It's Christmas Eve, 2017. A philosophy professor is on her way to celebrate with her family when she is hauled out of a taxi and bundled into an interrogation room. Opposite her, the senior officer is cynical, smart and relentless. Incriminating evidence has been found against her. Or has it? Is a terrorist attack imminent or is this a case of state paranoia? The clock ticks. Played out in real time, this riveting thriller pits two powerful antagonists head to head. Both think they are saving their country. Only one of them will win. Daniel Kehlmann's Christmas Eve , translated by Christopher Hampton, premiered at the Ustinov Theatre, Bath, in October 2017.