Christmas Carol Goes Wrong Reviews: What the Critics Say

These are the reviews of Christmas Carol Goes Wrong's first London run, at the Apollo Theatre in December 2025. It's the same production at Wyndham's this Christmas, with the same writers, director and designers, but a different company. The critics gave it four stars almost across the board and the main doubt was whether the Goes Wrong formula still surprises.

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The Critics' Verdict

The Guardian, the Standard, the Times, The Stage, WhatsOnStage and Time Out all gave it four stars. The Telegraph gave three. BroadwayWorld and The Upcoming went to five, and Everything Theatre gave four.

The Guardian headlined its review "a Dickensian disaster to savour", and WhatsOnStage called it "an irresistible Christmas treat". Even the three-star Telegraph said "only a Scrooge could fail to smile".

What the Reviews Praised

The way it's built. The first half is a rehearsal, and it plants the jokes that go off in the second. The Guardian's Chris Wiegand, at four stars, said much of the pleasure is in watching the gags being set up "ready to explode after the break" (15 December 2025). Time Out's Anya Ryan found that "every single line has a worthwhile, deliciously funny purpose" (4/5).

The laughs. The Standard's Nick Curtis came in admitting a "Scrooge-like aversion" to Mischief's shows, and left saying "I'm a convert" (4/5). WhatsOnStage's Alun Hood said Matt DiCarlo's production reaches the point "where it becomes physically impossible to stop laughing" (4/5).

Tiny Tim. The Stage's Holly O'Mahony described him as "a giant, vampirish puppet, so terrifying even his parents wonder whether they might be better off with a vacant seat" (4/5). BroadwayWorld singled out the puppet too (5/5).

The design. The Guardian found Roberto Surace's costumes as funny as Libby Todd's sets.

Dickens underneath. For all the chaos, the Standard said it's "a pretty faithful rendering of the original story", and WhatsOnStage said it "has real heart too", with director Chris having a change of heart to match Scrooge's.

Where Reviews Were Mixed

The formula. The Telegraph's Dominic Cavendish, at three stars, called it "well-crafted, smartly played, undemanding fun" and then asked: "isn't the formula wearing a little thin?" The Times's Clive Davis said "you can see some of the jokes coming over the horizon" and found it not quite as inventive as The Comedy About Spies, while still giving it four stars.

The second half. The Telegraph thought the merriment "may flag after the interval". The Guardian saw it the other way round, with the second half the payoff.

The pratfalls. The Stage found some of the slapstick "a bit tedious, with oversized costumes causing a few too many pratfalls", but said it all ties together in the end. WhatsOnStage agreed that "not every joke works".

If you want the real Dickens. Time Out was blunt: if you're there for A Christmas Carol itself, "you'd be better off going to one of the countless other productions".

Is Christmas Carol Goes Wrong Right for You?

Book it if you've enjoyed The Play That Goes Wrong or The Goes Wrong Show. It's the same fictional company.

Book it if you've never seen a Goes Wrong show. WhatsOnStage said previous exposure to Mischief "is not essential", and The Upcoming called it "a fine example to start with" (5/5).

Book it for a Christmas outing with children aged 8 and over who like slapstick.

Think twice if you've seen several Mischief shows and found the last one predictable. That was the Telegraph's worry and the Times's reservation.

The critics saw the Apollo company, and most of this year's cast weren't in it. This year's company is led by Dave Hearn, who was in the original Play That Goes Wrong. The script, the staging and the set pieces are the ones they reviewed. No press night has been announced for Wyndham's.

Not sure which date to go for? Call us on 020 7193 9050 and we'll help you choose.

Book Christmas Carol Goes Wrong Tickets

At Wyndham's Theatre, Charing Cross Road WC2H 0DA, from Friday 18 December 2026 to Saturday 23 January 2027. It runs 2 hours 20 minutes including an interval, it's for ages 8 and up, and tickets start from around £30. All-in pricing, so the price you see is what you pay.

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong tickets • Call us on 020 7193 9050

Sources

The Guardian (Chris Wiegand, 4/5) · The Standard (Nick Curtis, 4/5) · The Times (Clive Davis, 4/5) · The Stage (Holly O'Mahony, 4/5) · WhatsOnStage (Alun Hood, 4/5) · Time Out (Anya Ryan, 4/5) · The Telegraph (Dominic Cavendish, 3/5) · BroadwayWorld (5/5) · Everything Theatre (Lily Middleton, 4/5) · The Upcoming (5/5)