Dickensian (2015–2016) User Reviews

No way should this work, but it does.

[Sleepin_Dragon · 8/10 · 14 January 2016]

I must admit to being highly sceptical by the whole premise surrounding Dickensian. Having studied several of the great works for English lit the thought of combining characters seemed like a grand scale disaster, but to my utter amazement, it's cohesive, logical and has become utterly addictive viewing. I find the scheduling a little all over the place, it seems to go out at random times, so I enjoy catching up with it at work having lunch.

Fantastic production values as one would expect from the BBC, the camera work is slick, the costumes and sets are world class, but it's the scripts and the acting that are making the show for me, am loving Anton Lesser's Fagin, and Ned Dennehy's interesting portrayal of Scrooge. I barely recognised Caroline Quentin.

I appreciate the subtle touches of humour too, it could have easily been grim viewing, but far from it. Love it. 8/10

Thoroughly Enjoyable Serialization Inspired by Dickens's Novels

[l_rawjalaurence · 8/10 · 28 January 2016]

Produced by Tony Jordan (who also wrote seven of the twenty episodes), formerly of EASTENDERS, DICKENSIAN could be superficially described as a nineteenth century transposition of the BBC's popular soap opera. The action takes place in an unspecified London street teeming with people - beggars, hawkers, sellers, pedestrians - and lined with shops. A pub ("The Three Cripples") provides a focus for much of the action just like the Queen Vic in the soap. The protagonists originate from a variety of socio-economic backgrounds and interact with one another on cold winter days, where the snow mostly lies thick on the ground or falls lightly. The only thing missing from DICKENSIAN that would give it the authentic EASTENDERS touch is the familiar line of dialogue where one character wants to "have a li'le talk (tawk)" with another.

Frivolity apart, DICKENSIAN is a highly entertaining mélange of various plots, all moving outwards from the central incident taking place in episode one - the murder of Jacob Marley (Peter Firth). Inspector Bucket (Stephen Rea) of "the Detective" (Scotland Yard had not yet been created) pursues the case with relentless persistence, despite occasional misfortunes (such as putting his back out). With his Sarff Lundun accent and quiet manners, he has a knack of making people talk without resorting to violence.

In a subplot, Mr. Barbary (Adrian Rawlins) tries to maintain a facade of gentility despite being in considerable hock to Marley and Scrooge (Ned Dennehy). He has two daughters - one a perpetual spinster (Alexandra Moon), the other a flighty spendthrift (Sophie Rundle) in love with a penniless soldier (Ben Starr).

Miss Havisham (Tuppence Middleton) has inherited her father's fortune as well as control of the family brewery, leaving her brother Arthur (Joseph Quinn) with a small inheritance. Resentful of her power - which he believes is unjust - he collaborates with Meriwether Compeyson (Tom Weston-Jones) to try and recover it. Compeyson is a lip-smackingly convincing villain, able to turn on the charm where necessary as well as commit unspeakably evil deeds (such as drowning Miss Havisham's dog).

A galaxy of lesser characters revolve round these plots: Mrs. Gamp (Pauline Collins) sets her amorous sights on Silas Wegg (Christopher Fairbank); Mrs. Bumble (Caroline Quentin) tries to fulfill her social ambitions despite her husband's (Richard Ridings's) physical and mental inertia; and Fagin (Anton Lesser) tries every trick in the book to keep Bill Sikes (Mark Stanley) under control. Oh, and we must not forget the Cratchit family trying to continue an edenic existence under the most trying of circumstances.

Each one of the twenty half-hour episodes intertwines these plots, creating a world of perpetual motion wherein something always seems to be going on. It is a tribute to Jordan's production that he has managed to portray mid-nineteenth century London as a teeming city riddled with corruption, yet with some elements of kindness thrown in.

Purists might object to the series on the grounds that it is not "faithful" to Dickens's novels in the sense of reproducing the plots. Rather it could be described as a mash-up of all the most memorable characters from a variety of texts (GREAT EXPECTATIONS, OLIVER TWIST, PICKWICK PAPERS, and so on). Yet the series is very Dickensian in outlook: many of the novels were originally written in serial form, and Dickens's readers used to eagerly await the next installment to find out what happened to their favorite characters. This is precisely the feeling we get from DICKENSIAN.

