SCROOGE: A Christmas Carol – Podcast, produced by Hope Media Group, is the retelling of the timeless Charles Dickens’ classic, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, destined to become a holiday tradition for individuals and families alike. This award-winning, star-studded audio drama will inspire and entertain while illustrating God’s profound ability to transform even the hardest of hearts through forgiveness and redemption. This beloved story, reimagined through the creative genius of screenwriter Paul Cuschieri and producer Mark Ramsey, is sure to become a sharable holiday delight for generations to come.
Meet The Cast
Sean Astin
Ebenezer Scrooge
John Rhys-Davies
Narrator
Juliet Mills
Ghost of Christmas Future
Ben Barnes
Ghost of Christmas Present
Bethany Joy Lenz
Elizabeth
Ryan O'Quinn
Bob Cratchit
Clive Standen
Frederick
Lucy Punch
Ghost of Christmas Past
Maxwell Caulfield
Jacob Marley
Sean Astin as Scrooge
Sean Astin is an American actor, voice actor, screenwriter, director, producer, family man, author, marathon runner, political activist and philanthropist who is well known for his film debut portraying Mikey in Steven Spielberg’s The Goonies (1985), for playing the title role in the critically acclaimed Rudy (1993), and for his role as the beloved Sam Gamgee in the Academy Award winning trilogy, The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003). Sean more recently had roles in Vindicta (2023), Go West (2023), Hard Miles (2023), The Connors (2023), and Perry Mason (2023).
John Rhys-Davies as Narrator
Welsh actor John Rhys-Davies is best known to film audiences for his roles in the blockbuster hits Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). He was introduced to a new generation of fans in the blockbuster trilogy “The Lord of the Rings” (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001), (The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), and (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) in the role of Gimli the dwarf. He has also had leading roles in Victor/Victoria (1982), The Living Daylights (1987) and King Solomon’s Mines (1985). John more recently was in Starbright (2023), The Gates (2023), Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023), Documentary Now! (2023), and Batman
Juliet Mills as Ghost of Christmas Future
An English actress of stage, screen and television, Juliet, was first plucked onto the screen and signed a contract with Warner Brothers and taking roles in comedies like Nurse on Wheels (1963) and Carry on Jack (1964). In 1966 Juliet Mills started getting attention in her role opposite James Stewart and Maureen O’Hara in the western film The Rare Breed (1966). She continued in television in the seventies as a recurring guest star on The Love Boat (1977), Wonder Woman (1975) and Fantasy Island (1977). She got her first starring television series, Nanny and the Professor (1970), in 1970, co-starring Richard Long, the series was top-rated. She was in Waxwork II: Lost in Time (1992) and then played Juliette Lewis’s friendly maid in the 1999 major motion picture The Other Sister (1999), co-starring Diane Keaton and Tom Skerritt. Juliet Mills has recently been in the daytime drama (soap opera) Passions (1999), playing “Tabitha”, the witch. She is married to actor Maxwell Caulfield. Juliet more recently had roles in Grey’s Anatomy (2023), 700 Miles (2023), and Poolman (2023). Julia is most known for her role in Avanti (1972) where she received the Golden Globes award for Best Actress In A Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical.
Ben Barnes as Ghost of Christmas Present
British actor Benjamin Thomas Barnes was born in Cambridge, England, and began acting in musical theater at the National Youth Music Theatre. In 2004, he graduated with BA Honors from Kingston University. In 2006, Barnes played Dakin in The History Boys on stage, and made his television debut on the series Doctors (2000). His first film was Matthew Vaughn’s Stardust (2007), and his second major film role was the epic The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian (2008), in which he played Prince Caspian. He next co-starred with Jessica Biel in Easy Virtue (2008), played the title role in Ol Parker’s Dorian Gray (2009), and reprised his role, now as King Caspian, in The Chronicles of Narnia: The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (2010). In 2011, he co-starred with Robert Sheehan, playing brothers, in Killing Bono (2011). He also had major roles in the films The Words (2012) and The Big Wedding (2013). In 2015, Barnes played the title role in the fantasy adventure Seventh Son (2014), opposite Jeff Bridges and Julianne Moore. The same year, he portrayed American founding father Sam Adams in the History Channel miniseries Sons of Liberty (2015). Ben was most recently in The Critic (2023), Black Mirror (2023), HBO’s Westworld (2020) and Shadow and Bone (2023) which premiered on Netflix.
