A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story Tickets

A Christmas Carol Ghost Story in London

Mark Gatiss’ critically acclaimed retelling of Charles Dickens’s classic Christmas ghost story returns to the Alexandra Palace Theatre. Emphasising the ghostliness of the timeless tale about a miserly businessman who is visited on Christmas Eve by three spirits, who try to convince him to change his ways, A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story offers “genuine chills” (TimeOut) as well as heartwarming Christmas cheer. The preserved Victorian ruination of the Alexandra Palace theatre is the perfect setting for this spooky, festive play - so don’t miss out, book ahead now!

What is A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story about?

“Marley was dead: to begin with…”

It’s a bleak Christmas Eve in Victorian England, and tightfisted business owner Ebenezer Scrooge is certainly not in the festive spirit. After begrudgingly giving his overworked and underpaid clerk Bob Cratchitt the next day off, and refusing an invitation to spend Christmas Day with his nephew, Scrooge returns home and to bed, only to receive a rude awakening - from the spectre of his former business partner Jacob Marley. Marley, shrouded in chains forged by a lifetime of greed, warns Scrooge against succumbing to the same fate. Over the course of the evening, Scrooge will be visited by three ghosts - those of Christmas Past, Present and Future - and these visitations are Scrooge’s last chance to change his ways for good…

Charles Dickens’s timeless story was first published in 1843 and has since become a staple of the festive season. A Christmas Carol has had numerous iterations including stage plays, musicals, television serials and films - even a Muppet-filled movie adaptation! The novella’s full title is A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas and Gatiss’ adaptation puts the ghost story at the heart of the tale, featuring uncanny special effects, dazzling puppetry and spine-chilling spirits alongside a healthy dose of festive cheer, making this “indestructible and ever-relevant story feel fresh and new” (The Evening Standard).

A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story premiered at the Nottingham Playhouse, in 2021 before transferring to the Alexandra Palace Theatre, where it was revived in 2023. London audiences are in for a treat as this thrilling production returns to the Ally Pally in November 2025!

A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story Cast and Creative Team

Casting is yet to be announced for the 2025 revival of A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story, but previous productions starred Nicholas Farrell (Hamlet, Chariots of Fire) as Scrooge in 2021 with Keith Allen (The Runaway, Robin Hood) taking the lead role in 2023. The 2021 production also starred Gatiss himself, as the chain-rattling Marley, with Peter Forbes (Follies, Poldark) stepping into the spectral shoes in 2023.

Mark Gatiss is an award-winning actor, writer and director, perhaps best known for his work on the surreal dark comedy series The League of Gentlemen, and his collaborations with Steven Moffat, which includes adaptations of Sherlock, in which he also played Mycroft Holmes, and Dracula. Gatiss’ award wins include a BAFTA, an Emmy and two Olivier Awards.

Adam Penford has directed all previous iterations of the show. The Artistic Director at Nottingham Playhouse, Penfords previous credits include the revival of One Man Two Guvnors at the National Theatre, The Sound of Music (Chichester Festival Theatre) and Watership Down (The Watermill Theatre).

Charles Dickens was an English novelist, journalist and social critic, considered by many to be one of the greatest Victorian writers. Still widely read and relevant today, his works often explore the poor conditions of the lower social classes in Victorian England. Some of his best-known works include Oliver Twist, A Tale of Two Cities and Great Expectations.

Book Tickets for A Christmas Carol: A Ghost Story Today!

So don’t miss out on thrills, chills and carols this festive season - Gatiss’ spooktacular take on a beloved Christmas classic “banishes all thoughts of ‘bah, humbug’” (Evening Standard). Book now to see this eerie yet heartwarming production in a stunning atmospheric setting, it’ll have you shouting "A Merry Christmas to us all!”