But did you know there was a sequel?
The Chimes, written by Dickens as a follow-up to his famous Christmas story, has never been adapted for television and has not been made into a film since 1914. Why? Because it’s much darker, stranger, and more radical. It’s written by Dickens the social campaigner. It’s a story about poverty – and the causes of poverty. It’s a story about the consequences of a cost of living crisis and the notion of the ‘undeserving poor’. It’s as relevant now as it was when it was written, back in 1844.
But it’s also uplifting, with a positive message about how everyone is needed and everyone deserves a better future. It’s Dickens pre-empting the Christmas classic movie, It’s A Wonderful Life.
The story concerns Toby Veck, a man who worries that he has become a burden on society, a man who wonders if his family would be better off without him. He’s troubled by a newspaper report about a young mother who recently killed herself, and her baby, by jumping off London Bridge. He’s been told that the poor don’t deserve sympathy, and that some people are just born bad and beyond redemption. And he’s starting to believe it…
But on New Year’s Eve, the Chimes set out to prove him wrong.
Producer, Jonathan Morris:
“Every Christmas, there are dozens of new adaptations of A Christmas Carol – but nobody ever does the story that Dickens wrote the following year as a thematic sequel. While A Christmas Carol is about a rich man learning to love, The Chimes is about a poor man, driven to despair, learning that his life has meaning and that he is needed and loved. In many ways, it pre-empts Frank Capra’s It’s A Wonderful Life.Toby Jones stars as Toby Veck; Toby is one the UK’s best-loved actors, known for starring roles in The Detectorists, Sherlock and Doctor Who and for films including Infamous, Frost/Nixon, Jurassic Park: Fallen Kingdom, the Harry Potter series, the Hunger Games series, the Captain America series and the forthcoming fifth Indiana Jones film. The feature-length audio production also features David Horovitch (House of the Dragon), Lucy Speed (EastEnders), Laura Aikman (Casualty) and Victoria Alcock (Bad Girls). It is adapted by Jonathan Morris, directed by Lisa Bowerman and has sound design and music by Howard Carter. It is an Average Romp Production.
So why hasn’t it been made into a film (since 1914!) or ever adapted for television? Well, it is much darker and stranger than A Christmas Carol, but I think the main reason is that it was written by the Charles Dickens the radical social reformer. It’s Dickens showing his anger at the poor being written-off, trapped in poverty and unable to improve their lot. There’s a lot of anger at the hypocrisy of politicians, magistrates and self-congratulatory philanthropists who claim to be on the side of the ‘deserving poor’ while condemning those who become poor through no fault of their own. And along the way the story touches on issues like domestic violence, rogue landlords, alcoholism, mental illness, and prostitution. It’s about how that young mother ended up killing herself and her child. What would drive somebody to do that?
Which doesn’t sound very Christmassy but then, It’s A Wonderful Life does the same thing. And, like It’s A Wonderful Life, The Chimes ultimately has a positive message, reminding us that everyone is needed, everyone is valued, and that everyone deserves the chance of a better future. Which is why it is so relevant. It’s Dickens writing about people being forced into poverty during a cost of living crisis. It may be Dickensian, but it’s a story about 2022.”
The Chimes can be pre-ordered now for £10 from www.averageromp.com (the price will increase after the release date).
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