Owen Teale to play Scrooge at The Old Vic this Christmas

Welsh actor Owen Teale will portray Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic this year.

Teale, 61, is best known for his role as Ser Alliser Thorne in Game of Thrones and also previously starred in the BBC’s Line Of Duty and Sky fantasy series A Discovery Of Witches.

The Tony award-winning actor will star as the protagonist of Charles Dickens’s novella in The Old Vic’s 2022 production of the classic Christmas tale.

The book has been adapted for the stage by Jack Thorne, the writer behind Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, and will be directed by The Old Vic’s artistic director Matthew Warchus.

The iconic Christmas story, which was first published in 1843, follows Scrooge, an elderly miser who is visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future, who lead him to become a gentler and kinder man.

In previous productions of A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic, Scrooge has been portrayed by other well-known names including Stephen Mangan and Andrew Lincoln.

Along with the news of Teale’s casting, the search for the charity that The Old Vic will support throughout the run of the production has also launched.

For 2022, charities are able to nominate themselves to be the recipient of bucket collections, text to donate and online donations at the end of every performance, which, over the last five years have raised more than £1 million for food poverty and deprivation focused charities, including Field Lane, The Felix Project and Fareshare.

Speaking about the importance of the charitable element of the A Christmas Carol production, Warchus said: “It’s always incredible to see the support and generosity of The Old Vic’s audiences throughout the year.

“Raising over £1 million through A Christmas Carol post-show collections is not only a wonderful milestone but also a testament to that generosity of spirit.

“This year I’m excited to welcome Owen Teale in the role of Scrooge as we continue providing charitable support to a UK-based charity as always.

“Dickens felt compelled to write A Christmas Carol after witnessing extreme hardship first-hand.

“Now, almost 180 years after its initial publication, Jack Thorne’s stage adaptation continues to dazzle and move audiences whilst simultaneously highlighting the contribution theatre can make towards social justice.”

The production of A Christmas Carol at The Old Vic will run from November 12 2022 to January 7 2023.