Average Romp, out now

Charles Dickens’ final Christmas tale comes to life…

Jonathan Morris is the adapter for this story from 1848 – its full title is The Haunted Man and the Ghost’s Bargain – the fifth and final Christmas books (for the reasons for Average Romp passing adapting the fourth story, see our interview with Morris here). Although the title might suggest we’re in for more of Scrooge and the Ghosts (“this time it’s personal?”), this is a very different sort of story, although the changing of human nature by other forces is still at its heart.

For those who know the original – and that’s not likely to be that many people! – Morris has made various tweaks to make this work well on audio, bringing out the themes and making them feel just as relevant to 2025 as they did 175 years or so earlier. It’s a well-paced tale with director Lisa Bowerman keeping the momentum flowing, and there’s a suitable leavening of humour when needed (I can’t help but imagine Buster Merryfield from Only Fools and Horses in the scenes where his character is 87, you know). Very wisely, Paterson Joseph never lets his performance become melodramatic even though we’re very much in a heightened reality at times.

As with The Chimes and The Cricket on the Hearth, there’s a depth to the sound design that immerses the listener in the mid-19th century – it’s the little details that make all the difference. It makes a good counterpoint to Cricket – if that was a sitcom Christmas special, this is more towards the Ghost Story for Christmas end of the spectrum.

Verdict: Another excellent adaptation of a lesser known work. 9/10

Paul Simpson