Dickens of London (1976– )

Mini-series on the life of Charles Dickens, the great English author. Charles grew up in a family where his father was larger than life. The elder Dickens is a teller of tales and always ... See full summary »

Writer:

Marc Miller (creator)

Stars:

Roy Dotrice, John F. Landry, Diana Coupland

Cast

Series cast summary:
Roy Dotrice	...	Charles Dickens (13 episodes, 1976)
John F. Landry	...	Dolby (12 episodes, 1976)
Diana Coupland	...	Mrs. Catherine Dickens (9 episodes, 1976)
Adrienne Burgess	...	Catherine Dickens (8 episodes, 1976)
Gene Foad	...	Charles Dickens as a young man (7 episodes, 1976)
Lois Baxter	...	Mary Hogarth (7 episodes, 1976)
Simon Bell	...	Charles Dickens as a boy (6 episodes, 1976)
Graham Faulkner	...	Fred Dickens (6 episodes, 1976)
Holly Palance	...	Miss Baldwin (6 episodes, 1976)

Storyline

Mini-series on the life of Charles Dickens, the great English author. Charles grew up in a family where his father was larger than life. The elder Dickens is a teller of tales and always seem to have ambitions that are well beyond his means or his capabilities. He is also constantly in debt and at more than one point in his life, finds himself in debtor's prison forcing Charles to leave school at the age of 12 and work. Charles finds success in his writing and marries, his wife Kate bearing them many children despite her delicate mental state. He has a touch of his father in him however, particularly when it comes to money. He is of course remembered as one of the great writers of the 19th century.

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Plot Keywords:

london england | tv mini series | 19th century | england | 1800s | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

28 August 1977 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Yorkshire Television (YTV)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (10 episodes)

Did You Know?

Connections

Featured in The Story of the Costume Drama: The Stars (2008)

User Reviews

Working on Dickens of London

I worked as an extra on Dickens of London (Yorkshire Television) for a number of episodes, mostly on location in the Yorkshire Dales. It was an enormously pleasurable experience and every member of the cast and crew, no matter how senior or junior, was delightful. The two Dotrices were fantastic to watch and I picked up a number of hints just by observing and ear-wigging their off-camera and rehearsal times; their discussions with the director; concerns about camera angles, timing, delivery, checking the scripts for awkward construction, etc. As a result of studying these professionals (Ben Kingsley, John Slater and others also), plus the way they communicated and worked with each other I moved up the pecking order over the following year to walk-on; speaking walk-on; small parts; and then on to full parts on other YTV programmes. It was a remarkable experience, and at a mere $35 for a very long day's work, a fine investment for my future. I would like to thank Karen Dotrice and her father, Roy, for their - unbeknownst to them - tuition and guidance during 1976.