BBC Arts has commissioned a three-part series on Charles Dickens from Expectation in partnership with The Open University for broadcast later this year on BBC Two and iPlayer.
Pegged to the National Year of Reading, the doc will explore the life and inspiration of the renowned novelist, journalist, and social campaigner, drawing on early Victorian street photography, etchings and drawings; Dickens’ own words; and reenactments.
Suzy Klein, head of BBC Arts and classical music TV, noted, “Charles Dickens is beloved by generations of readers for his peerless plotting, keen sense of place and vivid characters who live long in the memory. During this National Year of Reading, it felt only right to return to one of Britain’s most-read authors and explore the real-world events and creative imagination that came together so brilliantly in his novels. That process of discovery promises to reveal as much about love, passion, society, crime, and class today as it will for Dickens’ own era—and Expectation, with their track record for innovative excellence in storytelling, promise to deliver a must-watch series offering us the chance to viscerally experience the world as Dickens did.”
Colin Barr, creative director, factual, at Expectation, added, “I’m not sure there could be a more fascinating subject for a series than Charles Dickens, his extraordinary work and the conflicted world of Victorian London. Like many of his much-loved characters, Dickens himself was a man of contradictions and secrets, which both drove him on and threatened to tear him down. By shining a light on how that informed his writing and shaped his genius, we hope to create a series that is original, gripping, and ultimately inspiring.”
