LORD OF THE RINGS STAR Explains What Makes This Christmas Podcast Compelling

Published: December 24, 2025

By Michaela Gordoni

LORD OF THE RINGS’ John Rhys-Davies shared what makes the “Scrooge: A Christmas Carol” podcast such a wonderful story.

Rhys-Davies narrates the podcast story. The star told The Christian Post that the best stories challenge something that we find in ourselves and show the “power of change.”

“It’s a great story and a great time of the year — that time of the year when we all look at what we have failed to do in the last year and feel a bit sorry for ourselves,” Rhys-Davies told Movieguide®. “But you know, in the darkness of winter, there is that hope.”

“But what he [Charles Dickens] does is he finds this way of, of telling a story of how it really works in practice,” the actor explained. “What do we do when we have implacable, greedy misanthropes who don’t care about the world? And what does it take for one man like that to change?”

It begs the question, “Are people really changeable?” and the answer is yes. Rhys-Davies referenced his role as Gimli, a dwarf in LORD OF THE RINGS. Gimli also changes and eventually loses his prejudice and hateful attitude toward elves.

“It’s heartwarming because he’s grown, because he’s developed, because he’s changed,” like Scrooge. “And I think all of us want that reassurance that it’s possible for us to become better people,” he said.

He told The Christian Post, “None of us are good enough; we all are not kind enough or generous enough. We all make snap judgments. We all say hurtful things. But there is a chance that next year or now, actually, this day, this night, after that night’s experience, there is still the chance that I will get out of bed and be a human being, be a decent man, that we can, through love, be changed.”

The podcast, produced by Hope Media, made it in the No. 1 spots for Fiction and Drama on Apple’s podcast lists in 2023 — within the first 24 hours of its launch.

“Looking at the other podcasts launching around us, SCROOGE: A Christmas Carol was the only one offering listeners hope and encouragement. As we approach Christmas and with all that is happening in the world, it is inspiring that a podcast filled with hope is rising so quickly,” said Joe Paulo, President and CEO of Hope Media Group.

Rhys-Davies encourages the podcast listeners to hone in on the redemptive aspect of the story and choose hope and love over hatred.

The podcast is available now on Spotify and Apple Podcasts.

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