If you had ventured into The Square in March 1984 you may have been forgiven for thinking you had stepped into a Dickensian winter wonderland.
With snow-covered paths and buildings draped in ice crystals, director Clive Donner went all out to recreate authentic 19th-century scenes – straight from the pages of one of the world’s most-loved ghost stories.
Some streets needed little transformation for the film except for a dusting of snow and, as Shrewsbury’s town crier Martin Wood revealed, certain scenes were not what they appeared to be.
Martin told the Chronicle that an ice rink laid outside The Parade for kids to skate on during filming, was in fact a cleverly disguised plywood and polythene combination, laced with Fairy liquid and surrounded by snow.
Martin, who at 7ft 2inches tall was a double for the late Edward Woodward (Ghost of Christmas Present) and Michael Carter (Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come), was invited to share some of his memories with readers of his seven weeks spent on set.
“I was 27-years-old at the time and I remember George C. Scott (Scrooge) had bought a copy of Trivial Pursuit over with him, something people in this country had not seen before.
“This game went on for the whole seven weeks and whenever we were filming it was set up with people sitting around a table including members of the camera crew and extras and so on. We would start playing and every time someone left to go and film, someone else would slot into their place.
“And Clive Donner chatted to me when we were filming in The Square one day and asked if I was married and whether my wife was here. I said no she is in a wheelchair and would not be able to see through the crowds.
“He told me to bring her along the next day and he came and introduced himself to her and turned round to one of the assistants and said: ‘Take Mrs Wood and put her by the camera’. She probably saw more of the film being shot than I did.”
From that moment on Martin’s wife Sue continued to have her front row seat to the filming on most days and one moment which sticks most in Martin’s mind is when his wife bravely turned to George C. Scott to ask if she could try some of his special coffee made to order with multiple shots of cognac.
“George turned to her and said: ‘My dear if it was not for the fact I was in character I would give you some, but as I’m Scrooge it’s mine’.”
The days were long, with filming lasting from 7.30am until 6pm, with some scenes running on into the early hours of the morning.
“What a lot of people do not seem to realise is that when you do filming there is an awful lot of sitting around waiting for something to happen. They were a wonderful crew and brilliant actors and actresses. Edward Woodward, George C. Scott and Susannah York (Mrs Cratchit) were the A rated stars of the day.”
Proudest moment
Martin’s main job was to walk the route Edward Woodward would need to walk on his stilts, making sure there was no obstacles in the way of his footing and trying on the trademark green gown for size.
But Martin hailed his proudest moment as being when Edward handed him a signed photograph and a copy of the novel carrying the words ‘thank you for being me’.
To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the filming of A Christmas Carol in Shrewsbury, Shropshire Council is offering special guided walks. The walks will lead through all of the areas where filming took place from the grand frontage of The Parade to the atmospheric shuts and passageways of the town centre, on Saturday, December 19, at 11am and 3pm departing from the Shrewsbury Visitor Information Centre at Rowleys House in Barker Street. Tours last for about 90 minutes.
Tickets are £4 for adults and £2.50 for children (16 and under). Contact 01743 281200.
What are your memories of the filming of A Christmas Carol? Contact Charlotte Hester at the Chronicle on 01743 283323 or email chester@shrop shirestar.co.uk
By Charlotte Hester
