''Dickens of London'' is a 1976 television

miniseries A miniseries or mini-series is a television series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. "Limited series" is another more recent US term which is sometimes used interchangeably. , the popularity of miniseries format ...

from

Yorkshire Television ITV Yorkshire, previously known as Yorkshire Television and commonly referred to as just YTV, is the British television service provided by ITV Broadcasting Limited for the Yorkshire franchise area on the ITV (TV network), ITV network. Until 19 ...

based on the life of English

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others aspire ...

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian er ...

. Both Dickens and his father

John John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Secon ...

were played by British

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

Roy Dotrice Roy Dotrice (26 May 1923 – 16 October 2017) was a British actor famed for his portrayal of the antiquarian John Aubrey in the record-breaking solo play '' Brief Lives''. Abroad, he won a Tony Award for his performance in the 2000 Broadway r ...

. The series was written by

Wolf Mankowitz Cyril Wolf Mankowitz (7 November 1924 – 20 May 1998) was an English writer, playwright and screenwriter. He is particularly known for three novels— ''Make Me an Offer'' (1952), '' A Kid for Two Farthings'' (1953) and ''My Old Man's a Dustma ...

and Marc Miller. In the United States, the series was shown in 1977. The series of 13 episodes of 60 minutes was directed by Michael Ferguson (6 episodes) and Marc Miller (7 episodes), who was also the series' producer, with David Cunliffe as

executive producer Executive producer (EP) is one of the top positions in the making of a commercial entertainment product. Depending on the medium, the executive producer may be concerned with management accounting or associated with legal issues (like copyrights ...

. Mankowitz's book, ''Dickens of London'', published by

Weidenfeld and Nicolson Weidenfeld & Nicolson Ltd (established 1949), often shortened to W&N or Weidenfeld, is a British publisher of fiction and reference books. It has been a division of the French-owned Orion Publishing Group since 1991. History George Weidenfeld ...

in 1976, was based on the detailed research he made while writing the screenplay.

Background

Each of the 13 episodes of ''Dickens of London'' is a flashback, with Charles Dickens (Roy Dotrice), by now an internationally famous

, in America during a reading tour of 1869, looking back over his life. Dickens the boy (Simon Bell) is shown unhappily pasting labels onto pots of shoe blacking, while Dickens as a young man (Gene Foad) is revealed as a genius who is becoming aware of his powers and trying to find his way in the world. Mary Hogarth (

Lois Baxter Lois Ann Baxter (born 26 April 1947) is a British actress, known for playing Marie Stanton in ''Coronation Street'' from 1976 to 1977, and Lady Caroline in the period drama '' When the Boat Comes In''. Baxter was born in Bridgwater, Somerset, ...

) is the middle one of the three Hogarth daughters and is portrayed as the one person with whom Dickens seems to have been able to share his work. She dies suddenly aged seventeen and Dickens wears her ring on his little finger for the rest of his life.

Georgina Hogarth Georgina Hogarth (22 January 1827 – 19 April 1917) was the sister-in-law, housekeeper, and adviser of English novelist Charles Dickens and the editor of three volumes of his collected letters after his death. Biography 'Georgy' Hogarth was o ...

(

Christine McKenna Christine McKenna (born 1951) is a British actress active during the 1970s and 1980s, best known for playing "Christina" in the television series '' Flambards''. McKenna was a drama student at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Gl ...

), the youngest of the three Hogarth daughters, comes to live with the couple to help run the household, at the request of her oldest sister

Catherine Dickens Catherine Thomson "Kate" Dickens (''née'' Hogarth; 19 May 1815 – 22 November 1879) was the wife of English novelist Charles Dickens, the mother of his ten children, and a writer of domestic management. Early life Born in Edinburgh, Scotlan ...

. The relationship Dickens developed with the young actress

Ellen Ternan Ellen Lawless Ternan (3 March 1839 – 25 April 1914), also known as Nelly Ternan or Nelly Wharton-Robinson, was an English actress known for association with the author Charles Dickens. Birth and family life Ellen Ternan was born in Roches ...

is not mentioned in the series, nor is Dickens' separation from his wife, Catherine, in 1858. The series is mainly concerned with the influence upon Dickens of his improvident father,

John Dickens John Dickens (21 August 1785 – 31 March 1851) was the father of famous English novelist Charles Dickens and was the model for Mr Micawber in his son's semi-autobiographical novel '' David Copperfield''. Biography The son of William Dickens ...

(Roy Dotrice), who was a

Naval A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inclu ...

clerk and who always spent more than he earned. He is portrayed as an

alcoholic Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...

and it is suggested that this was the source of the family's financial difficulties. The script includes passages from Dickens' works, woven into the dialogue, creating signposts for readers of Dickens' work.

Episodes

*Episode 1: Mask (broadcast 28 September 1976) *Episode 2: The Deed (broadcast 5 October 1976) *Episode 3: Blacking (broadcast 12 October 1976) *Episode 4: Love (broadcast 19 October 1976) *Episode 5: Success (broadcast 26 October 1976) *Episode 6: Fame (broadcast 2 November 1976) *Episode 7: Money (broadcast 9 November 1976) *Episode 8: Possession (broadcast 16 November 1976) *Episode 9: Dreams (broadcast 23 November 1976) *Episode 10: Magic (broadcast 30 November 1976) *Episode 11: Nightmare (broadcast 7 December 1976) *Episode 12: Angel (broadcast 14 December 1976) *Episode 13: Memories (broadcast 21 December 1976)

Cast

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English and French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*karilaz'' (in Latin alphabet), whose meaning was " ...

and

* Diana Coupland as Elizabeth Dickens *

Adrienne Burgess Adrienne Burgess (born 20 November 1947) is a UK-based Australian actress, mainly seen on British television and resident in the UK. Her acting credits include: ''Doctor Who'' (in the serial ''The Sun Makers''), ''Blake's 7'', ''Terry and Ju ...

