Dickensblog

'Twist' released in the U.K.

The new Oliver Twist update has been released via British movie channel Sky Cinema, and the early reviews are . . . not great. Take a look here. If you're in the U.K. and have seen Twist, let us know whether you agree with the critics, or enjoyed it!

A tale of four podcasts

I've recently been a guest on various podcasts to talk about Dickens! Here are some links:  

• The Christian Humanist with Michial Farmer (talking about The Gospel in Dickens)
• The Sectarian Review with Danny Anderson (talking about The Gospel in Dickens)
• The Great Books with John J. Miller (talking about A Tale of Two Cities)
• A Cozy Christmas with Art Kilmer, longtime Dickensblog reader and Facebook group member (talking about A Christmas Carol)

And don't miss Art's subsequent episode, where he continued the A Christmas Carol discussion, this time with Gerald Dickens!

In related news, I was on the radio show Chris Fabry Live today to discuss The Gospel in Dickens. I believe that episode will be archived online soon, so I'll post a link if and when it is.

MAJOR TCM alert

Turner Classic Movies is giving us a whole night of Dickens tonight! After kicking things off with A Christmas Carol (1938) at 8 p.m. Eastern, they're showing . . . 

• David Copperfield (1935) at 9:30 p.m.
• Great Expectations (1946) at 12 a.m.
• Oliver Twist (1948) at 2:15 a.m.
• A Tale of Two Cities (1935) at 4:30 a.m.

'A Christmas Carol' on TV (and online)

Here's this year's schedule of airings on TV, along with some updates about what versions are now streaming online and how to access them! As always, keep checking back for updates. 

• A Christmas Carol (1910, starring Marc McDermott): This airs as part of Christmas Past (1925), a compilation of silent short films, which will air December 21 at 12 a.m. on TCM. Go here for details.  
• Scrooge (1935, starring Seymour Hicks): Free on Amazon Prime (colorized version)
• A Christmas Carol (1938, starring Reginald Owen): December 8, 8 p.m.; December 12, 12 p.m.; December 21, 9 a.m.; and December 25, 12 a.m., TCM
• Scrooge, a.k.a. A Christmas Carol (1951, starring Alastair Sim): December 24, 2:30 p.m. and 7:50 p.m.; December 25, 1:10 a.m., 6 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 3 p.m., 8:20 p.m.; and December 26, 1:40 a.m., FXM; free (with ads) on Amazon Prime  
• Scrooge (1970, starring Albert Finney): December 20, 3:40 p.m., Movies!
• A Christmas Carol (1984, starring George C. Scott): December 8, 3:41 p.m., Starz Encore Classics; December 8, 6:41 p.m., Starz Encore Classics West; December 11, 1:35 a.m., 4:12 p.m., and 11:34 p.m.; December 14, 4:36 p.m.; December 17, 5:16 a.m. and 10 p.m., Starz Kids & Family; December 20, 5:08 p.m., Starz Encore Classics; and December 20, 8:08 p.m., Starz Encore Classics West
• The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992, starring Michael Caine): Streaming on Disney Plus
• A Christmas Carol (1999, starring Patrick Stewart): December 17, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m., TNT
• Disney's A Christmas Carol (2009, starring Jim Carrey): December 9, 1:40 p.m.; December 12, 11:55 p.m.; December 13, 12 p.m.; December 15, 8:25 p.m.; December 17, 3:45 p.m.; December 18, 12:15 p.m., Freeform
• FX's A Christmas Carol (2019, starring Guy Pearce): December 24, 4:20 p.m. and 9:40 p.m., and December 25, 3 a.m., 7:30 a.m., 12 p.m., 4:50 p.m., and 10:10 p.m., FXM
• Gerald Dickens's new Christmas Carol film is now available to watch online. You can rent it for a week for $20 at this link. 
• Jefferson Mays's version is available online at this link, costing $57.50 for unlimited viewings within a 24-hour period, until January 3. The New York Times reviews it here.

TCM alert

David Copperfield (the 1935 one) airs on the channel Monday morning at 6 a.m. Eastern. 

Geoffrey Palmer, R.I.P.

The British actor read an audiobook of A Christmas Carol and also portrayed Thackeray in the 2002 miniseries Dickens. He passed away last Wednesday at age 93. 

Dame Diana Rigg, R.I.P.

The beloved British actress's Dickens connection was playing Lady Dedlock in the 1985 Bleak House miniseries. She passed away Thursday at the age of 82.

TCM alert

Oliver Twist (1948) airs on the channel at 7:45 a.m., as part of their Summer under the Stars tribute to Diana Dors, who plays Charlotte. (Sorry for the late notice -- I meant to post last night but forgot!)

Steven Knight's next Dickens adaptation announced

The next Dickensian miniseries from the team behind the BBC/FX Christmas Carol will be . . . wait for it . . . Great Expectations. (It never seems to occur to anyone to give us a new Barnaby Rudge or Martin Chuzzlewit or Dombey and Son). Personally, I just hope it's a bit less grim than their previous outing. 

News roundup

Just wanted to share a few news items before beginning the book reviewing:

• The Dickens Museum is, unsurprisingly, closed indefinitely, but remains active on social media. Actor Dominic Gerrard, who has performed a one-man Christmas Carol there, has done a reading of the first chapter of A Tale of Two Cities to raise money for the Museum.
• The joint Dickens Fellowship/Dickens Society Symposium in London in July is still scheduled to go ahead, but organizers are monitoring things and will make a final decision in May.
• In the New Yorker, Amy Davidson Sorkin argues, "Esther Summerson is one of the great heroines of literature, in part because she understands the vital importance of social distancing and isolation, even when it is hard."
• Phyllis Rose is re-releasing her 1983 book Parallel Lives, which focuses on five Victorian couples, including Charles and Catherine Dickens. In an interview with the Guardian, Rose argues that "is disappointing, and incredibly small-minded" to "cancel" great writers like Dickens over their bad behavior. The new edition of her book can be ordered here.   
• The TV series "Great British Menu" has a children's literature theme this year, in honor of the 150th anniversary of Dickens's death. (Seemed like a bit of a stretch to me too, but apparently it has something to do with Oliver Twist being the first child protagonist. Anyway, I'd never carp about a show honoring Dickens for any reason!)
• Dr. Pete Orford is beginning a Hard Times readalong on April 1.