Dickensblog

The mysterious Fanny Biggetywitch

Has a non-Dickensian character sneaked into Dickensian? Our guest reviewer John Kyriacou and commenter Lesley Cookman have both written about the character of Fanny Biggetywitch (played by Ellie Haddington) and how they've been unable to place her. I consulted Paul Davis's Charles Dickens A to Z, an excellent guide to the various people, places, and things found in Dickens's works, but found no mention of her. 

BBC One's character profile for Fanny is here, but gives no clue as to her identity. There are several possible explanations: She could be using an alias, with her real name to be revealed at a later date; "Biggetywitch" could turn out to be the married name of a Dickens character called Fanny whom we've only met under her maiden name; she could be the descendant or the ancestor of someone from Dickens's work; or she could simply have been made up.

Because I haven't yet seen the show, and know nothing about the character beyond what's on that page, I don't know which of these scenarios is likeliest to be true. Your thoughts and theories are welcome in the comment section!

'Dickensian' ratings

The show got off to a good start on Saturday, ratings-wise. Both episodes finished in the top 10 for the night, with 5 million and 4.3 million viewers respectively.

Thoughts on 'Dickensian'

By John Kyriacou, guest blogger

(Note: This post contains some spoilers.)

I watched the first two episodes of Dickensian earlier. My overall impression is that the cast and crew have done a great job, and the series is a treat.

The first episode was almost like eating a huge Christmas pudding in one sitting. Too many characters were introduced and too quickly (less is more, as they say). While it was fun playing "spot the character," this whirlwind of characters might have been a tad confusing for those unfamiliar with Dickens. I think the first two episodes should have been broadcast together, in one chunk, as the second episode slowed the pace, allowing some breathing space.

It's 'Dickensian' day!

The show premieres tonight at 7 p.m. on BBC One! Emily Bowles of York University will be live tweeting it at https://twitter.com/JofVictCulture (that will start at 2 p.m. for us Americans). And over here, I will publish the report from John, our British correspondent, when I get it.

In the meantime, Far Far Away Site has lots of nice stills of the characters; Holly Furneaux has "a cheat's guide to who's who" at the BBC's Love TV blog; and at the Oxford University Press blog, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, who advised on the series, offers his perspective from behind the scenes.

'Dickensian' updates

As you'd expect, the closer the premiere gets, the more news is out there! (There are some spoilers -- most of them minor ones, I think -- at the following links, so proceed at your own risk!)

New trailer for 'Dickensian'

The BBC has released a new trailer, which indicates the mystery that Inspector Bucket will be attempting to solve: the murder of Jacob Marley.

A tip of the hat to Anglophenia, which also has this nice article about the show!

Dickens on TV

Thanks to John for this tip: A young Charles Dickens is featured on the ITV series The Frankenstein Chronicles. Here's a photo of Ryan Sampson as "Boz." According to Variety, A&E will air the series here in the U.S. 

And speaking of Dickens on TV, TVWise has air dates and times for Dickensian on BBC One, including the premiere date, December 26. Still waiting to find out when we're getting it on this side of the pond . . .

New interviews with Tony Jordan

In new interviews with The Independent and The Guardian, Dickensian creator Tony Jordan talks about his "joyous" new show and why Dickens would have loved it.

'Dickensian' update

"Think Dickens does The Avengers," says the Evening Standard of Dickensian in this article. It features a nice big picture of many of the cast members with their characters' names (so I was able to update our cast list!). I note that Compeyson has been given the first name "Meriweather," which seems a just punishment for his sins.

'Dickensian' update

The Daily Mail has an article about the show with a few photos. And Inside Media Track has a photo plus a trailer that shows a few shots from the series, along with other upcoming BBC dramas.