A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol is a 2000 British crime fantasy television film, written by Peter Bowker, that first broadcast on ITV on 20 December 2000. The film is a modern adaptation of Charles Dickens' 1843 novella of the same name, and stars Ross Kemp in the role of Eddie Scrooge, who finds himself repeatedly living the same Christmas Eve while he is haunted by ghosts. The story is set nearly entirely on a London housing estate. The film was one of a number of projects offered to Kemp as part of his "golden handcuffs" deal with ITV, following his departure from EastEnders. 9.41 million viewers watched the film on its debut Wednesday night broadcast. The film is also regularly repeated on ITV3 during the buildup to Christmas each year. The film has never been released on DVD. Synopsis Eddie Scrooge is an unscrupulous loan shark living on a poor inner-city estate, who brings misery to everyone who knows him. Jacob Marley, a local criminal and associate of Scrooge is shot dead. On Christmas Eve, Bob Cratchit, one of Scrooge's debtors, assists Scrooge on collecting debts from the estate. Scrooge declines an invitation to Christmas dinner from his nephew Dave, a police officer. That night, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Marley, who tells him to expect three ghosts. The first ghost, Scrooge's father, shows him visions of his past, including his troubled upbringing and meeting his now ex-girlfriend Bella, a nurse who splits from Scrooge upon noticing the misery he causes to his debtors. Scrooge rudely dismisses his father and finds the next morning that he is living the same Christmas Eve all over again, and is able to predict the events of the day. Scrooge chooses to change nothing about the day. That night, Marley reappears, standing in for the second ghost, and shows Scrooge visions of the present Christmas, including the festivities of his debtors, who are nonetheless happy. Bob's son, Tim spends the day in hospital suffering from cistic fibrosis. Two teenagers living rough on the estate die from hypothermia, and their ghosts appear before Scrooge and Marley.