“Dickensian” is a 2015 costume period drama from BBC set within the fictional realms of Charles Dickens’ critically acclaimed novels.
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Similar to the way the British series weaves together the characters of Dickens’ works, “Dickensian” is a creative mixture of light hearted humor and the dark underbelly of Victorian England with some poignant episodes that pull at your heart: think atmospheric murder mystery meets powerful drama.
The first episode takes place on Christmas Eve, making it fun to watch in the lead up to the holiday – but it is such an engrossing presentation that it’s one to watch at any time of the year.
“Dickensian” is AVAILABLE TO STREAM
Read on for some background on the series, cast information, the trailer and more.
“Dickensian” brings together some of literature’s most iconic characters, including Scrooge, Fagin and Miss Havisham, as their lives intertwine in 19th century London. The Old Curiosity Shop sits next door to The Three Cripples Pub, while Fagin’s Den is hidden down a murky alley off a bustling Victorian street.
With a wealth of back stories sourced from the novels, “Dickensian” delivers fast-paced storylines with surprising twists and turns.
The series is rated TV-PG, but contains scenes that may not be suitable for children under 14. It won’t be long until you are on the edge of your seat, yelling at the screen… in a good way.
About the British period drama, Belinda Campbell, Executive Producer of “Dickensian” and Head of Drama, Red Planet Pictures, said:
The scale and ambition of this series is incredibly impressive with storylines and characters that have real international appeal. We have constructed an entire 19th Century street for these famous characters to inhabit, transporting viewers back in time to Victorian London. The cast and storylines are out of this world and I can’t wait to see it all come to life.
Each of the 10 episodes in the series runs 60 minutes. In the first episode:
It’s Christmas Eve, and when Amelia and Arthur Havisham gather to hear the reading of their father’s will, their lives are left in turmoil by its unexpected contents. Elsewhere, Jacob Marley collects debts from the sick and needy, showing his cruel and vicious nature. Has he given someone a motive for murder? The news of Jacob Marley’s murder filters through the Christmas day celebrations, and Inspector Bucket begins his investigation. At Satis House, Amelia Havisham’s mysterious rescuer appears again.
The “Dickensian” set features a 90 meter high cobbled street with a fully functioning pub at one end and a 16 column colonnade, church and law courts at the other. Overall there are 27 two-story buildings on the street and seven back alleys that lead to a parallel 30 meter street. Here’s a look at the impressive layout:
Tony Jordan – Series Creator and Writer, said:
The scale of this show is immense, so I started from a point of identifying the things about Dickens characters that interested me most. I have always been fascinated by the character of Miss Havisham – this mad woman in a wedding dress and veil, sitting at the table, jilted on the day of her wedding, an event she found so traumatic that she never took off her wedding dress. We’ve all seen that image and we all know it, so I was interested in how she got to be that woman… So I decided that was one of the first stories I wanted to tell, it was exciting because nobody had ever seen the young Miss Havisham before, it was then that I knew I had something. From that point on, my writing room became covered in hundreds of different coloured post -it notes as the series took shape.
Other characters leapt out at me, crying out to be included, two favourites of mine had always been Ebenezer Scrooge and Fagin, so I thought, can I get those two together and create a new story? More post it notes followed, then pages of research and before long I had a wall 20ft by 16 ft, covered in old photographs, bits of Victorian London and 200 post-it notes. The challenge then was to take all these characters, all these stories and to turn it into a series.
In an interview about the period drama for BBC, Stephen Rea, who plays the inquisitive Inspector Bucket from Bleak House, said that the period series “is the most beautiful re-working of the world of Dickens that you could ever imagine. The characters take on a fresh life, and any actor would be mad not to accept the challenge these great scripts offer.”
Pauline Collins OBE, who portrays the delightful, ruddy-faced bundle of chaos Mrs. Gamp from Martin Chuzzlewit added: “We are taking characters that everyone knows and loves into a whole new world where anything is possible. You don’t need to know Dickens’ novels to fall in love with the stories we’re telling.”
Like the storytelling, costumes and sets, the acting is top-notch: “Dickensian” stars an array of new and established British talent including Ellie Haddington (Foyle’s War), Sophie Rundle (Peaky Blinders), Anton Lesser (Wolf Hall), Ned Dennehy (Peaky Blinders), Adrian Rawlins (Sanditon), Tom Weston-Jones (World Without End), Robert Wilfort (Wolf Hall), Phoebe Dynevor (Bridgerton), Brenock O’Connor (Game Of Thrones), Mark Stanley (Sanditon), Christopher Fairbank (Wolf Hall) and Joseph Quinn (Howards End).
Tuppence Middleton (War & Peace), says “I play Miss Havisham from Great Expectations, but as a young woman. In the story we meet her when she has just inherited her father’s fortune. This is a vast amount more than her brother Arthur Havisham receives and he becomes vengeful, jealous and sets about to ruin her. She is a young woman growing up and trying to navigate her way through a male-dominated society.”
Viewers will be invited into a world populated by many of literature’s most iconic characters and see their lives intertwine in a unique and surprising story told on an epic scale. Avid Dickens readers will enjoy identifying the source material in “Dickensian’s” characters, places and plot lines.
Tony Jordan, Dickensian Series Creator and Writer says “I think “Dickensian” is the television event of the decade.You can watch it whether you have read every Dickens book and have a degree in Dickens, or you’ll enjoy it if you’ve never read a Dickens book in your entire life and your movie was the “Muppets Christmas Carol.” It’s the best of BBC drama, amazing characters involved in gripping stories and it’s one of those shows that will bring everyone in the family to the TV together.”
Watch the trailer for the new costume drama below:
“Dickensian” is AVAILABLE TO STREAM
BBC has confirmed there won’t be a second series of the period drama. “We are incredibly proud of Dickensian and would like to thank all those involved in such an ambitious series. We sometimes have to make difficult decisions to make room for new shows and it won’t be returning for a second series.” – BBC
If you enjoyed this post, you’ll want to wander over to the list of recommended best period films and romantic and historical costume dramas to watch, all sorted by era and theme, in The Period Films List – you may be especially interested in the Best Period Dramas: Victorian Era List and the Best Period Dramas: Classic Christmas List. Enjoy!
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