A modern take on Charles Dickens' Christmas classic, where Scrooge is a loan shark squeezing money out of people, rather like the original Scrooge. It's a lot darker than some other adaptations of A Christmas Carol I've seen - especially the scene where Scrooge meets the Ghost of Christmas Future and sees his own grave! That scene actually almost drove me to tears and I screamed at him to wake up, it was only a dream! However, it does end well for Scrooge and his family and friends, as in every other version of this classic festive tale.Definitely worth watching if you want something that's a little more different from your usual cheery, merry Christmas movie fare.

I am an avid fan of the 'carol' movies, and have read the book more times than I can count. Some version of 'Carol' are terrible, some are brilliant, this movie goes into the latter choice. Kemp brings us a very believable Scrooge, a loan shark in a council estate. We see more of Scrooges love, Belle (or rather, Bella, in this new version), who fills out the character like I have never seen before. The ghosts were fantastically thought out, instead of being random spirits, these ghosts were close to Scrooge in their lives. The Ghost of Christmas-Yet-To-Come being the biggest shocker of all.This is undoubtedly my favorite take on the 'Carols' so far, and I would recommend it to anyone. I really, really hope that one day, it will be brought out onto DVD, I don't think the recording I made of it when it aired will last much longer from being watched.

As someone who comes from a family of Christmas fanatics and HUGE "Carol" fans begging for a version that remains completely faithful to the original text, this updated version intrigued me like very few have. Although the use of Marley is unusual (he appears several times), I bought into the concept of Scrooge as a heartless loan shark and Bob Cratchitt as his assistant trapped in a job from which he cannot afford to escape. I especially enjoyed some of the modern, and very creative, approaches which will be better appreciated by those more familiar with the story. What captured my attention initially, was the opening scene in which the familiar, "Marley was dead..." is delivered in a totally fresh manner. If you love the "Carol" try to find this next Christmas on public television (which is where I found it by accident)!

A modern take on the familiar Christmas Carol story. This time Scrooge is a loan shark on an inner city estate. He brings misery to everyone who knows him, until he's finally shown the error of his ways by the three spirits. I recorded it last Christmas, and will certainly be watching it again this year. Look out for it being repeated!