The spirit of Charles Dickens continues

[canadiense · 9/10 · 30 June 2019]

Well done BBC. I was hesitant at first because I was worried about the tampering of Charles Dickens amazing work and especially over a story that combines many of his characters from other books into a murder mystery. The dialogue was as if Dickens himself wrote it and I believe he would have enjoyed it as much as I did.

Even better second time around

[jandriod2012 · 10/10 · 3 February 2019]

I watched this series when it was first televised and loved it then. I have since binge watched it, having been shown again over the Christmas period. This is a wonderful show and concept, following the characters before their tales in Dickens novels take off. Everything about it was of the highest quality, brilliant acting, fabulous sets and the right amount of tension. I particularly loved Amelia Havisham's story and found it quite heartbreaking; Tuppence Middleton played the character brilliantly. I also enjoyed Honaria and Frances Barbary's tale as the backstory for Bleak House. What thrilled me was how the series ended, neatly rounding off each of the characters journey's to the point where the books start - Amelia in her wedding gown, and the distant rattle of chains as Scrooge sits in his living room... just wonderful. It has inspired me to read Dickens again; any show which gets people to read more is a great achievement in my opinion

Superb

[smalone-96012 · 10/10 · 15 August 2018]

Absolutely fantastic, the cast, the characters are just amazing. The very best of British and so clever to combine different characters for this series 10 out of 10

Original and powerful

[maik434 · 10/10 · 1 May 2017]

I think it's a totally original and powerful series that actually magnetizes you from the first episode to the last one. Amazing interpretations, beautiful and appropriate costumes and scenery and generally very careful work at every point. Congratulations to all contributors, thank you!

When will it be repeated?

[margot-rohan · 31 December 2017]

It would have been delightful to enjoy the well-rounded Dickensian characters again this Christmas. Instead we have been bombarded with repeats of dramas seen several times already. What has happened to this wonderful series?

Please BBC, I want some more...

[madeupwords · 9/10 · 1 October 2019]

Amazing show! Got so drawn in & wrapped up in characters, realizing it was over after Season 1 was a rude slap in the face. Well worth watching, but leaces you wanting more.

Plot the Dickens!

[Lejink · 7/10 · 2 January 2016]

The idea of bringing together into one narrative different fictional characters has been done recently and brilliantly in the likes of "Penny Dreadful" but this new BBC series takes it up a few notches more, not only in the number of disparate characters but of course that they are all from the world of Charles Dickens.

I must admit I was concerned when I read that the series was devised by the producer of the Beeb's dreadful soap opera "Eastenders" but, five episodes in, these Londoners I can stand. It is slightly confusing to see some resurrected characters walking about like Nancy from "Oliver Twist", Little Nell from "The Old Curiosity Shop" and Miss Haversham from "Great Expectations" and one wonders if they are going to meet the same end as before, also in my reading of the former, I didn't have Nancy pegged as a call-girl as here and attending, shall we say, to Jacob Marley too.

The show is set up along the same lines as the channel's previously successful adaptation of "Bleak House", i.e. in thirty minute programmes, usually with a kind of cliff- hanging climax at the end of each episode, which of course ties in well with the weekly publication method that Dickens himself worked to. The main story of the many plot strands appears to be the death of Jacob Marley from "A Christmas Carol", with Inspector Bucket of "Bleak House" on the trail, but a close second appears to be the anticipated jilting of Miss Haversham too.

As you'd expect, the production values are high, the settings are superb, interiors and exteriors, the latter especially played out in the winter snow. I'd imagine the eyes of the various agencies for actors in the UK all lit up when they got wind of this production, so many of them are employed here, although not too many big names that I can see, perhaps Stephen Rea in another mannered portrayal of Bucket, Caroline Quentin as the domineering Mrs Bumble and Pauline Collins having fun as that old soak Mrs Gamp being the most identifiable. There's also a smattering of new characters too just to help the plots develop and to date these creations are fitting in seamlessly well.

