Book at Bedtime A Christmas Carol Martin Jarvis and Denise Bryer Cassette

The bedtime story is a cherished part of many children’s nightly routines and then a cherished part of their memories ever after. The same is true for many parents. I read to my children throughout their formative years, and given the 7 year gap between our oldest and youngest children I was lucky enough to do so for more years than many parents have the opportunity to. It was a marvellous time for both reader and listeners and Christmas meant a chance to revisit books that became perennial favourites. In our house that meant Merry Christmas Sleepover Club, Old Bear, Paddington and the Night Before Christmas amongst many others. They provided fun, laughter and the comfort of earlier childhood and every Christmas we revisited them, knowing the stories and losing ourselves in the spirit of the season. Even as older children they reconnected with that part of themselves which still believed in magic. (I can see an entry for Blogmas 2024 right there!) I read A Christmas Carol in its Ladybird Book form, but it wasn’t one that I returned to quite as often, perhaps because they were played many different versions of the story on video, and later DVD, in my attempt to bring that same magic that I felt from the story.

As adults we don’t necessarily settle down for stories as our busy lives take precedence, although I do try to read before going to sleep most nights. For many, Book at Bedtime, the long running Radio 4 series takes on the role of storyteller, and the recording of A Christmas Carol by Martin Jarvis and Denise Bryer was a 1988 release on cassette that I bought very eagerly despite not having heard the original programme. It was a chance to immerse myself in my own visions of the book and the characterisations of the readers. So, without further ado I will look at the qualities that makes this particular version my favourite reading.

The first thing that appealed to me when I first heard this on cassette was the lovely opening theme. At the time, I had never watched Box of Delights or listened to the Hely-Hutchinson Carol Symphony so the beauty of the theme just entranced me and it still has exactly the same effect. When the story starts with the pronouncement ‘Marley was dead! To begin with’ read by Martin Jarvis you just know you are in safe hands. However, the addition of the lovely voice of Denise Bryer adds the touch that all other readings miss, the voice that can deliver all the female roles written in the book without resorting to caricature. I can pick out two of her many roles for particular praise, Mrs Cratchit and Mrs Dilber. The former has a real strength and an anger when denouncing Scrooge that is really powerful whilst the latter has the requisite cockney accent but Bryer steers clear of making her a music hall style foil. Martin Jarvis is, as ever, simply marvellous with a superbly caustic Scrooge and an open hearted and kind Bob Cratchit standing out. One of the other real strengths of this production is the perfect timing of the end of each episode. My favourite is the appearance of Marley where the flame leaps up. It is just perfect.

The beauty of the best audiobooks is that it takes you back to your time as both the person being read to as a child and the person reading to your children. This book definitely does that in every respect. Sadly it is not available on the BBC Sounds site or indeed on CD, and it deserves to be heard by a much bigger audience. Should you still have a cassette player and should my love and affection for this version has encouraged you to seek it out you can occasionally see it on Discogs or on eBay, but, sadly, it is incredibly difficult to find otherwise. I just count myself lucky that I was able to get a copy and to be able to play it to this day.

‘May it haunt your house pleasantly and no one wish to lay it’