A CHRISTMAS CAROL CONTINUES to Open at Old Fire Station

The Old Fire Station will present A Christmas Carol Continues written by Jonny Donahoe with Conor O'Toole, directed by Jess Edwards at The Old Fire Station in Oxford, 9 – 29 December

Seven years after his ghostly redemption, Scrooge returns in a satirical, fun-filled festive sequel tackling the housing crisis

Written by Jonny Donahoe, co-creator and performer of the Olivier-nominated Every Brilliant Thing, comic sequel A Christmas Carol Continues satirises exploitative landlords and draws sharp parallels between Victorian inequality and today's housing crisis. Set seven years after the original ghostly intervention, the story follows Ebenezer Scrooge, who remains a good man and a positive force in his community. However, his social position remains unchanged: a wealthy landlord and moneylender whose business holds financial control over those around him. When Christmas Eve rolls around once more, Jacob Marley and the ghosts return with unfinished business for Ebenezer, showing him that personal kindness alone does not change the impact of systemic wealth. Written with Conor O'Toole and directed by Jess Edwards, this playful festive offering keeps the evocative, snow-laced setting of the traditional Victorian Christmas, with a sharp nod to the world today.

The Old Fire Station's in-house original Christmas production, now in its eighth year, will once again draw relevance from homelessness charity Crisis, who share their building, and will continue its tradition of putting on funny plays that tackle some of the more difficult sides of Christmas such as loneliness and hardship.

Jonny Donahoe is a writer and comedian best known for co-creating (with Duncan MacMillan) and starring in Every Brilliant Thing. He started his career at the Old Fire Station at the age of 17 with his first play Working Title, directed by Mike Bartlett. He returned in 2016 with a new play, Thirty Christmases, with Rachel Parris and Paddy Gervers, who also performs with him in their comedy act Jonny and the Baptists.

Writer 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.”