Anyway, I'm thoroughly enjoying it now that I'm familiar with the main characters and can see the plot coming nicely to the boil. I'm just wondering if some of the best known nicer characters like Pip from "Great Expectations", Nicholas Nickleby or David Copperfield might yet show up, but really there's more than enough to be going in with. With another fifteen episodes to go, there's plenty of time for surprises yet.

Some might see this interpretation of Dickens as manipulative or even sacrilegious but with modern writers devising authorised use of characters by say Charlotte Bronte and Ian Fleming to give two very different examples, personally I'm finding it fun and rather enjoying it so far.

Surprisingly good

[beresfordjd · 8/10 · 17 January 2016]

Given that I totally loathe Eastenders and its dreary premise, I was so surprised to find just how enjoyable Dickensian is. I recorded quite a few episodes but once I started watching I have fond it compulsive viewing. My only complaint is the casting of Stephen Rea as the detective, Bucket. Rea is not a great favourite of mine so I find it hard to be convinced by him. The other actors are, in my opinion, fantastically well cast. Pauline Collins is great as is Ned Dehenny as Scrooge. Everyone inhabits their parts very well. Production values are high and Victorian Britain is well portrayed here. The story is well written and plotted and makes a pleasant change from the dreadful Eastenders. It is interesting to see the show's take on Miss Havisham's fate which was never really fully explained in Great Expectations. I just hope that the standard remains as high as the series has been so far.

London in the 1800s is brought to life amid a community of fruity characters

[robertemerald · 7/10 · 16 May 2017]

Dickensian lost points for me because its all centered around the same general set, that is, a few streets of old London town. That was a problem for me. The actors are fabulous and, in small and considered doses, and an intelligent pace, a joy to watch, truly. The script is fine and didn't need to be deliberately a Charles Dickens … what … satire … tribute … soap? Which just brings my current 2017 viewpoint back to this irritating problem. This show just stays home all the time. I found it claustrophobic. I am used to 19th Century movie and television treats such as Sherlock Holmes, Penny Dreadful, Dracula, and such, all of which leap to the country (or at least out of any given neighborhood) from time to time. Although I can only give Dickensian 7 out of 10 myself, I think there will be a big place for this experiment in future revisions of the genre, and this show will be remembered fondly.

Excellent imagining!

[miquellee · 10/10 · 13 August 2018]

This series brought Dickens to life in such a refreshing way. It was fun to see all the different books being brought together. The dark retelling is superb. And omg what acting!! I want more!

interesting premise, but that's about it

[cherold · 6/10 · 6 December 2020]

Watching the first episode of Dickensian was a bit like watching a video for one of those all-star pop songs. Oh look, it's him! Wait, who is that? Man, they got old! Did they really just get this one line?

This Dickens mash-up takes characters from his various novels and has them interact. Ideally this would have created a unique, Dikensian London, but the various parts feel far from seamless and so many characters are introduced that even when you already know them you don't have time to get a feel for them within the narrative.

It just feels like the show bit off more than it could chew. I gave up after that one episode.

Killed by scheduling

[studioAT · 3/10 · 8 May 2017]

Touted as one of the BBC's gifts to us as viewers over the Christmas 2015 period this ended up being a bit of an expensive flop for them, being axed after one series.

It had a lot of potential, but people just didn't get into it. The scheduling didn't help it take on a sort of soap like quality, but the basic fact was people may know the main Dickens characters, but some of the ones that popped up were just too obscure for the average viewer.

I applaud the BBC for trying something different, goodness knows they don't do it often, but they really didn't help themselves by moving this show around the schedules so much.

Sublime

[janshedd-1 · 10/10 · 9 February 2019]

If you never heard of Charles Dickens or read any of his works, you would enjoy this program immensely. If you are familiar with the works of Dickens, it is nothing short of magnificent. As soon as a Dickens' character appeared, I felt like I was seeing an old friend that I haven't seen in years. I loved it!!

Would have loved to hear the elevator pitch on this one...

