From spot-on casting and one extraordinary performance after another, to a bold adaptation by Sarah Phelps, to Coky Giedroyc’s energizing direction, to a toe-tapping musical score (that probably doesn’t belong here, but fie on that – it’s fun), this “Oliver Twist” is a thrill ride for anyone who still believes that TV can be entertaining. Phelps doesn’t just capture the familiar plot of Dickens’ masterpiece – overly trusting orphan boy falls in with a bad lot; briefly tastes life in a wealthy, loving family; is pulled back into the gang of child pickpockets; all turns out well in the end – but she also strips away the softening of the story from previous adaptations to restore the tale’s gritty drama. The only disappointment in this “Oliver Twist” is that it doesn’t go on forever. It’s that rare TV happening that will leave you saying – forgive me, I can’t resist – “Please, sir, may I have some more?” – David Wiegand
A plucky, rather than passive, Oliver and a kosher Fagin are just two of the novel twists in this 2007 adaptation of Charles Dickens’s oft-filmed tale. Dickens purists may carp about some liberties taken with the book, but after all, in the musical version, Fagin exited stage right singing instead of meeting the more dire fate Dickens devised. And faithful or not, it’s still a ripping yarn rich with incident and populated by some of Dickens’s most memorable characters, including young Oliver (William Miller), the put-upon orphan who goes from a cruel workhouse to the even crueler streets of London, where he falls in with Fagin (Timothy Spall) and his den of thieving urchins. Two villains impede Oliver’s happiness, Tom Hardy’s terrifying Bill Sikes (believe him when he says there is no one worse than he), and the despicable Edward Monks (Julian Rhind-Tutt), whose motives for wanting Oliver dead will be revealed over the course of this five-part miniseries. Sophie Okonedo gives a heartbreaking performance as Nancy, whose heart of gold is no protection against her brutal lover Sikes (who seems to care only for his bull terrier), and Adam Arnold is the Artful Dodger who takes Oliver under his wing. Originally broadcast on Masterpiece Theatre, this atmospheric production evocatively captures these worst of times for the desperate impoverished. The Dickensian despair is keenly felt, making Oliver’s hard-earned happy ending all the more triumphant. There are many worthy adaptations of Oliver Twists, but this exceeds one’s great expectations. –Donald Liebenson
Shown on PBS Masterpiece Theatre.
Starring Timothy Spall, William Miller, Adam Arnold, Tom Hardy.