It begins the Christmas after Bowen’s literary success, at a swanky publishing party. Luke Treadaway once again brings depths not found elsewhere in the film with his gentle, sensitive performance as Bowen: vulnerable and socially awkward, mistrustful after living on the streets. Bob the cat plays himself, though the less said about that the better. (There is an unbudgeable quality to his acting style – imagine Wayne Rooney reading Keats.) After leaving the party early, Bowen tells a young homeless kid the story of his and Bob’s grim Christmas a year earlier living in sheltered accommodation.
Ken Loach this ain’t, but the script does show how an accumulation of small disasters can sink you when you are skint. In the ghost of Christmas past, Bowen leaves his gas heater on all day, running down his meter. Then his guitar breaks so he can’t work. After he has an altercation with a dog owner, the council’s animal welfare unit launches an investigation into his fitness to own a cat. (The film-makers know their audience: focus on the feline interest.) It’s an undemanding, telly-ish film, with as many surprises as the Queen’s speech. But like I say, a hot water bottle of a story. Fans will be sad to hear that Bob died in June, so the franchise must surely end here.Instead of buying special Kong stuffing, stuff a Kong with cheese cubes and place in the microwave for five seconds.
• A Christmas Gift from Bob is in cinemas and on digital platforms from 6 November.