All 60% Off Sales Final - Not Guaranteed

List $16.97

Written by Charles Dickens - Adapted and directed by Paul McCusker - Audio book performed by a full cast - Dramatized Fiction - 1 CASSETTE - 1.5 hours

Publisher, Focus on the Family Publishing (October 1999)

“Marley was dead ... dead as a doornail, in fact. This must be distinctly understood or nothing wonderful can come of the story you’re about to hear …” Ebenezer Scrooge had a heart colder than winter and a spirit dreary as the London fog. It’s been said even blind dogs crossed the street to avoid the man who preferred the company of money to all else. But, as Scrooge would soon discover, some of the world’s most profitable riches aren’t found in bank accounts.

There in his gloomy chambers, supposedly secure against surprise, Scrooge is about to have Christmas Eve company — and there’s not a caroler in the bunch. Four ghostly visitors usher him into the most horrifying nightmare he has ever seen ... his own wretched life of utter selfishness.

Join the most miserly curmudgeon ever known as he ponders a potentially frightful fate — and realizes that the joy of giving to others is a treasure far outweighing anything you can hoard.

Paul McCusker, for Focus on the Family Radio Theatre, talks about the making of this superb radio theatre production:
When we first embarked on a new series called Focus on the Family Radio Theatre, A Christmas Carol topped the list of stories we wanted to tell. But it was a story people seemed to know all too well. The various movies and TV retellings left little room for anything new. Or did they? It's probably safe to say Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol needs no introduction. But there is a story behind the story that fewer people know. It chronicles Dickens' underlying motive for writing his ghostly little book—and the impact it had as a result. You'll hear how it affected more than just Christmas, but reached deep into Dickens' own society as well.

We soon discovered we were wrong when we considered two different sources for our script. Our first source was the original text, of course. Then, we found changes Dickens himself had made when he did live readings of his material. As a result, we decided to return some of these original lines and scenes rarely told or shown to their rightful places in the story.

Our second source was the one film version we consider to be the best of them all: the British-produced Scrooge, made in 1951. To our surprise, some of the scenes in that film—which we were convinced had come from Dickens' book—hadn't. It's a testimony to Noel Langley, the scriptwriter, that he had captured the spirit of Dickens so well that his additions seemed indistinguishable from the original. With kind permission of the British Film Institute, we were able to incorporate some of Langley's scenes into our drama.

All this to say we think we have created a unique version of a much-loved story. We hope you agree.

About the Performers:

Tenniel Evans as Ebenezer Scrooge - Tenniel is one of Britain’s most distinguished actors on stage, television and film. For television, he has appeared on such programs as The Avengers, War and Peace, The Tales of Beatrix Potter, Henry IV, Richard III, Rumpole of the Bailey, The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Lovejoy. His film credits include Exodus, 10 Rillington Place and HMS Valiant. He has performed the length and breadth of England in plays ranging from classic Shakespeare to works by contemporary dramatists and is the author of the book Don’t Walk in the Long Grass, which chronicles his life story.

Timothy Bateson as our Storyteller - Timothy has performed for over 50 years in nearly every discipline of drama available. For the theater, he has been seen in such diverse productions as Winnie The Pooh and Shakespeare’s Hamlet. His television credits include Dr. Who, All Creatures Great And Small, Neverwhere, Merlin, David Copperfield and Duchess of Duke Street.Timmy has also performed in such acclaimed films as Les Miserables, 101 Dalmations, Joseph, Our Man in Havana, Å Christmas Carol (with George C. Scott), A Handful of Dust and many others.

David Suchet as the Host - Perhaps best known for his definitive portrayal of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot, David Suchet is a consummate actor who regularly appears on stage (Amadeus), in films (A Perfect Murder, Harry & The Hendersons, Thirteen At Dinner) and on television (Moses, Solomon, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Reilly: Ace of Spies, Gulag). Mr. Suchet has won such prestigious honors as the Ace Award, the BAFTA Award, the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and the Critic’s Circle Award. He also served as host and narrator for the Peabody Award-winning radio drama Bonhoeffer: The Cost of Freedom and starred as Aslan for the complete Chronicles of Narnia for Focus on the Family Radio Theatre.

Plus the multi-voiced talents of:
Robert Benfield as Young Jacob Marley, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, the Doctor, the Young Father
Richard Brightiff as the Wilkins Boy, Peter Cratchit, "Errand" Boy
Justin Butcher as the Second Businessman, the Second Charity Worker, Charles, Topper
Jane Gambler as Frannie, Martha Cratchit, Alice
Katy Glassborow as the Younger Cratchit Daughter, Servant Girl
Peter Goodwright as Bob Cratchit, the Vicar
Michael Haughey as Young Ebenezer, the Undertaker
Katherine Kellgren as Belle, Jane, the Young Mother
Polly March as the Ghost of Christmas Past, Mrs. Fezziwig, Mrs. Cratchit, the Laundress
Tom Mount as the Young Cratchit Son
Myra Sands as Mrs. Beadnell, a Friend of Nephew Fred, Mrs. Dilber
Philip Sherlock as Nephew Fred
Mervyn Stutter as the First Businessman, Mr. Fezziwig
Joe Richard Syms as the First Charity Worker, Jacob Marley
Matthew White as Tiny Tim, the younger Ebenezer