The Old Fire Station in Oxford has announced A Christmas Carol Continues, a new festive comedy by Jonny Donahoe and Conor O’Toole, running from 9 to 29 December 2026.
The production imagines what happens seven years after Ebenezer Scrooge’s transformation in Charles Dickens’ beloved Christmas tale, asking whether goodwill alone is enough when wealth and power remain unchanged.
Penned by Jonny Donahoe, co-creator and performer of the Olivier-nominated Every Brilliant Thing, the play satirises exploitative landlords and draws parallels between Victorian Britain and today’s housing crisis.
In the story, Scrooge remains a force for good within his community, but he is still a wealthy landlord and moneylender whose business affords him significant influence over the lives of others. As Christmas Eve arrives once again, familiar figures return to confront him with uncomfortable truths about the impact he continues to have on those around him.
The production continues The Old Fire Station’s tradition of presenting festive work that balances humour with social commentary. Sharing its building with homelessness charity Crisis, the venue has long explored themes including loneliness, hardship and housing insecurity through its Christmas shows.
Donahoe’s connection to The Old Fire Station stretches back to his teenage years, when his first play, Working Title, was staged there under the direction of Mike Bartlett. He later returned with Thirty Christmases, alongside Rachel Parris and Paddy Gervers.
Jonny Donahoe said, “It is a great joy to return to the Old Fire Station, to engage with questions of housing and renters’ rights in Oxford and beyond, and to imagine what might have unfolded had Charles Dickens ever met Karl Marx.”
The creative team includes writers Jonny Donahoe and Conor O’Toole, dramaturg Mike Bartlett and producer Gabriel Subaga Zimmerer. Casting is yet to be announced.
A Christmas Carol Continues runs at The Old Fire Station, Oxford, from 9 to 29 December 2026, with press performances scheduled for 11 December at 7.30pm and 12 December at 3pm.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
