Dickens of a tale, recalled by Selina Scott

Selina Scott, the Scarborough-born broadcaster who lives in Malton, has put her voice to an audiobook of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. All proceeds raised from its sale are donated to Dickens’ Gift to Yorkshire, a charity set up with the specific aim of spreading the word of the legendary storyteller across the county.

With money raised through sales, the charity will take a very special edition of the novella on tour across Yorkshire every Christmas.

A rare edition of the tale, published 169 years ago and signed by the author, was brought back home to Yorkshire from New York last November when it sold for £27,280 at auction. The copy is considered as physical evidence of Dickens’s close ties with Malton.

It was a gift from the writer to the widow of local lawyer and close friend Charles Smithson. Dickens is said to have been a frequent visitor to the town and was known to stay with Mr Smithson at Easthorpe Hall and Abbey House, Old Malton. He attended his friend’s funeral at St Mary’s Church and various local connections have been recognised in the author’s novels.

The 1844 edition of A Christmas Carol is now on display at the University of York. The book, which tells the story of the bitter Ebenezer Scrooge and his transformation following supernatural night-time visits by the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, was reclaimed for the county following a fundraising campaign involving Ms Scott and led by Malton businessman Stephen Joll and Clair Chanellor-Chadwick, managing director of fundraising and marketing company Cause UK.

Ms Scott recorded the tale for audiobook at the prestigious Steelworks Studios in Sheffield, premises used in the past by the likes of Bryan Adams, Celine Dion, Take That and Spice Girls.

“It took a whole day to do and it was very difficult to capture the voices of the ghosts and Scrooge,” she said.

The character of Scrooge was, according to local tradition, inspired by Dickens’ visits to Malton. It is said that the office of Scrooge was based on Mr Smithson’s office in Chancery Lane. Characters featured in other Dickens stories are said to be based on Malton residents, including Sairey Gamp in Martin Chuzzlewit who is believed to be modelled on Smithson’s housekeeper.

Ms Scott said: “I grew up here so I’ve heard so much about Dickens’ connection with Malton and the fact that this was unknown by those outside the town. Certainly those in the town protected it as something that of course happened here.

“Then I heard about this book that had come up for auction and we got together in the matter of a few weeks enough money to at least go into the auction. It was such a difficult period and we never thought we would get the book, we put a tremendous amount of work in.

“Once we got the book we then realised what a little treasure it was and how it verified Dickens’ firm connection with this little market town in North Yorkshire so we knew we had to raise the money to preserve the condition of the book. That’s when we thought we need to get Yorkshire people to see it and perhaps it will inspire children.

“I have read all of his novels since being a child. I remember Hard Times particularly well. Even then Dickens had a pre-natural knowledge of what it was like to be poor. I still find Oliver Twist difficult to sit down and read.

“Reading A Christmas Carol again I had forgotten how rich in vocabulary and layer upon layer of thoughts Dickens had woven into this book. It’s full of colour and I really enjoyed it. I hope the audiobook will raise money to help other children have a go at reading it themselves.”

To order A Christmas Carol read by Selina Scott, priced £10 plus £1.50 p&p, email [email protected] or call 07531 948014.