THE CHARACTERS, THEN & NOW

CHARLES DICKENS’ ORIGINAL

EBENEZER SCROOGE: A wealthy but miserly owner of a counting house (or accountants).

JACOB MARLEY: Scrooge’s equally greedy dead partner, who appears as a ghost to warn Scrooge that other spirits will appear to show what lies ahead for him if he doesn’t reform his ways.

FRED: Scrooge’s kind-hearted and cheerful nephew.

BOB CRATCHIT: Scrooge’s very underpaid but loyal junior clerk.

TINY TIM: Bob Cratchit’s disabled youngest child.

BELLE: Scrooge’s fiancée, who left him because he put his love of money before her.

JEFFREY ARCHER’S 2021 VERSION

EBEN SCROOGE: A wealthy but miserly property developer.

JACOB MARLEY: Scrooge’s decent dead business partner who brought up Fred when his mother, Scrooge’s sister, died. Jacob appears as a ghost to warn Eben to change his ways

FRED: Scrooge’s good-hearted nephew and chairman of the local football club, run as a charitable trust.

COUNCILLOR ROBERTS: Unscrupulous chairman of the local council’s planning committee.

BOB CRATCHIT: Former schoolfriend of Scrooge and the football club’s groundsman.

TINY TIM: Bob’s disabled son and Scrooge’s godson.

DICK WILKINS: A former school friend of Scrooge, and the architect who married Belle.

NED HEATH: Scrooge’s chauffeur.