A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong (TV Movie 2017)

Following their disastrous production of "Peter Pan", the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society are this time determined to ignore a BBC blacklisting by hijacking a live production of Charles Dickens's famous festive fable. There is dissent in the company when Chris and Robert both want to play Scrooge, while nervous Dennis, as Bob Cratchit, has to read all of his lines off the props and Annie gets glued to her chair. When Lucy's Tiny Tim is knocked out by falling scenery, the hulking Robert rather improbably must replace her. With faulty greenscreen special effects, trying to keep a professional cast at bay and a seemingly romantic betrayal exposed, the company's version seems doomed until Sandra's Aunt Diana comes to the rescue. A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong is another fine addition to the goes wrong series. Although not on par with the previous film, this is still an enjoyable flick. Released on BBC One back in 2017 during Christmas, this TV Movie saw the return of our favourite group of actors brought back to cause more trouble once again. One of the downsides of this movie is that it was prerecorded, unlike the previous instalment which was done in front of a live audience. This one featured some canned laughter/laughter soundtracks, which completely threw me off and took me out of the experience now and then since we know there is no audience present, but that was my only issue. That aside this film is hilarious. The opening sequence alone is just brilliant seeing the group hijack and take over the production and then having to reset the whole show whilst already starting, having to announce the program again. The Cornley actors carry forward their traits and characteristics from Peter Pan Goes Wrong (2016) into this film. Chris still tries to keep everything together and going as smoothly as possible. Robert believes he is the leading actor and even attempts to incapacitate Chris to get the role of Scrooge. Dennis hasn't remembered his lines, which leads to some amazing gags with his lines written around the settings and props for him to read (which he still messes up). Everyone else carries forward their character's developments, like how Max and Sandra are together after the previous production. My favourite running jokes in all of Mischief's works is when they would say something contradicting to what's happening at that moment, yet had it gone correctly, it would've worked fine. For example: After having taken over the already started live production, Chris (now playing Scrooge) tries to find the chiming clock (which had already been put away by Jacobi's Scrooge), whilst saying the lines "Everywhere I go, all I see is that damned clock staring back at me". Comedy like that is absolute perfection. Throughout, there are countless injuries sustained. With cast falling down holes, furniture dropping on people, sleeping darts shot at professional cast, costumes crashing into the sets and so much more. Some of the best gags involve some visual effect issues, with green screens cutting out or showing the wrong backdrops which lead to some great jokes. Things take a drastic turn when they are forced to escape the set from the professionals and end up going to the shops whilst still filming to get the turkey, but in typical Cornely fashion, they come out with goujons. Overall, there are so many magnificent gags and moments which makes for some fun family viewing this Christmas time. Despite not being able to top the last one, it is still an enjoyable event. Also, check out the unbelievably funny show that followed: The Goes Wrong Show (TV Series 2019-2021).

Runtime: 50m

Director: Richard Boden

Genre: Comedy

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Peter Pan Goes Wrong (TV Movie 2016)

It's time for a play and the Cornley Polytechnic Drama Society has got you covered with their rendition of Peter Pan performed at Christmas in front of a live audience and broadcast to the nation. However, there is a little problem and that is everything goes wrong. From members forgetting their whole lines leading to them wearing a headset throughout being fed the lines, to Peter getting flung around by the wires making him fly, and pirate ships crashing into other sets of the BBC during the show. It all happens! This is an incredibly funny film. I saw it back when it originally aired in 2016 and was laughing from start to finish. It was so hilarious. Despite its airing on BBC One at Christmas, this film can be watched all year round and is a lot of fun. Of course, most pantomime-related projects have that Christmas feel and this one is certainly not exempt, so definitely give this a watch during the festive season for the full effect. The writers: Henry Lewis, Henry Shields, and Jonathan Sayer all deserve praise for this comedic marvel and it was so good they even returned for another Christmas play: A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong (TV Movie 2017), and also a show: The Goes Wrong Show (TV Series 2019-2021) currently on 2 Seasons with more possibly on the way. Every one of their productions has brought so much enjoyment to me and many others and is a great watch for times when you need a good laugh. All the actors do such a marvellous job, creating an experience full of laughter whilst attempting to be as serious as possible. Acting as if nothing is going wrong until, of course, it inevitably does. Each character has a specific characteristic which gets carried over to the later productions. Chris is the director and wants everything to go as perfectly as possible. Robert believes he is the leading actor. Dennis can never remember his lines and constantly needs prompting. Max is just so happy to be there and adores the audience's attention. Sandra loves to show off and act like the leading actress. Annie does the best she can in countless bad situations. Jonathan can never get into shots properly and Trevor is a terrible backstage manager. Even David Suchet, who is our narrator, plays along fabulously especially since he is well known for his more serious acting roles like in Agatha Christie's Poirot (TV Series 1989 -2013). It was so interesting seeing him go out of his usual type of productions and star in this crazy play, making it all the better. With many jokes, visual gags, and dangerous stunts packed into this film, there's a lot to enjoy. One of my favourite scenes in the play has to be when Captain Hook rows out to the other pirates but they have to use recorded footage of him on a lake. Throughout the recorded footage, he is constantly interrupted and told to only use pedalos on the lake or that the park is closed and he has to leave to the point where he's in a rowing boat in a swimming pool. Comedy at its finest. Even during the climactic final confrontation, all hell breaks loose, from sets breaking and crashing into other BBC sets to fires breaking out, yet, despite all that, the play still goes on. Total madness! If you haven't seen Peter Pan Goes Wrong there are many clips on YouTube and sometimes the whole film is on there so definitely take a look and you might get lucky. There is a DVD copy which doubled up with the other film: A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong if DVDs are your thing. Overall, this is a hilarious film and is sure to give you a laugh. I love it very much that I always come back for more. Also, if you like their work then go check out their YouTube channel linked below for more.

Runtime: 1h 5m

Director: Dewi Humphreys

Genre: Comedy

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