Dickens (2002– )

A docudrama biopic of the 19th-century author Charles Dickens

Stars:

Peter Ackroyd, Miriam Margolyes, Kenneth Cranham

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Peter Ackroyd	...	Himself - Presenter (3 episodes, 2002)
Miriam Margolyes	...	Catherine Dickens (3 episodes, 2002)
Kenneth Cranham	...	John Forster (3 episodes, 2002)
Geoffrey Palmer	...	Thackeray (3 episodes, 2002)
Helen McCrory	...	Kate Dickens (3 episodes, 2002)
Anton Lesser	...	Charles Dickens (3 episodes, 2002)
Jack Davenport	...	Charley Dickens (2 episodes, 2002)
Natasha Little	...	Ellen Ternan (2 episodes, 2002)
Avril Ellis	...	Frances Ternan (2 episodes, 2002)
Christopher Ettridge	...	John Byrne (2 episodes, 2002)

Storyline

A 3-part biography of the great British author, filmed in an unorthodox manner: Actors playing various individuals in Dickens' life (as well as Dickens himself) are interviewed as if they are appearing in a contemporary documentary. Their words are taken from actual letters and journals of the individuals involved, and serve to illuminate the hardships and successes in Dickens' life, and the way his experiences found their way into his novels.

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Plot Keywords:

author | charles dickens | docudrama | actor | reporter | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Details

Official Sites:

PBS

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 December 2003 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Opus Arte

Technical Specs

Runtime:

164 min 180 min (3 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Our Mutual Friend (1998)

User Reviews

Superb Recreation with Britain's Top Actors

This evocation and recreation of both the power of Dickens' wordcraft, and the social environment in which he would have both written and presented his own work, is flawlessly recreated for us. Anton Lessor is almost eerily channeling Dickens and, as a Royal Academy veteran, assumes the great range of voice and physical attributes of each character he speaks for as he tells his own stories to his small audience of family and friends, before his own fireplace as would have been done in his lifetime. The series is superb, and there is a first-rate "Making of..." bonus DVD which takes the viewer behind the stagesetting to show us how the series was developed. Absolutely powerful, highly recommended, and moving enough to bring me back to a re-reading of several of Dicken's stronger works--David Copperfield, Nicholas Nickleby, and my beloved Christmas Carol--to read with new insight and appreciation.