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 David Copperfield (1999)

User Reviews

Interesting but Dull

Why Dickens is considered on of the great writers of English literature has always eluded me. He may have been important in his era, but his writing has not stood the test of time, as Bronte's has, in my opinion. The fact that he was getting paid by the word is blatantly obvious to anyone who has read him, but this is not even mentioned in the documentary. Another central flaw is the weak performance of Lesser as Dickens. Also the fact that the narrator has a serious speech impediment is ultimately too distracting to hold one's attention over 3 hours. Dickens may have been a mystery, but ultimately who really cares except for those few remaining 'fans' of his writing, and judging from the number of people who have rated this documentary, there aren't many left.

Oh, another major flaw is the use of the BBC adaptations of his novels which were even duller than the documentary, but then they probably couldn't get the rights to classic films like those of David Lean and George Cukor.