Tom Fletcher tells Chris Evans about Ebenezer Scrooge being 'on the loose' in A Christmasaurus Carol

Virgin Radio

13 Oct 2023, 10:08

McFly star Tom Fletcher joined the Chris Evans Breakfast Show with cinch to talk about his new children’s book, which brings together Charles Dickens’ Christmas Carol with the world of the Christmasaurus. 

A Christmasaurus Carol, which was released yesterday (October 12th), is the latest in Tom’s Christmasaurus series. Tom told Chris: “I wrote The Christmasaurus  I think, about nine years ago, just after our eldest son was born. And I never thought it would turn into four novels. I think we're on two picture books now. There's a stage show coming next year again. It's just taken over my life really, in all the best ways. I love Christmas and had this obsession with dinosaurs growing up. So it's kind of the perfect project for me, and I write music for it as well. It's kind of everything that I love in one project.”

The book brings together Charles Dickens’ festive classic, A Christmas Carol, with the world of The Christmasaurus. “William is the Christmasaurus’ best friend, and he is in all of the Christmasaurus adventures. In this one, there's a magical copy of A Christmas Carol that William gets from this mysterious library. And Ebenezer Scrooge escapes from a Christmas Carol. And he's trying to humbug Christmas. So it's down to the Christmasaurus and WIlliam, Santa and all of the Christmasaurus gang to try and get Ebenezer Scrooge back into the copy of his book.”

The author added: “He's on the loose.” 

Tom continued: “It's been really fun playing with a character like Scrooge that we all know and love and hate."

Regarding his take on the Dickens' classic, he said: “I toyed with the idea of maybe just doing more of a retelling of it, like the Muppet Christmas Carol, then I actually just thought it'd be really fun to kind of just take him out of his world and put him into the world of the Christmasaurus and have him on the loose.”

In A Christmasaurus Carol, Ebenzer Scrooge is very much still in the ‘humbug’ rather than the ’buying a turkey for the Cratchits' phase of his life. Tom said: “I just really liked that idea that you could take someone at a certain point of their story and then be a certain way, because they haven't lived their whole story yet.” 

Tom gets back to his day job later this month, as McFly are heading on a UK tour. “These are smaller shows. These are, like, sweaty rock venues that I feel like really suits our new album,” the musician told Chris.

“So we're really, really excited. We're in rehearsals at the moment. And I mean, we love it so much. It's just the best part of being in a band.”

A Christmasaurus Carol is out now.

Tom's musical, There’s a Monster in Your Show, is touring around 50 UK venues. For more info visit: monsterinyourshow.com.

For McFly tour dates, visit mcfly.com.

For more great interviews listen to  The Chris Evans Breakfast Show with cinch weekdays from 6:30am on Virgin Radio, or catch up on-demand here.