Neil Morrissey joins Mark Gatiss's A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story
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| By
Sian McBride
Casting has been announced for Mark Gatiss’s acclaimed version of A Christmas Carol - A Ghost Story, which will once again bring Dickens’s timeless tale to life at Alexandra Palace after two successful festive seasons. The Nottingham Playhouse production runs from 21 November 2025 until 4 January 2026, with its official opening night set for 26 November.
At the heart of the story this year is Neil Morrissey, who will step into Jacob Marley’s shoes/chains. Known to an entire generation of children as the voice of Bob the Builder, can years of fixing things with Wendy prepare him to get Scrooge to fix the errors of his ways?
Commenting on today's announcement, Morrissey said “I am thrilled to be taking on the role of Jacob Marley in Mark Gatiss’ fantastic adaptation of this evergreen Dickens classic. A real spooky treat for Christmas, and even better at the wonderful Alexandra Palace, which is my local theatre.”
Gatiss added: “I’m delighted that our Carol is returning once more to the Pally! I’m thrilled to welcome Neil Morrissey into this very happy Christmas family. God bless us. Everyone.”
Matthew Cottle returns to the production, reprising his role as Ebenezer Scrooge. A graduate of RADA, Cottle has built a career that balances comedy and drama, appearing in hit TV series; Game On, Citizen Khan and the royal satire The Windsors, as well as a wide range of stage work at the National Theatre and Chichester Festival Theatre.
They will be joined by Charlotte Bate as Mrs Cratchit, Michaela Bennison as Caroline, Henry Davis as Bob Cratchit, Elliot Douglas as Tiny Tim, Michael Mears as the Narrator, Kalifa Taylor as Belle, Mark Theodore as the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Lance West as Fred, with Jacob Daniels and Maya de Faria covering swing roles.
The talented team transforming Alexandra Palace into Victorian London is designer Paul Wills, lighting designer Philip Gladwell, sound designer Ella Wahlström, video designer Nina Dunn, movement director Georgina Lamb and composer Tingying Dong.