12 Screens of Christmas
This December, MTG Recommends is taking a step away from the world of literature and embracing festive films and much-loved Christmas TV. Our ‘Twelve Screens of Christmas’ is here to highlight our very best recommendations to inspire the spirit of the season - whether on the big or small screen.
Scrooged (1988)
Recommended by Alicia Thomas
I love all versions of A Christmas Carol, but “Scrooged” is one of my go to films when I feel like a more modern, quirky twist on the Christmas classic.
Bill Murray plays a cruel eighties TV Executive version of Scrooge who is forced to learn the true meaning of Christmas.
I really enjoyed the dark vibe of this film when I was younger, especially the usual ghosts from Christmas past, present, and future. They did scare me as a child, but I liked the thrill of it anyway!
It’s A Wonderful Life (1946)
Recommended by Ceris Gardner
Who can top a film with an angel called Clarence Odbody (or one starring James Stewart)? Another variation on a Christmas Carol (loose, admittedly) it makes me cry every time I watch it and it doesn’t age. A really lovely schmaltzy feel good movie. Perfect for Christmas.
Love Actually (2003)
Recommended by Claire Weeks
Needs no introduction: Best. Film. Ever.
The Snowman (1982)
Recommended by Sophie Mazzier
Because both the music and the animation are beautiful. It is timeless and appeals to children and adults alike (although the latter are more likely to cry).
A Christmas Carol (2009)
Recommended by Heather Hinds
I took my daughter to see it when it came out in 2009 and she was 8 (I think she was a bit too young for it but she insisted we take her!). We now watch it every year.
A Christmas Carol (2019)
Recommended by Rupert Ticehurst
This is not your typical adaptation of this old Christmas favourite. It is a very dark and twisted but utterly engrossing investigation into the mind of Ebeneza Scrooge. There is no Muppets Christmas Carol happy ending: it is dark from beginning to end. Not one for the children, but for those who love Dickens and A Christmas Carol, but find the various adaptations a little cheesy, this is worth a watch. It is available on BBC iPlayer in a 3-part series and stars Guy Pearce, who is a brilliant Scrooge.
Doctor Who Christmas Specials (2005 onwards)
Recommended by Sonika Panesar
Although Doctor Who is a show which airs across the year, there is nothing greater than the Doctor Christmas Episode(s). They always seem to get the whole family quiet around the TV after Christmas dinner!
Muppets Christmas Carol (1992)
Recommended by Laura Pettit
Ignore the nay-sayers: this is the definitive retelling of the Dickens classic. From Michael Caine’s incredible performance as Scrooge (reportedly, he only accepted on the condition that he could play the role completely straight and as if his co-stars were members of the Royal Shakespeare Company) to the impossibly catchy songs, double the Marleys for your money and *that line* about Tiny Tim (if you know, you know) - it’s no wonder that I have this film on repeat from mid-November onwards. Or that I have an annual pilgrimage with a group of Muppet-loving friends to a strictly grown-ups only singalong version at a London cinema. Remember, light the lamp, not the rat.
Santa Claus - The Movie (1985)
Recommended by Susan Turnbull
My family watch this every Christmas. The legend of Santa Claus is put in jeopardy when an unscrupulous toy manufacturer attempts to take over Christmas - it’s probably a bit dated now, but we love it!
Miracle on 34th Street (1994)
Recommended by Dominic Condé-Cole
Ok – so not a choice for the purists who may suggest the original 1947 film with Edmund Gwenn deserves the listing instead but a movie that includes a visit to a courtroom and evokes some Christmas sparkle is a sure-fire winner. Preference for the remake is mainly down to the late Lord Richard’s performance and also my preference for colour movies rather than black and white.
The Vicar of Dibley Christmas Specials (1996 - 2006)
Recommended by Sophie Mazzier
I have a slight vested interest in these as I appeared on stage alongside the late Emma Chambers (admittedly, at primary school) - but the fact remains that these can still make me laugh at a distance of many years. The gentle humour and memorable characters are perfect for a post Christmas-dinner watch (although if you’re feeling full, maybe skip the episode where Geraldine attempts to consume four Christmas meals to avoid letting anyone down…)
Klaus (2019)
Recommended by Laura Pettit
Yes, it’s a cartoon, but it’s also one of the most beautiful and heartwarming Christmas stories ever produced (in my opinion). Serving as an alternative origin story for Father Christmas himself, and using a fictional 19th-century setting, the plot revolves around a postman stationed in an island town to the Far North who befriends a reclusive toymaker. I won’t say more and risk giving away some of the twists and turns of this story, but I will say that if the ending doesn’t make you weep, there’s a chance that your heart is made of stone…