[rujane · 10/10 · 30 December 2020]

As someone else headlined, this program should not work, but it does, and beautifully. Drawing characters from at least a half dozen Dickens works into a single universe, and shaping a very Dickensian Victorian social melodrama/murder mystery would seem to be a formidable undertaking, particularly when juggling so many separate narratives. First rate production values, excellent writing and superb performances (Stephen Rea's Bucket is just wonderful) made this one of the very few truly must-see series I've come across. I could not figure out whether this was: A) intended to be a limited series, or B) only Season 1 of something that did not get renewed. There was a loose tying up of a few narratives, but if it was B, what a shame - so many possibilities for a continuation.

I love it.

[eapplebaum · 10/10 · 22 February 2016]

I found this series thoroughly engaging and well done. I found it exciting and riveting, especially because the story is based on, or the more accurate versions of Dickens stories and then combines them. I love it! I would LOVE to see a second series where we follow Scrooge through his journey with the Ghost of present, past and future! I MUST know what happens to Arthur! Will Amelia remain in her dining room forever like that? Will she ever forgive Arthur and take him back into her heart? What about Honoria!? Will she find out what Francis has done? Wll she be reunited with her lovely man and their living child? where do the lawyer take the child? And most of all, What will become of Oliver? Will he eventually find his true family? The little actor who plays him is SO SO SO adorable I wish I could adopt that little boy and shower him in love and care!!

Didier-20

[markcollier-73440 · 8/10 · 1 February 2016]

Didier-20 I think you have elegantly and eloquently written a review of Dickensian which is complete and absolute b#@%ocks.

(Well done). The show seems to be a reasonably fair (if not reverse) representation of Dickensian times,and actually ethnic minorities are seemingly portrayed in this show as more accepted by general society than historical documents would suggest.

You actually come across as one of those people who just like to be controversial,argumentative or obtuse (or all three) just for the sake of it.

Shush now, stop being a complete Berk.

Not very creative

[jussit-28958 · 6/10 · 18 February 2020]

To me this one feels like a strained attempt to mimic the atmosphere of Charles Dickens' books. It might have worked better if many of the characters and their names had not been taken from Dickens' books. Dickensian feels more like a tribute to Charles Dickens. It has some of that atmosphere, but it lacks substance. It's like the atmosphere was the main reason for the mini-series and the plot was made out of sheer necessity.

I didn't have big expectations for it and it was watchable like that, but I can't say that I felt sorry if I happened to miss out an episode or two.

Engrossing celebration of the world of Dickens

[Lincsobserver · 9/10 · 20 January 2021]

I've enjoyed re-watching Dickensian during lockdown, it could do with some editing in places, but overall it's an engrossing re-imagining of the back stories of many well known characters, from various novels, all co-existing at the same time, in the same London neighbourhood. The most powerful storylines are those of Miss Havisham and Lady Dedlock, two of Dickens' most formidable female characters, here seen when they are still vivacious young women, full of life and hope. The events that befall them give depth to their characters, and emphasise the tragic wasted potential of their lives. The scene in the final episode, when Nancy sings to an enthralled audience in the local pub, happily believing she is in love with Bill Sykes, is also poignant, knowing what fate has in store for her. Was there ever any thought of doing a second series? There was certainly the potential for one. Perhaps viewing figures were disappointing; devotees of Dickens might have seen it as sacrilege, and it may have been perceived as too highbrow by the average viewer. Nevertheless, I found it a triumph, that celebrates rather than just exploits, the works of the author.

money money money

[SnoopyStyle · 7/10 · 31 December 2019]

This reimagining pulls together several Charles Dickens stories for a mini-series. Jacob Marley is dead. Inspector Bucket (Stephen Rea) investigates the murder using the new field of police detective work. He suspects Marley's partner Ebenezer Scrooge, their clerk Bob Cratchit, and Fagin who has questionable dealings. Edward Barbary has run into financial difficulties borrowing from Scrooge. He has two very different daughters, Frances and Honoria. Amelia Havisham takes over her father's brewery after inheriting most of his estate causing anger in her incompetent brother Arthur. He plans to take over his sister's share with the help of scheming Meriwether Compeyson.

