I’m a scrooge in festive season, says grumpy Griff Rhys Jones

 
Gary Calton
7 November 2013

Griff Rhys Jones admitted today that he is “a sort of Scrooge”, as he prepares for a leading role in a recital of A Christmas Carol.

The comedian will play Charles Dickens in a performance of the classic at the Southbank Centre.

The reading, on December 15 at Queen Elizabeth Hall, is part of the Winter Festival and will star Bill Paterson as Scrooge.

Jones, 59, lives in central London, but said he would spend Christmas in Suffolk with his family. He added: “I’m a sort of Scrooge, a mixture of Scrooge and Dickens. I absolutely love the idea of Christmas but when it comes closer I become grumpy about the imposition it puts on us all.”

Paterson, 68, said: “A Christmas Carol is such an essential piece of Christmas for everybody.”

Southbank’s Winter Festival with NatWest, runs from November 15 to January 10.

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