Bethany Joy Lenz as Elizabeth
Bethany Joy Lenz is an award-winning director and actress, a singer, composer, producer and artist. Her nine-year run on The CW drama “One Tree Hill” made her a pop-culture icon and established a worldwide, loyal fanbase leading to a divergent career in television, film and music. She was a series regular as Chicago city attorney Keri Allen on USA “Suits” spinoff “Pearson” opposite Gina Torres and has starred and supported on series such as “Good Sam”,“Dexter,” and “Grey’s Anatomy,” as well as being the series lead in five TV pilots including the title role in E! Network’s first scripted drama, “Songbyrd,” based on the life of Oscar nominee Diane Warren. She has starred in many Hallmark Channel films including “An Unexpected Christmas,” “Five Star Christmas,” “Just My Type” and the upcoming “A Biltmore Christmas”. She has been heard in the cast of iHeartRadio’s scripted drama “Aftershock” and in the unscripted iHeart podcast, “Drama Queens” alongside her former “One Tree Hill” co-stars. Lenz is now a Nashville resident and finally taking time to focus on one of her first loves, songwriting and is currently recording a new country album. Her Everyday Heirlooms jewelry line (in collaboration with NYC designer Sophie Ratner) has been worn by folks like Miranda Lambert and Chrissy Metz.
Ryan O’Quinn as Bob Cratchit
Ryan O’Quinn is an American film and television actor and producer. He is also the founder and CEO of Damascus Road Productions, a Los-Angeles-based film and television production company specializing in family content.In addition to comedy stages and festival events around the country, O’Quinn is known for memorable roles in television shows including Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), Alias (2001), JAG (1995), ER (1994), Melrose Place (1992), 3rd Rock from the Sun (1996) and feature films such as Starship Troopers (1997) and That Thing You Do! (1996) directed by Tom Hanks. More recently he has produced and starred in family comedies and biopics including Paul’s Promise (2022), Little Angels and Believe (2016). For Paul’s Promise (2022) O’Quinn won multiple awards for Best Actor and the film won Best Picture at various international film festivals. Ryan has recently had roles in Paul’s Promise (2002), Motorvation (2022) and The Colosseum (2022).
Clive Standen as Fredrick
Clive Standen is a British actor, he was born on a British Army base in Holywood, County Down, Northern Ireland, and grew up in the East Midlands in England. He went to school at King Edward VII School (Melton Mowbray) followed by a performing arts course at Melton Mowbray College. In his late teens, Standen was an international Muay Thai Boxer and later Fencing gold medalist. He is best known for playing the battle hardened warrior ‘Gawain’ a series regular in the Starz networks TV series ‘Camelot’ and also ‘Archer’, the swashbuckling brother of Robin Hood in the BBC TV series Robin Hood; a role which brought Standen much critical acclaim with many of the national press comparing Standen’s charming but edgy performance and seemingly effortless sword fighting Skill to Errol Flynn. Clive is also known for a previous recurring role as Private Harris in the British sci-fi show Doctor Who. Clive has recently had roles in Vikings (2013-2018), Vendetta (2022), Dark Sanctum (2022) and Apple TV’s The Morning Show (2023).
Lucy Punch as Ghost of Christmas Past
Lucy Punch grew up in London and was a member of the National Youth Theatre in her late teens before going to University College London to read History. While she was there she auditioned for TV roles and eventually dropped out to concentrate on acting. Although she has played many serious roles on TV and in film since, it’s her comic skills that have shone.After several years of steady TV and film work at home, she moved to Los Angeles in the mid-2000s and soon found work there on another short-lived comedy show, The Class (2006) and has stayed in the US ever since, appearing on TV and in movies to increasing acclaim. Lucy is commonly known for her roles in Gossip GIrl (2021), Bloods (2021-22), Avenue 5 (2022), and Motherland (2016-2022)
Maxwell Caulfield as Jacob Marley
Maxwell Caulfield has amassed multiple stage and movie credits since arriving in New York in 1978. Maxwell made his film debut in Grease 2. Another feature that attained genuine cult status following its’ release in 1995 is “Empire Records” and has spawned the annual celebration of ‘Rex Manning Day’ every April 8th. Also of note “The Boys Next Door” and “The Real Blonde” stand out for their originality and strong auteur influence (Penelope Spheeris and Tom Di Cillo respectively). On ABC television the series regular role with which he is most associated is ‘Miles’ the ne’er-do-well son of Charlton Heston in “Dynasty” spin off “The Colbys” along with countless guest appearances on top rated shows interspersed with movies of the week and mini-series work. In the noughties he returned to his native England to fulfill lengthy contracts on long running British tv series “Casualty” for the BBC and “Emmerdale” on ITV. Maxwell’s extensive stage work has afforded him the widest variety of roles from ‘Billy Flynn’ in “Chicago” to ‘John Merrick’ in “The Elephant Man, the Tony winning production on which he met his illustrious wife of great longstanding Juliet Mills. He has undertaken multiple tours of the UK and the US in comedies, dramas and musicals and continues to enjoy the ride that has taken him from aspiring teen idol to full blown character actor. Maxwell has more recently been in American Horror Story (2021), Pam and Tommy (2022), Love Accidentally (2022), 7000 Miles (2023), and Craft Me a Romance (2023).