered by Matt Haskins’ lighting. Max Pappenheim’s filmic music adds further to the atmosphere, orchestrally lush, complete with the recognisable theremin sound that creates the necessary menace.

Yet what stands out above the slender menace is the mischievous humour. I have barely touched on the various plot twists, for obvious reasons, but it is safe to say that at each turn there are the joint hazards of a surprise and a laugh. Caroline Graham’s wonderfully eccentric characters have travelled from the novels to the television screen – but the theatre is where they truly flourish. And where they come to life in this fast paced, witty and bizarre setting. Never has murder been more fun.

Tag Archives: Ella Wahlström

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

★★★★

Alexandra Palace

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Alexandra Palace

★★★★

“This polished, paranormal staging rattles its chains as effectively as it warms the heart”

A CHRISTMAS CAROL

Alexandra Palace

Reviewed on 26th November 2025

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Mark Douet

Previously reviewed at this venue:

NORTH BY NORTHWEST | ★★★★ | June 2025

BIRDSONG | ★★★ | February 2025

AN INSPECTOR CALLS | ★★★★ | September 2024

THE GLASS MENAGERIE | ★★★★ | May 2024

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: A GHOST STORY | ★★★★ | November 2023

TREASON THE MUSICAL | ★★★ | November 2023

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

MIDSOMER MURDERS: THE KILLINGS AT BADGER’S DRIFT

★★★★

UK Tour

MIDSOMER MURDERS: THE KILLINGS AT BADGER’S DRIFT

Richmond Theatre

★★★★

“it is a joy to mingle with these quirky characters, brought to thrilling life by a talented band of actors”