Back By Popular Demand!

Jack Thorne's (Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Adolescence) joyful version of A Christmas Carol returns to The Old Vic for  2026, marking its 9th festive season at the venue! 

Directed by Matthew Warchus, this stirring and sumptuously designed production of the Charles Dickens classic takes us into the heart of Victorian London and into the austere counting offices of one Mr Ebeneezer Scrooge for a lesson in kindness he'll never forget.

Brimming with wit, festivity, and Victorian charm, discover why A Christmas Carol remains the world's favourite festive treat

What is the story?

Crotchety London moneylender Ebeneezer Scrooge has spent nearly a whole lifetime in pursuit of pounds and pennies, at the cost of kindness, love, and happiness. His bad temper is a black cloud that follows him always; he treats his only associates, his employees, and those desperate enough to borrow from him, with disdain, and has no true friends.

Alone on Christmas Eve after eschewing the holiday in favor of working, it looks as if this miser has truly gotten what he deserves. That is, until he's surprised by the reappearance of an old colleague - dead these seven years past! What follows is an evening of supernatural visits from the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Each spirit has something to show old Scrooge, hoping to change his ways and make him the man he always could have been. But will Scrooge learn his lesson?

A festive fable that still hits close to home after nigh on 180 years, Charles Dickens ' Christmas masterpiece teaches us about the power of redemption, community, and compassion, and how it's never too late to change your ways.