The first trailer for A Christmas Carol the upcoming BBC adaptation of the Charles Dickens novella, is here - and festive joy does not spring to mind.
The three-part drama, by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, is said to be a dark take on the 1843 fable, which follows bitter old man Ebenezer Scrooge who is visited by three ghosts on Christmas Eve who show him his past, present and future.
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Guy Pearce plays Scrooge, who faces a moral dilemma when he's show the destruction of his actions.
As well as Pearce, the miniseries features an all star cast including Knight favourites such as Charlotte Riley. *PRAYS FOR CILLIAN MURPHY CAMEO.*
Stephen Graham also stars as Jacob Marley, as well as Andy Serkis as Ghost of Christmas Past, Jason Flemyng as Ghost of Christmas Future, Joe Alwyn as Bob Cratchit, and Vinette Robinson as Mary Cratchit.
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Other cast include Lenny Rush, Tiarna Williams, Thea Achillea and Billy Barratt.
As for the trailer, warm and fuzzy it is not, with the 1.23 second reel showing scenes of horror - fire, torture, ill children, creepy old men with sewn up mouths, and drowning toddlers not excluded.
"Tonight you will not sleep," says once of the haunting ghosts. "Come and look upon the evil that you did.
"Justice will grab you by the throat and drag you to the truth," rings the haunting voice.
It's not clear whether scrooge will see the errors of his ways, as in the original fable, though the way the trailer looks, we're not holding our breath for any sort of happy ending with this one.
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Can we just have another Muppets Christmas Carol please?
There's no set date for when A Christmas Carol is hitting BBC yet, but it's planned for some time in December.
Featured Image Credit: BBCTopics: Entertainment News, TV and Film