‘Heartwarming’ festive period drama ‘gets better every watch’ on Channel 5 today | Films | Entertainment

A yuletide period drama that has captured hearts as ‘heartwarming’ airs on BBC1 today.

The Man Who Invented Christmas centres on the real-life writer Charles Dickens and the legendary tale of Scrooge. Set in 1843 London, the film follows Dickens as he faces financial difficulties following three consecutive commercial failures.

In desperate need of success, he draws upon real-world experiences and his extraordinary imagination to create Ebenezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim and other timeless characters for A Christmas Carol, transforming the festive season into the celebration we recognise today.

The Man Who Invented Christmas boasts an impressive ensemble including Dan Stevens, Mark Schrier, Patrick Joseph Byrnes and Miriam Margolyes, and despite its 2017 release, it has established itself as a beloved Christmas staple. On film review platform Rotten Tomatoes, acclaim has poured in with one critic noting: “Not perfect, but an excellent film. Highly entertaining.”

Another said: “Enjoyable and interesting movie. Watch it as Christmas gets closer.”, reports the Mirror.

A third added: “I love this film. As something of a Dickens scholar, I like the way it fairly accurately characterized Dickens’ financial situation, his relationship with his awful father, his terrible time at the blacking factory, how his characters were as real — or even more so — than the people in his life, and the horrors of the publishing business (still accurate today).

“It even captured Dickens’ habit of walking fast up to 20 miles a day, his pet raven, and so much else. While I wasn’t smitten with Stevens’ portrayal of Dickens, I think the character of Scrooge by the incomparable Christopher Plummer was absolutely brilliant. I’ve seen it 3 times now, and it just gets better every time. The ending is too sappy, but hey, it’s a Christmas movie.”

Another viewer said: “This film was an interesting view on the visual world of Charles Dickens. But somehow you wish it was more,” before adding: “Maybe there is missing character development or things rush too quickly, but it still has this kind of magic inside. I think by far that this Scrooge is one of the best Scrooges I have ever seen and it is sad he wasn’t in any Christmas Carol films I know of.”

A further review noted: “Unlike many modern Christmas movies, the Man Who Invented Christmas tells a gripping, yet family friendly, story in a creative, dramatic way.”

One more added: “While a bit Disney-like, the story and acting generally stand up well. An interesting, and fairly uplifting, take on Dickens and his novel — if somewhat over the top about his “inventing” Christmas.”

The Man Who Invented Christmas airs on Monday 22 December on Channel 5 at 1.55pm.