Christmas Carol Goes Wrong: new production photos at Wyndham's Theatre

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong has a new set of official production photographs, taken by Mark Senior, as the Mischief comedy prepares for its West End season at Wyndham's Theatre. The pictures show the current company on stage in full costume, ahead of the limited London run from 18 December 2026 to 23 January 2027.

The additional stills were issued by Mischief on 11 November 2026, as a companion to the first Mark Senior production set released on 5 November. Together they give a formal look at this year's staging of the Cornley Amateur Drama Society's chaotic take on A Christmas Carol, before the company moves into Wyndham's Theatre for six weeks only.

New Christmas Carol Goes Wrong production photographs

The new photographs catch the company both in the middle of a show within a show and in the messy world behind it. In one image, five performers crowd around a miniature theatre perched on a travelling trunk. One wears a festive jumper, overalls and a bobble hat; another raises both hands mid grimace; a third watches from a red Christmas pullover; and a fourth kneels in a black hoodie to hold the little frame steady. It is a snapshot of Cornley at work, and of how much of the comedy lives in the gaps between what the company meant to present and what the audience actually sees.

Another still shows a performer in a fur trimmed cloak and bonnet, lit in cool blue against a painted backdrop of chains, books and snowflakes, reading from an open book. A third captures a performer as the teacher at the blackboard, in a burgundy academic gown and mortarboard, pointing a cane at a heading that reads Algebra and then a formula that is already going wrong. A fourth has a performer in a maroon tailcoat, tartan trousers and a top hat stepping through a doorway, moustache and smile firmly in place, with a bookcase of worn volumes at one side.

Mark Senior also photographed the company in an earlier official set issued on 5 November. Mischief says the new stills can be added to that first selection rather than replacing it, so the two releases now sit together as the official production look for this year's staging. The 11 November photographs are the ones issued most recently, and they are the pictures published here.

We published rehearsal images of the company in October, in Dave Hearn leads Christmas Carol Goes Wrong cast in new rehearsal photos. The new Mark Senior work is the first official look at the finished production in costume and on the set, with painted snow, period costumes and the backstage clutter of a Cornley rehearsal room sharing the same frame.

That mix is what the stills do best. One moment looks like a careful Victorian Christmas card, complete with fur trim, a bonnet and an open book. The next looks like a village hall under pressure, with jumpers, a toy theatre and a trunk on wheels. The blackboard scene belongs to the same world: a teacher who is trying to keep control, and a sum that will not behave. Taken together, the new photographs show why this production is built for a festive West End audience that already knows how often Cornley lets a classic get away from them.

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong in January at Wyndham's Theatre

Original Mischief company members Henry Lewis and Jonathan Sayer, who wrote the play with Henry Shields, will join the West End company for two weeks only, from 14 to 23 January 2027, in the closing stretch of the London season. We reported that news in October, in Christmas Carol Goes Wrong: Henry Lewis and Jonathan Sayer join West End cast for January.

The Christmas Carol Goes Wrong company at Wyndham's Theatre

The West End and touring company, as named by Mischief, is James Akka as Dennis until 13 January, Jonathan Sayer as Dennis from 14 to 23 January, Adam Elliott as Chris, Dave Hearn as Max, Matthew Howell as Robert until 13 January, Henry Lewis as Robert from 14 to 23 January, Jay Olpin as Max, Luke Pierre as Jonathan, Aein Nasseri as Trevor, Dumile Sibanda as Annie and Ashley Tucker as Sandra.

The understudies are Billie Hamer, Robert Lane, Claire Lee Shenfield, Josh Patel-Foster (from 23 January) and Jamie Sandersfield.

Dave Hearn, who was in the original company of The Play That Goes Wrong and in the BBC series The Goes Wrong Show, is named as Max on the official West End page. The official company list for the West End and the tour also names Jay Olpin as Max.

Matt DiCarlo directs the production, which is presented by Kenny Wax and Stage Presence. Speaking about the new staging, DiCarlo said: 'There is something irresistible about bringing the world of Goes Wrong to Christmas! The collision of the beloved Dickens story and the chaotic antics of the Cornley Drama Society creates limitless opportunities for comedy. But what I love most about this production is the enormous heart underneath the mayhem. It's a joy to direct a show that celebrates the magic of Christmas while allowing everything to go hilariously wrong!'

What happens in Christmas Carol Goes Wrong

The Cornley Amateur Drama Society returns with tidings of chaos and joy, and attempts to tackle Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. Official copy from Mischief and from Wyndham's Theatre sets out the trouble clearly: the crew battle miscommunication, delays to their set, actors missing in action and a growing feud over who will play the lead. It is, in their words, a disastrous take on the story of Ebenezer Scrooge.

That is the joke and the engine of the evening. Cornley has been getting classic plays spectacularly wrong for years, and this festive edition keeps the same mixture of collapsing scenery, mixed-up cues and stubborn good intentions. The new photographs make that double life visible: the careful Victorian costumes and the painted snow sit next to overalls, Christmas jumpers and a tiny theatre that has to be carried on in a trunk.

Mischief first announced the West End season earlier in the story's life; our earlier report, Mischief Theatre Brings Festive Chaos with Christmas Carol Goes Wrong, covers how the production was set up for London. The company is also touring the UK, and dates for that tour are listed on our Christmas Carol Goes Wrong UK tour page. The London engagement is a limited run of six weeks after last year's sold-out season.

If you already know the Cornley company from the long-running original, The Play That Goes Wrong continues in the West End at the Duchess Theatre, and is now booking to January 2028, as we reported in The Play That Goes Wrong extends in the West End to January 2028.

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong dates at Wyndham's Theatre

Christmas Carol Goes Wrong plays Wyndham's Theatre, a Delfont Mackintosh theatre on Charing Cross Road, London WC2H 0DA, from 18 December 2026 to 23 January 2027. The running time is approximately 2 hours 20 minutes including an interval, and the production is recommended for ages 8 and over. Delfont Mackintosh says that everyone, regardless of age, must have their own ticket, that children under 16 must sit next to a ticketholder who is at least 18, and that children under 3 will not be admitted. The official venue listing also notes moderately bad language, some sexual references and innuendo, and depictions of violence for comic effect, plus a moment of audience interaction in the second act.

The standard performance pattern at Wyndham's Theatre is 7.30pm from Tuesday to Saturday, with matinees at 2.30pm on Saturday and Sunday and an evening performance at 7pm on Sunday. There is a special Christmas and New Year timetable as well, including performances on 22, 23, 24, 26, 27, 29, 30 and 31 December 2026 and on 2 and 3 January 2027, and no performances on 21, 25 and 28 December 2026 or on 1 January 2027. Thursday 24 December is listed at 1pm rather than the usual evening slot, and some holiday evenings are at 7pm. Always check the date you want before you travel, as holiday hours differ from the weekly pattern.

Two access performances are listed by Delfont Mackintosh: an audio described performance at 2.30pm on Sunday 10 January 2027, and a captioned performance at 2.30pm on Sunday 17 January 2027.

The January dates from 14 to 23 January 2027 fall in the final fortnight of the season, so it is worth comparing those nights if you have a particular company in mind. Casts can change, and the official listing notes that the producers may alter the published company, so check the details for the performance you want.

Whether you are planning a night early in the run or later in the season, Christmas Carol Goes Wrong tickets let you compare dates and seats for the London season.