BBC One’s new adaption of A Christmas Carol airs this week on TV – here’s all you need to know.
From the cast to how to watch it online, this is your guide to A Christmas Carol on BBC One in 2019.
The three-part adaption of Charles Dickens’ classic novel comes from Steven Knight, the author of Peaky Blinders and Taboo.
As Ebenzer Scrooge, the miserly cold-hearted boss, is visited by four ghosts from the past, present and the future, on a freezing Christmas Eve, he must face up to how his self-interested, penny pinching behaviour has impacted his own life and those around him, leaving him in a paranoid bubble of fear.
Is it too late for him to save the spirit of Christmas, and himself?
A Christmas Carol cast
The star-studded ensemble cast of A Christmas Carol on BBC One is led by Guy Pearce (Mary Queen of Scots) as Ebenezer Scrooge.
Joining them are Andy Serkis (Black Panther) as Ghost of Christmas Past; Stephen Graham (This is England) as Jacob Marley; Charlotte Riley (Peaky Blinders) as Lottie; Joe Alwyn (The Favourite) as Bob Cratchit; Vinette Robinson (Doctor Who) as Mary Cratchit and Jason Flemyng (Save Me) as the Ghost of Christmas Future.
Completing the cast are Kayvan Novak (What We Do In The Shadows) as Ali Baba and Lenny Rush (Old Boys) as Tim Cratchit.
A Christmas Carol air date and how to watch
A Christmas Carol will air over three consecutive nights in three, hour-long instalments on Sunday, December 22, Monday, December 23 and Tuesday, December 24 on BBC One.
All the episodes air at 9PM.
You can watch both on TV and online and catch up via the BBC iPlayer.
A Christmas Carol episode guide
Episode 1 – Sunday, December 22
Misanthropic businessman Ebenezer Scrooge refuses to treat Christmas as different to any other day, much to Bob Cratchit’s chagrin, as he is desperate to leave work and get home to his family on Christmas Eve.
Scrooge’s dead former business partner Jacob Marley begs for peace in his coffin. Having repented himself, the Spirits have news for him. He will linger in purgatory until Scrooge himself repents, something Marley knows he will never do.
Tim writes his yearly thank-you letter to cousin Jack, thanking him for the money that saved his life, but Mary’s prickly reaction rouses Bob’s suspicions.
A spooked Scrooge is visited by Marley, who has a warning: Scrooge will be visited by three Spirits.
Episode 2 – Sunday, December 23
As midnight strikes, as warned by Marley, Scrooge is visited by the Spirit of Christmas Past.
He takes Scrooge on a deeply personal journey, exposing his darkest childhood memories, his cut-throat business manner, his isolation and manipulation of those around him, including The Cratchits.
Episode 3 – Sunday, December 24
After The Spirit of Christmas Present shows him the humanity he has forgotten and The Spirit Of Christmas Future shows him his desolate future, Scrooge is forced to face the cruel consequences of his actions.
But will he repent?
A Christmas Carol airs on BBC One this December.
More on: BBC One
