The Old Fire Station in Oxford has announced A Christmas Carol Continues, a new festive comedy from Every Brilliant Thing co-creator Jonny Donahoe, running from 9 to 29 December 2026.
Written by Donahoe with Conor O’Toole and directed by Jess Edwards, the production picks up seven years after Ebenezer Scrooge’s famous redemption, imagining what happens when personal transformation collides with wider systemic inequality.
Set on another Christmas Eve, the story finds Scrooge still acting as a force for good within his community. Yet despite his change of heart, he remains a wealthy landlord and moneylender whose position gives him significant control over the lives of others.
As Jacob Marley and the Christmas ghosts return, Scrooge is forced to confront the limits of individual kindness and the impact of wealth and power within society. The play draws parallels between Victorian poverty and today’s housing crisis, while retaining the snowy festive atmosphere of Dickens’ original tale.
The production marks the eighth year of the Old Fire Station’s annual in-house Christmas show, a series that draws inspiration from the venue’s close partnership with homelessness charity Crisis and regularly explores themes including loneliness, hardship and community.
The cast includes Léa des Garets as Vera, Halema Hussain as Merab and Jack Wilkinson as Scrooge.
Donahoe, whose credits include co-creating and performing the Olivier Award-nominated Every Brilliant Thing, first began his career at the Old Fire Station at the age of 17 with his debut play Working Title, directed by Mike Bartlett.
Speaking about the production, Jonny Donahoe said: “I’ve always loved A Christmas Carol: it’s a perfect story that manages to be an exciting, entertaining romp while never losing its pure moral centre. But as I’ve got older, I’ve wanted more from its meaning. In 2026, we’re surrounded by Scrooges who hoard insane levels of wealth and gatekeep the happiness of those around them through greed and exploitation. We don’t call them misers anymore—we call them billionaires. We wanted to write a new version that takes Dickens’ brilliant ideas even further, creating a show that is as joyful and funny as possible, but with a vital new moral for today.”
The creative team also includes producer Gabriel Subaga Zimmerer and set and costume designer Georgia Wilmot.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
