Dickensblog

R.I.P., Teresa Derrington

One of the all-time most popular Dickensblog posts was my 2013 interview with Teresa Derrington Cozens-Hardy, who appeared as Fred's maid in the 1951 adaptation of A Christmas Carol. Though her performance was very brief, generations of viewers have fallen in love with her gentle air and the kind smile with which she encouraged a nervous Scrooge. Many of you commented to tell me how much that performance means to you and how much you enjoyed reading her thoughts about it.

I received a tip the other day from reader Velicia, who saw the news on Facebook, that Teresa had passed away last winter. Family members confirmed that Teresa did indeed pass away on January 28, 2021, at age 89, after having a stroke in her sleep. According to her son Matthew, "she was reasonably active up until the end" and died peacefully. She was buried in Blakeney, Norfolk, after a service at St. Peter's Catholic Church there, attended by her five children and her surviving sibling Bernadette. 

I'll always be grateful that I had the chance to speak with Teresa, who was as kind and gracious in person as her character was onscreen, and to share a bit of her story with you all. My prayers and thoughts are with her family and loved ones. Special thanks to her relative Paul Tollet, who first told us who she was, and her sons Matthew and Tom Hepenstal, who helped arrange the interview. 

One more note: From the Facebook comment by her oldest grandchild, Simon Thomas, that first made us aware of Teresa's passing, I discovered that I had originally spelled her first name wrong (with an "h"). Paul and Matthew both confirmed the correct spelling when I asked them about it last week. I'm not sure how this happened, as I'm usually very careful to spell names right (having had my own spelled wrong many times!), but somehow it did happen. I apologize for my mistake and will go back and correct the spelling on all previous posts about Teresa. I'll see what I can do about correcting it on Wikipedia and IMDb as well.

(Image courtesy VCI Entertainment)

'Spirited' getting ready to film

The Will Ferrell-Ryan Reynolds version of A Christmas Carol, now titled Spirited, will start filming next month in Braintree, Massachusetts. Reynolds will play Scrooge, Ferrell will be the Ghost of Christmas Present, and Octavia Spencer is on board to play the Bob Cratchit role. Sean Anders (Instant Family, Daddy's Home) will direct.

The Muppets are coming!

If you're in the U.K., that is! Tickets are on sale for a British concert tour of The Muppet Christmas Carol next winter, in which a live orchestra will accompany the movie. 

Registration opens for Dickens Universe

The Dickens Universe will be going virtual again this summer, running July 26-30. The registration page is here. Early bird registration is $100 with the promo code EARLYBIRD; after April 20, the cost rises to $150. This year the conference will focus on A Christmas Carol. 

R.I.P., Christopher Plummer

The beloved Canadian actor passed away today at the age of 91. He was a chilling Ralph Nickleby in Nicholas Nickleby (2002) and a magnificent Scrooge in The Man Who Invented Christmas (2019). I'll always wish he could have tackled the latter role in a full-blown Christmas Carol adaptation!

A crown for Scrooge

In honor of the 150th anniversary of Dickens's death, Ascension Island released a commemorative Christmas Scrooge crown, available in Cupro Nickel or Proof Sterling Silver. I would have posted about this last month, but they were out of stock. They've since restocked, but the nickel have run out again and the silver are running low, so get them while you can! More information is here.

Save Scrooge from an online escape room!

Go here and here to find out how to play!

Merry Christmas, fellow Dickensians!

May all your puddings be done enough, may all your fires have plenty of coal, and may you keep Christmas all the year!

Hugh Grant reads 'A Christmas Carol'

Audible has just released Grant's new audiobook of the story. In this article from Good Housekeeping, the British star explains why he wanted to do the project: "Dickens . . . belongs to that rare group of great writers who actually loved human existence."

The need for Dickens and Muppets

At Slashfilm, Chris Evangelista explains why The Muppet Christmas Carol is "essential quarantine viewing."