‘Magnificent’ Charles Dickens BBC period drama hailed ‘one of the best’

The beloved BBC period drama is free to watch and left fans devastated when it was axed.

Dickensian weaves together beloved characters from across Dickens’ works, including Miss Havisham from Great Expectations and Fagin from Oliver Twist.

Originally broadcast in 2015, the drama unites literary figures from Dickens’ finest novels within a single Victorian London neighbourhood.

Spanning 20 episodes, the narrative revolves around a murder investigation, with Detective Inspector Bucket charged with solving the killing of Jacob Marley, Ebenezer Scrooge’s business partner.

The synopsis teases: “Scrooge meets Fagin meets Miss Havisham in a riotous mix of Dickens’ most loved characters – their lives intertwined on one mysterious street, and in the murder of Jacob Marley,” reports the Mirror.

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Tuppence Middleton and Joseph Quinn starred in the Victorian drama(Image: BBC)

The ensemble features Peter Firth as Jacob Marley, Downton Abbey star Tuppence Middleton as Miss Havisham, Gavin and Stacey’s Robert Wilfort as Bob Cratchit, Stephen Rea as Inspector Bucket, and Ned Dennehy as Ebenezer Scrooge.

Beyond Great Expectations and Oliver Twist, characters from A Christmas Carol, Bleak House, The Old Curiosity Shop, Our Mutual Friend, and The Pickwick Papers all converge.

Viewers were captivated by the unique series, with one commenting: “Very quirky but I absolutely love it. Great entertainment.”

Another described it as “superb”, remarking: “Absolutely fantastic, the cast, the characters are just amazing. The very best of British and so clever to combine different characters for this series.”

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Dickensian first aired in 2015(Image: BBC Red Planet/Liam Daniel)

One viewer remarked: “One of the best, most entertaining productions I’ve ever seen – seriously! Weaving together our favourite characters from Charles Dickens’ many stinging social commentaries into a delightful take with an enchanting surprise ending, and all done with superb casting and impeccable costuming and sets. A perfect 10 in my book. Please, sir, I want some more.”

Another described it as “superb”, while a further viewer noted it was “even better second time around”.

“Original and powerful,” proclaimed one fan, as another enthused: “This series brought Dickens to life in such a refreshing way. It was fun to see all the different books being brought together. The dark retelling is superb. And omg what acting!! I want more!”

One viewer called it “sublime”, writing in their review: “If you never heard of Charles Dickens or read any of his works, you would enjoy this programme immensely. If you are familiar with the works of Dickens, it is nothing short of magnificent.”

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The drama followed a series of characters from across Charles Dickens’ novels(Image: BBC)

Several others urged for its return, with one person saying Dickensian “should never have been cancelled by the BBC” while another wrote: “There easily could have been a season 2.”

One fan also called it “addictive” as someone else said it was “absolutely delightful”.

Despite fans begging for it to return, Dickensian was axed after one series, with a BBC spokesperson calling it a “difficult” decision.

They said: “We are incredibly proud of Dickensian and would like to thank all those involved in such an ambitious series.

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The series has been praised for its originality and excellent storytelling(Image: BBC Red Planet/Todd Antony)

“We sometimes have to make difficult decisions to make room for new shows and it won’t be returning for a second series.”

Creator and former EastEnders ‘ writer Tony Jordan, who had previously revealed he had scripted 60 episodes with the hope of the BBC commissioning more, having only used 30 out of the 2,000 characters Dickens created, admitted he was “disappointed” at the news.

He added: “I am disappointed that we will not be making a second series of Dickensian.

“We are hugely proud of what we achieved in the first series of Dickensian and would like to thank everyone who helped us create a truly special and unique drama.”

Dickensian is available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

SOURCE: WALESONLINE