Dickensian

It's Christmas Eve and as the snow falls over Victorian London, the body of wealthy brewer Mr. Havisham is driven to his final resting place. His daughter, Amelia, and son, Arthur, accompany him, and the townsfolk pause to watch. One observer is money-lender Jacob Marley, partner to Ebenezer Scrooge.

Christmas Day dawns, and there's a stranger in Market Street: Inspector Bucket. He is a pioneer of the new idea in policing, a detective brought in to find out who killed Jacob Marley. His friend, the taxidermist Mr. Venus, provides a postmortem on the dead body.

Word is out about the murder, and the local community speculates and gossips about who the villain might be. Scrooge, Marley's partner, refuses to indulge Fanny in her love of gruesome detail. He is becoming suspicious that Edward Barbary can't pay his debts, but coughs up more money to Arthur Havisham when he realises he has shares in the Brewery.

It's the day of Marley's funeral, and Scrooge and Bob watch the hearse take Marley in his cheap coffin to his final resting place: a pauper's grave. Bucket shares a pie with a stand-offish Nancy and asks her about her bruised face.

Bucket takes Marley's ledger from a surly Scrooge and goes to visit Venus, who is helping him with his bad back. Then he pores over the names of the creditors looking for clues.

Martha can only watch as Bob Cratchit is taken away to be questioned over the murder of Jacob Marley. The rest of the Crathit family plus Martha's groom, John Bagnet, wait expectantly at the Church, little knowing the peril Bob is in.

Compeyson is riled by the arrival of Matthew Pocket and quizzes Arthur over his cousin. Arthur tells him Matthew is no threat at all, until they learn that Amelia has asked Matthew to put off his travels to help her run the business.

After seeing Compeyson's murderous intentions the night before, Arthur is a gibbering wreck. He hides in his room as Compeyson knocks on his door and then starts to pack his clothes, determined to get away.

Jaggers urges Barbary to make a plan, but he refuses to believe all hope is lost and sets out to talk to all his previous business associates in the hope of getting a number of small loans.

Compeyson is now officially courting Amelia Havisham and again demands cash from Arthur to make himself seem more credible as a suitor.