*Gene Foad as Charles Dickens as a young man *

Mary Hogarth Mary Scott Hogarth (26 October 1819 – 7 May 1837) was the sister of Catherine Dickens ( Hogarth) and the sister-in-law of Charles Dickens. Hogarth first met Charles Dickens at age 14, and after Dickens married Hogarth's sister Catherine, Ma ...

*Simon Bell as Charles Dickens as a boy *Paul Nelson as Bob Fagin *

Graham Faulkner Graham Faulkner (born 26 September 1947 in London, UK) is a former British actor. His first and best known role was as Francis of Assisi in Franco Zeffirelli's '' Brother Sun, Sister Moon'' (1972). After that, he virtually retired from actin ...

as Frederick Dickens *

Holly Palance Holly Kathleen Palance (born August 5, 1950) is an American former actress and journalist. She is perhaps best known for her role as the nanny of Damien Thorn in Richard Donner's ''The Omen'' (1976). Palance also appeared in Pete Walker's horr ...

as Miss Baldwin * Trevor Bowen as John Forster * Robert Longden as

Hablot Knight Browne Hablot Knight Browne (10 July 1815 – 8 July 1882) was an English artist and illustrator. Well-known by his pen name, Phiz, he illustrated books by Charles Dickens, Charles Lever, and Harrison Ainsworth. Early life Of Huguenot ancestry, Hablot ...

Lynsey Baxter Lynsey Baxter is an English actress. She was born in London on May 7, 1959. She began as a child actress in 1974, and later trained at Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA). She has worked in theatre, television, film, radio and voiceover. Ba ...

as Orfling * Paul Lavers as James Lamert *Michael Macowan as Sir Giles *Claire McLellan as Letitia Dickens *Pheona McLellan as Fanny Dickens as a child * George Waring as Huffam *

Karen Dotrice Karen Dotrice ( ; born 9 November 1955) is a British actress. She is known primarily for her role as Jane Banks in Walt Disney's '' Mary Poppins'', the feature film adaptation of the '' Mary Poppins'' book series. Dotrice was born in Guernsey in ...

as Maria Beadnell *

Derek Francis Derek Francis (7 November 1923 – 27 March 1984) was an English comedy and character actor. Biography Francis was a regular in the Carry On film players, appearing in six of the films in the 1960s and 1970s. He appeared in '' The Tomb of Lig ...

as Stage Manager *

Raymond Francis Raymond Francis (6 October 1911- 24 October 1987) was a British actor best known for his role as Detective Chief Superintendent Tom Lockhart in the Associated-Rediffusion detective series ''Murder Bag'', ''Crime Sheet'' and ''No Hiding Place''. ...

as Mr. Beadnell *Robin Halstead as Kolle *Richard Hampton as

Daniel Maclise Daniel Maclise (25 January 180625 April 1870) was an Irish History painting, history painter, literary and Portrait painting, portrait painter, and illustrator, who worked for most of his life in London, England. Early life Maclise was bor ...

* William Hoyland as Count Alfred d'Orsay *

Patsy Kensit Patricia Jude Kensit (born 4 March 1968) is an English actress and was the lead singer of the pop band Eighth Wonder in the 1980s. Beginning her career as a child actor, Kensit gained attention when she acted in a string of commercials for Bir ...

as Young Georgina Hogarth *

as Adult Georgina Hogarth *

Ben Kingsley Sir Ben Kingsley (born Krishna Pandit Bhanji; 31 December 1943) is an English actor. He has received various accolades throughout his career spanning five decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, a Grammy Award, and tw ...

as Dr. John Elliotson *

Richard Leech Richard Leeper McClelland (24 November 1922 – 24 March 2004), known professionally as Richard Leech, was an Irish actor. Richard Leeper McClelland was born in Dublin, Ireland, the son of Isabella Frances (Leeper) and Herbert Saunderson McCl ...

as Mr. Hogarth *

Anthony May Anthony May (23 May 1946 – 24 December 2021) was an English stage, television and film actor. He trained at R.A.D.A. from 1965 to 1967. Early life May was born in Reigate, Surrey. He played Wick in David Halliwell's ''Little Malcolm'' at ...

as Hullah * John Nettles as Mr. Macrone *

Vernon Dobtcheff Vernon Dobtcheff (born 14 August 1934) is a British actor, best known for his roles on television and film, he has acted in numerous stage productions. Biography Dobtcheff was born in Nîmes, France, of Russian descent. He attended Ascham Pre ...

as Legal Gentleman *

Connie Booth Connie Booth (born 2 December 1940) is an American-born actress and writer. She has appeared in several British television programmes and films, including her role as Polly Sherman on BBC Two's ''Fawlty Towers'', which she co-wrote with her the ...

as Sophie * David Healy as Commissioner Wentworth

References

External links

Review of ''Dickens of London'' on dvdtalk.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dickens of London Works about Charles Dickens ITV television dramas Television series set in the 1830s 1970s British drama television series Television series by Yorkshire Television 1976 British television series debuts 1976 British television series endings Period television series Television series by ITV Studios Television series set in the 19th century Cultural depictions of Charles Dickens 1970s British television miniseries