A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong

My partner and I watch this one every year. We're both theatre people, so we love seeing everything going wrong through the production while knowing that everyone is actually safe. The amount of rehearsal and technical know-how needed to safely execute any "goes wrong" production is incredibly impressive, and my hat goes off to everyone involved.

The only reason I knock points off is that, in agreement with some of the other reviews here, some of the gags are drawn out longer than they need no be. It's surprising, as every other "gone wrong" production has their comedic timing down to a T. Still though, this is worth a watch.

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.

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.

As much as I liked their take on Peter Pan I think is where they seemed to run out of ideas.

I want to like it: the pieces all seem to be there but it lacks that X factor Peter Pan had. Some of it is funny and some of it just feels rehashed and contrived.

They go way too far with a lot of gags and put too much emphasis on the actors personal lives.

I'm not saying avoid it but go in knowing that the best of this franchise is behind it.