A Review of BBC TV’s 2019 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol [with spoilers]

Like many of you, I’m suspicious of any modern attempt to adapt old classics, especially when fond memories are held of prior adaptations and even more especially when such stories are Christmas favourites. Having watched The Muppet’s Christmas Carol only a few days before seeing this, I started off making comparisons which were always to the detriment of this latest version. But as the new Scrooge went on, I slowly began to accept it on its own terms. It was worth it.
Let’s get out of the way those things which I didn’t like about it, before concentrating on its real successes:
1. Pace