The play A Christmas Carol is based on the novel of the same name, written by Charles Dickens. It tells the story of a miserly businessman who has no belief in Christmas. He is only interested in money and in having as much of it as possible. In 1834, shortly after the book was written, Dickens wrote the following about the tale:

“I have endeavoured in this ghostly little book to raise the ghost of an idea which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their house pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it. Their faithful friend and servant, C.D.”

One Christmas Eve, after Ebenezer Scrooge has refused to allow his clerk Bob Cratchit have Christmas day off work, he goes home for his regular evening meal of gruel. Scrooge does not believe in Christmas and has no intention of celebrating it. He has no friends and lives a solitary, miserly life, and that he has decided is how he likes things.

On arriving home, Scrooge notices that for a moment that doorknocker on the front door of his house looks just like his old business partner Jacob Marley, who died seven years previously. Slightly taken aback by this, Scrooge decides to check all of the rooms in his house very carefully for intruders but finds no one.

Scrooge sits for a while and suddenly a ghost appears. Scrooge looks on in horror as the ghost introduces itself as none other than Scrooge’s former partner Jacob Marley! Marley’s ghost tells Scrooge that three more ghosts, those of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Yet To Come will visit him that night and show him things which may save him from an eternal torture.

The first ghost to visit Scrooge is the Ghost of Christmas Past. The ghost whisks Scrooge away from his house and Scrooge finds himself looking at himself as a boy in school. Scrooge watches himself being bullied by the other boys. The ghost then shows Scrooge himself as a teenager, dancing with a young lady called Belle, to whom Scrooge had been engaged. Scrooge is then confronted with the image of himself arguing with Belle, who he then sees married to another man, cradling a baby.

The Ghost of Christmas Past vanishes into thin air, and is replaced by another – the Ghost of Christmas Present. This ghost shows Scrooge the image of the Cratchitt family eating their rather measley looking Christmas dinner. Despite their obvious poverty, Scrooge is amazed and touched by how happy the family are. The ghost also shows Scrooge the image of two starving children, which makes Scrooge begin to wonder if his selfish life could be better lived by helping others.

The Ghost of Christmas Present vanishes and is replaced this time by the Ghost Of Christmas Yet To Come. This ghost refuses to speak and merely ushers Scrooge towards the most disturbing scene of all – Scrooge has died and no one seems particularly sad. In fact, most people are relieved that they no longer have to pay him back the debts that they owe him. Scrooge is then confronted with the image of the Cratchits, who are mourning the recent loss of their son Timy Tim.

It slowly begins to dawn on Scrooge that what he is seeing is what will happen if he continues to live such a selfish, miserly life. He tries to convince the ghost that he is a changed man and before he knows it he finds himself back in his bed, with the ghost nowhere to be seen.

Scrooge is overjoyed to be back home and to have been given the opportunity to make amends for his mean ways. He leaps from his bed, gets dressed, and sees a young boy on the street. Scrooge gives him a generous amount of money and instructs him to go and buy a goose and have it delivered to the Cratchit family.

Scrooge goes in to work and as Bob Cratchit arrives, pretends to be angry with him for arriving late. As Bob apologies though, Scrooge tells him that he will be giving him a generous pay rise. Scrooge end Christmas day surrounded by friends and fully transformed into a happy, generous man.