Dickensblog

'Dickens Confidential'

BBC Radio 4 is rerunning this series that apparently first ran in 2007, "imagining Charles Dickens as a campaigning newspaper editor." Episodes are available on their online player. I have not yet had a chance to listen, but I hope to give it a try. If you've heard it, we'd welcome your opinions in the comment section below!

Trailer for the BBC/FX 'Christmas Carol'

Thanks to Josh Sharpe for posting this in the Dickensblog Facebook group.

 

 

My first thought is that it looks dark. Very dark. Of course the original A Christmas Carol does go dark, but it also beautifully balances darkness with light. I hope this version will follow suit.

What do you think? 

'Christmas Carol' and 'Twist' images

Photos from both productions hit the Web today! Entertainment Weekly gives us our first official look at Guy Pearce as Scrooge, Andy Serkis as the Ghost of Christmas Past, and more from the upcoming miniseries, plus some short interviews. (Incidentally, it seems the Ghost of Christmas Future was recast; Jason Flemyng took over for Rutger Hauer shortly before the latter's death.)

Meanwhile, the Daily Mail has some lively set photos of Rita Ora as "Dodge" and Rafferty Law as Oliver in the Oliver Twist update I posted about the other day.

New 'Twist' film coming to theaters and TV

The adaptations just keep on coming! Britain's Sky is planning a modern-day version of Oliver Twist, to be simultaneously released in theaters and on pay TV. Michael Caine is set to play Fagin, with Raff Law as Oliver, "reinvented as a streetwise artist living on the streets of modern-day London." Lena Headey and Rita Ora will play female versions of Sikes and "Dodge," respectively. Variety has more.

A different 'Copperfield' trailer

This one's for Public History, a Web series that updates David Copperfield. Look for it in December!

R.I.P. Richard Williams

The 86-year-old animator, who passed away on Friday, won an Academy Award for his 1971 adaptation of A Christmas Carol, in which Alastair Sim reprised his role as Ebenezer Scrooge.

'A Christmas Carol' at the TCA

Members of the new A Christmas Carol production talked to critics at the Television Critics Association's press tour this week. Writer Steven Knight said of Guy Pearce's Scrooge, “I didn’t want him to look like his soul because his soul is pretty wretched. . . . But on the outside he’s okay and what I wanted to do is to have an audience say to themselves why is this person like this . . . and I hope that in the three hours we explore the reasons behind what Ebenezer Scrooge is, why has he become this person.” Read more here and here.

R.I.P. Rutger Hauer

The 75-year-old actor passed away last Friday. His final role will be the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in the upcoming BBC miniseries of A Christmas Carol.

TCM alert

If you should happen to have insomnia tonight, you can always catch A Tale of Two Cities (1935), airing at 3:45 a.m. Eastern!

More on 'A Christmas Carol' filming

Filming of the new miniseries moved to Burnley and Warwick this week.