Dickensian (DVD)

What an absolute shame the BBC didn’t continue this series. It is a must see for any Dickens buff! Wonderful actors and wonderful scenery. I hated to come to the end of the 20th episode. However do not let the fact that this is only the first season stop you. It does culminate as far as the major plot is concerned. And if you have read the books it doesn’t matter because you know where Dickens took his characters.Some may not care for the characters mixing with each other outside of their books but I loved it and I think Dickens would have too.The biggest sin here is that Dickens didn’t write it himself...but it certainly sounds like Dickens.

This is a great Victorian period drama! I loved trying to remember all of the Dickens characters and match them with each story! It doesn't necessarily follow the exact story lines and adds some strange twists, but I think that only makes the show more interesting. You also may notice a few character names that are from other books. Great for piquing your memory! The story revolves around the mystery (and police investigation) of Scrooge's business partner, Mr. Marley's murder and how each Dickens character and story is connected to it. The rich character development, plot twists, incredible dark gritty London sets and costumes make this series a must for period drama lovers! The interwoven stories with a generous sprinkling of humor made this series one of my all time favourites!

This is an extremely clever adaptation of a number of Dickens' novels woven together to form an intriguing and enjoyable story. Although the scenes used a relatively limited number of set locations (the entire set was purpose-built for this series), it still managed to convey somewhat of a sense of distance from each other. Character development was very well don; a particular favorite was Stephen Rea as Detective Inspector Bucket. One thing I was disappointed with s that the three-DBVD set is advertised as twenty episodes, which led me to believe that it went ten episodes beyond the episodes that are available on Firestick. However, that is not the case: the twenty DVD episodes are merely the same ten episodes that are on Firestick, but broken up into two roughly half-hour episodes for each of the roughly one hour episodes on Firestick. So, if you think you are going to get to see anything past Amelia's non-wedding, do not bother to buy this set. If you want to enjoy watching it from time to time, it still remians a good buy.

It took a little while for the story to get going, and the viewer will have to be reasonably familiar with the Dickens characters. This is a Whodunit, and a fairly good one at that. The viewer will really have to suspend disbelief for this series, Entertaining as the characters behave as Dickens wrote them. If Sherlock Holmes were a Dickens creation he would have his hands full with this crowd. Slow in spots, but not enough to turn off the viewer.

Absolutely LOVED this series!!! Very well done, both cinematography and storyline were EXCELLENT! I watched it and told my husband. We watched it together and he couldn’t stop watching it until the finish! He kept trying to guess who committed the murder. I didn’t help him at all which made him want to watch to the end. He totally enjoyed it. I’m watching it now, again, for the third time with subtitles on to make sure I didn’t miss anything.

Imagine all of Charles Dickens best loved characters all in a London Pub at the very same time, all living and interacting with one another, and a mystery is unfolding. Yup, that is this story. This is taking Dickens to another level.

After watching the Man who invented Christmas, I thought this would be a good series to add to it. However, while I loved MWIC I hated this almost from the first minute. The Cratchits were hopeful, but it was evident who needed to be killed in this neighborhood. I liked Detective Bucket and would have liked to see what he could do. But I hate stories that are dreary at any time of the year, let alone Christmas. I stuck to it for two episodes. I don't care if it gets better, I am throwing this one away. I wish I had read the one star reviews before I wasted my money.

Great conglomeration of Dickens characters! Do hope a continuation is on the way. Perhaps Dickensian II ?

My wife and I ate up this entire BBC series on DVD in just a few days (we missed the original TV broadcast), I feel it must be true to assert that, just possibly, Charles Dickens himself may have day-dreamed that his glorious literary creations would one day combine seamlessly within a drama based upon his rich and ubiquitous writing talent. And here it is. In embracing many (but nowhere near all) of Dickens’ great literary character-creations and placing them together within coinciding lifestyles, the buffoonery and hideous reality of the mid-nineteenth century metropolitan murk and idiosyncrasy of London is brought vividly to life. The sanctimonious, the hypocritical and the evil characters are here, vying with the disenfranchised, the good and the helpless. Many characters are now together; complimenting one another or in conflict. Often it is this unease of relationships that sits at the heart of all the malignant social evil of the day.Dickens portrayed this evil and 'Dickensian’ explores it further by exposing the background to various characters' lives which the original novels never revealed. Deliciously so. A sense of unease was always reflected in Charles Dickens' personal societal beliefs and this spurred-on his story-telling abilities. I honestly feel that this great author would have approved without reservation for what the BBC have achieved - and so also should the viewer. Creative yet speculative drama surely never becomes more sure-footed than this. Indeed, any doubts as to why the BBC produced this series ought to submerge post-viewing with thankfulness that they did. It’s a thoroughly enjoyable and enriching experience to watch - building intimately upon most viewers’ knowledge of both character and story-line from the original Dickens tales. An absolutely magnificent production. Not to be missed.

