Joe Alwyn teases 'darker and more twisted' BBC take on 'A Christmas Carol' (exclusive)

Joe Alwyn has said the upcoming BBC miniseries adaptation of A Christmas Carol is a “darker and more twisted” take on the Charles Dickens classic than audiences have become accustomed to seeing.

The 28-year-old will play Bob Cratchit, clerk to Guy Pearce’s Ebenezer Scrooge, in the series, set to debut over the festive period.

In an interview with Yahoo Movies UK to promote his role as vile slave owner Gideon in the Harriet Tubman biopic Harriet, Alwyn said his performance in A Christmas Carol will not be influenced by previous takes on the work.

“I don't think I've really ever watched any of the other versions of it, which I don't know if it's a good or bad thing,” said Alwyn.

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The actor said the scripts for all three episodes, penned by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, are “amazing”.

“They're a lot darker and more twisted,” he added. “They go far deeper into Scrooge's own pain and why he is the way he is.

“It takes it into places that are quite uncomfortable whereas, in other versions, I don't think it has quite gone that far.

“It still very much sticks to the Dickens world that we love, but it is certainly a lot darker.”

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As well as Alwyn and Pearce, the all-star cast of the miniseries includes Tom Hardy, Andy Serkis, Stephen Graham, Charlotte Riley and Kayvan Novak.

Alwyn has been seen in a number of major historical movies over the last 12 months, including in Mary Queen of Scots and as Samuel Masham in The Favourite.

He described his Harriet character as an “awful person” and said it was difficult to find a way into the character’s heart.

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He said: “What he stood for and what he did and the idea of slavery is completely repulsive and abhorrent, so to connect with that is pretty much impossible.

“You have to find a different way in or other ways in and try to find some kind of human element within.”

Harriet is in UK cinemas from 22 December and A Christmas Carol will air on the BBC over the Christmas period.