Charles Dickens ghosted his own wife and invented modern Christmas—this docudrama makes him answer for it.
Season 1 • Episode 3
LatestDickens creates his greatest works in the last decade of his life. But success comes at a price as he embarks on a complex double life.
Dickens is a 2002 three-part docudrama presented by Peter Ackroyd, on whose biography of Dickens it was based. An unorthodox style is taken: actors play various individuals in Dickens' life (as well as Dickens himself), interviewed as if appearing in a contemporary documentary. Their words are from actual letters and journals of the individuals involved, and serve to illuminate the hardships and successes in Dickens' life, and the way his experiences found their way into his works.
Acting
Anton Lesser inhabits Dickens like a haunting—charming, monstrous, unforgettable.
Writing
Peter Ackroyd's script weaponizes real letters into devastating confessional.
Direction
The fake-documentary format lets ghosts judge their own lives.
Creator
Peter Ackroyd
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Anton Lesser later played Fagin in a BBC Oliver Twist—making him one of few actors to play both Dickens AND his creation.
The fake-interview format was nearly scrapped because BBC executives thought audiences wouldn't understand actors playing real people speaking to camera—Ackroyd threatened to quit.
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