A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong

After the wonderful Peter Pan Goes Wrong, I was excited to see their take on a Christmas Carol. It isn't terrible, but it's not especially good either.

The premise appears to be that after being banned from the BBC, an acting troupe takes over a BBC production of A Christmas Carol.

I say this appears to be the premise because I only know that from reading it elsewhere. While watching I just saw them burst in and take over and I didn't see or hear any actual explanation of what was happening.

The humor retains much of the silliness of Peter Pan Goes Wrong and honestly, some very similar gags. But it is considerably less inspired. The only laugh out loud bits involve an actor who cannot read his lines and so has them written all over the set (including individual words on a bunch of grapes). It's very funny and clever, but 90% of the funniness and cleverness seems to have been expended on that 10-15 minutes worth of material.

While there are some good gags, nothing builds on anything else, so you get a moment of amusement and then it dies off, instead of each gag building on the next. I mean, there are a few callbacks, some pretty good, but overall the show just ... fails to launch.

Watchable but easy to ignore.

This is the first "Gone Wrong" episode I have ever seen and laughed from start to finish. "A Christmas Carol" is being staged by a group of totally inept actors and stage hands. Actors must go on with the show even when props fail, characters don't show up, stage hands are visible, people fall out windows or through floors, etc.

Derek Jacobi does an excellent job as Scrooge keeping it all together or all not together. Henry Lewis plays a 200-pound Tiny Tim after he accidently crushes the smaller actor who was Tiny Tim with a stage prop. There also was a modern party scene that I totally did not understand, but maybe I needed to watch the other "Gone Wrong" episodes first.

The Mischief Theatre, also known as 'The Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society' is a group of comedians who have made a variety of BBC specials as well as a regular series. I have not seen any of these shows other than "A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong' because I live in the States and only just discovered their work. I hope their other productions are as good as this one.

The premise is that a group of mostly untalented people want to hijack a BBC broadcast of "A Christmas Carol" starring Derek Jacobi. After taking Jacobi out of the picture and holding the crew captive, the group put on their own version...which is mostly a giant disaster. A few of the problems are problematic green screens, a Bob Cratchit who knows none of his lines, an actor who wants to play the lead and keeps attacking the new Scrooge, a niece who gets glued to practically everything and much more. It's all very stupid...but fun.

If this had been a longer film, it probably would have become tedious. As is, the 51 minute version is quite enjoyable thanks to the dopiness of the show...and this IS meant as a compliment! Well worth seeing, and I found a copy on YouTube.

All very good but Peter Pan Goes Wrong is marginally better I really don't know why I was on the flour I laughed so much this really will brighten your day

After last year's pratfalls with Peter Pan, the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society have been banished from the BBC, who have decided to use professional actors for their recreation of A Christmas Carol starring Derek Jacobi.

However the inept amateur dramatic society ambushed the BBC production and staged their own version with Dame Diana Rigg providing the narration. She is the aunt of one of the members of the drama society.

Again the production was a shambolic travesty with actors having trouble remembering the lines, props not working, stage hands walking into shot and an actor trying to sabotage the production so he can play the lead role of Scrooge.

The trouble is this was dreadful (unintentionally.) I did not laugh once. It is clear that the joke has worn thin after last year's production.