A Christmas Carol gets 21st Century upgrade

A new adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol for the Royal Shakespeare Company has been given a 21st Century upgrade.

Playwright David Edgar told the World at One he was "intimidated" by the task of "inventing half-a-dozen new names" for characters that appear in one of the party scenes from the book.

He revealed where the inspiration came from for his creation of characters such as Mrs Snapchat, adding that the purpose was "to remind the audience that there are contemporary resonances" in the classic tale.