Who killed Jacob Marley, found battered to death on Christmas Eve? Inspector Bucket investigates - not easy, for the moneylender was hated by all. Other strong storylines are interwoven, arguably the most powerful the circumstances that sent Miss Haversham over the edge.Creator Tony Jordan had the idea of bringing together characters from Dickens' novels. Purists cringed at the very concept - original locations ignored, liberties taken with people and chronology.For most, the result is a joy. Great scripts. Fine actors delivering their all. Genuine suspense. Lots of laughs. So much to admire: the poverty-stricken Cratchits so movingly depicted; the bumbling Bumbles ever thwarted in their bid to rise; the relationship between Nancy and Bill; much villainy, especially as charismatic Meriwether Compeyson skilfully manipulates; Mrs. Gamp never far from a rapidly emptying glass of gin. (Her gloomy companion Fanny Biggetywitch seems one of the most Dickensian characters of all, but is in fact a Tony Jordan invention - hilariously so.)Other pleasures are too numerous to mention - all on a vast set built for the purpose.Twenty episodes. Modest extras include details of how the set was created, key cast speaking about their roles. (Apparently Inspector Bucket was literature's first ever detective, a fact that may surprise.)When so much is so good, why no second season - despite the cliffhangers? An answer lies in the way it was shown. Because Dickens' novels appeared in serial form, it was felt the television series should too. Big mistake? The half hour episodes simply were not long enough, viewers furthermore frustrated trying to work out when the scattered next ones would be, they so often clashing with other tempting offerings throughout the Christmas season.Better by far is watching the box set - far easier to keep track, impact immeasurably increased with episodes viewed in quick succession.Viewers will have their favourite characters and moments. There are many to choose from, "Dickensian" crammed with treats.

Well, almost five stars, partly because the episodes were very short, and considering the length of the series I would have liked more bonus features. However, despite some scathingly negative comments from some reviewers I was pleasantly surprised, and thought that it was an ingenious idea. People who complained about incorrect storylines and characters should have realised that it was an adaptation of the great man's works. Inspector Bucket was used as a subtle link between the characters, and his endless quest to find the murderer added suspense to each episode. The scenery was very good, not too dark ( i have seen much darker Dickens tv adaptations ), the music was very pleasant without being intrusive, and the make up was very effective, although I think that the rosy cheeks of Mrs Gamp were a bit OTT. It is difficult to select the best actors, but Anton Lesser was superb, and not overdone, Mrs Picketywitch ( not sure of her correct name ) played by Ellie Harrington was brilliant. Inspector Bucket was suitable lugubrious ( I always remember him in Citizen X ). By condensing many texts into one series we learnt that happiness does not always come from wealth, appearances can be deceptive, children suffer at the hands of adults, and that it really is a man's world. And, so many difficulties arising from the evils of overdoing the alcohol. A pity that there was no series two.

This was a good series that held the interest almost to the end. The setting was economical but effective; the characters on the whole entertaining in their Dickensian habitudes, and the plot build up was particularly good. But I have a number of caveats which brought it down to three stars.Stephen Rhea was amusing and held the series together for the most parts and was missed in the episodes that he didn't appear in, but his performance was on occasion a little too mannered for my liking.The final six episodes, and in particular episodes 15 to 17 were not in the same league as the earlier ones. The descent into bathos and the intrusion of the BBC woke committee agenda detracted from the whole and characters had sometimes to turn somersaults to fit.The murder was solved too early and the conclusion was far too pat, and likewise for many of the characters it became a rush to the end with so many loose threads that it seemed another series had been planned, but was scuppered at the last minute.And instead we had the endless Havisham business which went on and on, to little effect after episode 15, before it was drawn to its inevitable and obvious conclusion.A seventy-five percent approval rating with an interest rate set by Mr Scrooge. (Ned Dennehy who deserves a series of his own.)

I had mixed feelings about "playing around with Dickens" before watching this series but now can only say it's brilliant. It's so clever, the way the characters and plots are merged and interwoven to create what is essentially a Dickensian London village. I knew something about most of the stories and people, mainly from films and TV series, as I've read only two of the novels. One of these was Bleak House, which I studied to A-Level, and and was deeply moved by the "prequel," having seen two very good TV adaptations since leaving school. I was also very much drawn in by the Amelia Havisham theme, here is someone who could so have been her own woman had she not met the wrong man. Some things were darker than I've seen depicted on screen before, namely Fagin and the way he was "saving" the lost boys from hard labour overseas and "pimping" poor Nancy out. But doubtless this reflects Dickens' time and society as it really was. On the lighter side, Pauline Collins was a scream as Sarah Gamp. I also liked the necessary additional characters such as the bankrupt Edward Barbary and the romantic plot lines for Bob Crachit's older children. If you know your Dickens, you know things will end well for some characters and tragically and terribly for others. But the episode that blew my mind was the one in which Jacob Marley's "murderer" confessed, who could have foreseen that coming? And waiting with baited breath to see what the Inspector, a decent and humane man, would decide to do next.