User Reviews

This one man show attempts to show how Charles Dickens came to write A Christmas Carol. He suddenly decides to write it and then has to come up with names, situations and the whole idea of having the ghosts aid in Scrooge's redemption. While interesting it contains numerous factual errors. For example, while naming Marley "Dickens" goes through a number of possible names before suddenly deciding on the name. In actuality Dickens got the name from a Doctor Miles Marley whom he met at a party. Likewise it seems to show that he conceived the the entire story, along with large parts of the dialog all in one night. Records show that he actually worked on it for six weeks. The production is well written and very well acted and is, as such, enjoyable. If you demand historical accuracy you will be disappointed. If, however, you can overlook the historical inaccuracies and accept it in the spirit in which it is presented, I think you will enjoy it.

I found this program to be quite entertaining and well crafted....when I first started watching it I thought perhaps it was a BBC-oriented piece. It is not, but it is actually quite beautiful. I saw it when it was first broadcast and then saw it again the next year. I wanted more information about it, and saw this information posted here.

I disagree with some comments previously posted here - specifically about it's accuracy on the behavior of Charles Dickens. They are correct to some degree, but anyone with any knowledge of Dickens' life would be aware that scholars have documented he likely exhibited behaviors and that he had issues that may have been troublesome to many in today's world (social, family, & emotional, in particular). He is known to have been quite animated in his daily life, in his lectures, and performances that he is known to have given. In that vein, the actor and the writer (whom I have found out is a widely respected Dickens scholar) are likely on point to some degree in their depiction.

Not a celebrity actor in this program, but he does it well. Some minor quibbles about some historical references (seemingly done for humor possibly?), and some of the editing for my tastes, but I say take the time to enjoy the program if you ever get a chance to do so. I - and others with me - had great fun watching it.