Money, Money, Money. That's the central theme of this series. In fact, money may as well be the protagonist. I've never really considered this but money seems to be the central theme of Dickens. That is worth an extra point for me. There may be too many Dickens characters. I haven't read most of the stories and I don't remember fully the ones that I know. The one thing about the premise is that the characters' futures are preordain. Nobody is dying other than Marley. I wasn't sure which main character if any would be found to be the killer but I doubt that the person would be hanged unless it's a non Dickensian character. Let's dissect each story.

The most compelling has to be the murder of Jacob Marley and Bucket's investigation although I don't recall that he was murdered in the story. Stephen Rea is terrific and it would be better if his investigation is the only narrative. It would concentrate the story telling and inject greater urgency. The Barbary family is an interesting lot. I don't know much about Bleak House but the sibling relationship is fascinating. Amelia Havisham from Great Expectations has to be the most striking character of them all. I don't think Tuppence Middleton plays it quite right. I get the premise of her wedding's devastation. I just don't think that she can start out as a sweet, trusting soul. I think she has to have elements of her later self before the wedding. So much of the story relies on characters holding back information when there is no reason like a standard sitcom. Also Arthur is as annoying as heck and his plan makes no sense. If not for Great Expectations, logic would dictate that Meriwether Compeyson should kill Arthur even before the dog. Dogs don't talk. Arthur is a threat. The scheme's failure is inevitable. The Bumbles are annoying. They're meant to be the comedic break but their antics aren't that funny. Fagin is cool. Oliver should have a bigger role so when his name is revealed, it becomes a bigger shock. This series is intriguing but it could be more compelling if there is less scattered story telling.

Clever, out of the ordinary, captivating production!

[renkendesigns · 10/10 · 10 December 2020]

One of the BEST, MOST ENTERTAINING productions I've ever seen - seriously! Weaving together our favorite characters from Charles Dickens' many stinging social commentaries into a delightful tale with an enchanting surprise ending, and all done with superb casting and impeccable costuming and sets. A perfect 10 in my book. Please, sir, I want some more.

What the Dickens

[Prismark10 · 5/10 · 21 February 2016]

Tony Jordan a long time writer for Eastenders created this soap opera type serial based on various Dickens novels and mixes various characters.

There were main story threads involving the killing of Jacob Marley that is investigated by Inspector Bucket. Then there is the pending marriage of Miss Havisham.

The series started in Christmas 2015 in a 30 minute format usually ending with a cliffhanger very much in the mould of the weekly editions of the Dickens stories. The series went on until late February 2016 and being irregularly scheduled which meant hard work to follow it around and find out when it was shown.

The final episode tied up some story strands leaving the fate of the characters to be carried on in their respective novels. For example we last see Scrooge being bothered by ghostly sounds and images.

However the show did not work for me, familiar characters but never really developed my interest. We have enough soap operas on television without having a Dickens based one and the final double episode was patchy in places.

Maybe a shorter, sharper serial would have worked better.

Thoroughly enjoyed it

[Blumanowar · 8/10 · 2 June 2021]

Kept me wanting more, numerous story arcs going throughout the 10 hours and all were brought to a close by the end... I started to give it a 7 because I didn't really like the way a couple of them ended, especially with Honoria, but decided I couldn't budge from an 8. Great cast across the board. Rea and Rundle were very good, but Middleton was fantastic. I saw her in Sense8 and realized what a terrific actress she was (much better than rest of cast) but this showed what incredible range she has when contrasting her two characters....this certainly showcased her beauty as well. Stunning. As English period pieces go this was another great one. The Brits just do them so much better.

So Original

[jim-burke-819-361581 · 10/10 · 24 June 2019]

I have just gotten around to watching Dickensian and it's brilliant. The acting, the sets and the whole idea is so original. I don't want it to finish. Any concerns I have are small. I've noticed or think I have anyway that there are light bulbs in some of the oil-lamps and there's no effort to hide them. I'm surprised at the BBC as they are excellent. Is there a reason that Little Nell is mixed race and the artful dodger too. Dickens never said what they were but I think it's always been that that they were typical kids from London? Addictive viewing.,