Simon Callow‘s beloved one-man performance of A Christmas Carol returns to the Arts Theatre this winter to warm the cockles of your heart.

Following acclaimed sell-out seasons in 2011, 2012 and 2016, this unique staging of A Christmas Carol has become a well-loved tradition in London theatre’s festive calendar.

An adaptation of Charles Dickens’ much-loved novel, A Christmas Carol sees Simon Callow, together with director and designer Tom Cairns, conjure up a moving, funny and fast-paced one-man spectacular. Both intensely dramatic and profoundly heart-warming, the classic story is placed at the heart of this production.

In A Christmas Carol, Dickens takes us on a man’s astonishing journey through his past, his present and (terrifyingly) his future, led by his three ghostly guides. Will Ebenezer Scrooge, tight-fisted, cruel and bitter, finally re-join the human race and learn to embrace the true generous and humble spirit of Christmas?

From the miser’s dank and creaking house filled with shadows to cosy hearths, from stark graveyards to joyful festivities, this treasured story offers a celebration of goodness, a plea for justice and the promise of redemption.

The enduring popularity of A Christmas Carol, both as a novel and on stage, is testament to a story that transcends over centuries and it has never been out of print. Within two months of its original publication in 1843, eight stage productions were known to have been mounted, and Dickens himself chose the story to perform not only at his first public reading in 1853 but also at his farewell performance in 1869.

Simon Callow steps back into Dickens’ shoes for this show, having portrayed him on many an occasion in theatres across London. His knowledge of the author is sublime: he has even written two books about Dickens, and portrayed him on film and in television.

Don’t miss this staple of the Christmas season, steeped in tradition and festive merriment.