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Charles Dickens\u2019s A Christmas Carol is one of our most enduring Christmas stories \u2013 and it has inspired countless cinematic reimaginings, from The Muppets Christmas Carol<\/a> to Will Ferrell and Ryan Reynolds\u2019s recent Apple TV+<\/a> musical Spirited<\/a>\u00a0to Scrooged<\/a>, the \u201880s classic starring Bill Murray<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n A meta spin on Dickens\u2019s tale, Scrooged sees Murray play mean-spirited TV executive Frank Cross, who is forcing his employees to work through the Christmas holidays so that his channel can broadcast a live production of A Christmas Carol on 24th December.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Not only does Frank fire anyone who disagrees with his tyrannical plans, his Christmas gift giving strategy is also seriously self-interested: he sends cheap company merchandise to his family members and close colleagues, but purchases fancy presents for all the influential people on his list in a bid to impress them.<\/span><\/p>\n On the eve of the show, the ghost of Frank\u2019s former mentor Lew Hayward (a Jacob Marley-like figure played by John Forsythe) appears and warns him not to follow in his miserly footsteps, promising him that three more ghosts will appear to him over the course of 24 hours in order to show him the error of his ways.<\/span><\/p>\n