Dickensian

Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it: and Scrooge’s name was good upon ’Change, for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. 

This is the classic opening paragraph to Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Akin to this, is the beginning to Tony Jordan’s portmanteau drama, Dickensian. Beginning over the festive period, Dickensian is a work of breathtaking ingenuity that brings together the literature's much-loved characters into a brand new story. Just as The Avengers films brought the Marvel world into one arena, Eastenders creator Jordan has tied characters from different strands into a wonderfully rich tapestry.

Creator Tony Jordan

Being a fan of Dickens from a young age, I’m familiar with about half of Dickens’ stories. My girlfriend, less a fan of Victorian tomes, was only really aware of Oliver before coming to watch the show. Both of us have been enjoying the show equally. In fact, navigating the first few episodes might be easier if you’re unfamiliar with Dickens’ world: as you won’t be footnoting dialogue with such asides as “that’s Mr Venus from Old Curiousity Shop talking to Inspector Bucket from Bleak House about the murder of a character from A Christmas Carol.” My girlfriend does not enjoy this Wikipedia referencing when we watch TV shows and I’ve vowed to play dumb in the future.

So, the story begins like all detective stories with a body on the ground. The body belongs to Jacob Marley, the creditor and business partner of Scrooge. Hated for his avarice, the number of suspects is as long as Bill Sikes' criminal convictions. As the landlord of ‘The Three Criples’ tells Inspector Bucket, “it will be easier to find who didn’t have a grudge against Jacob Marley, then did.” In the style of a classic whodunit then, the game is afoot. This murder mystery is the central plot of the Dickensian story, but it is not the only one.

We join Miss Havisham before she became the embittered bride. In Great Expectations the name Havisham is the dissonant albatross that hangs around her jilted neck, a reminder that in a society where marriage is King, she is pauper. Here, we see the decorous woman before she became the enraged monster. She is Amelia Havisham, the elegant lady of manners, whose father has died and left her the business. Her half-brother, the illegitimate Arthur, incensed by his share in the will enlists the debonair Meriwether Compeyson to seduce Amelia so as to sign over the business to him. Fans of Great Expectations will know how the subterfuge will unravel, but this prior knowledge is part of the charm: if you know the stories, you’re as interested in how the events unfold as you’re by what unfolds.

Havisham before 'that' dress.

In some ways, Dickensian works like today’s superhero movies as origin stories for the characters we know and love. Take Honoria Barbary. Honoria in Bleak House is married to Sir Leicester, a thick jowled gent who took her to be his lawfully wedded trophy wife. In Dickensian, we watch in horror at how a once delicate mouse is caught in Leicester’s money trap. In another precursor, last week’s episode introduced us to the pitiful figure of Oliver Twist. Trafficked into the city by Fagin, our sunken-eyed boy is found by the gentle Inspector Bucket. Powerless to the fate of the orphan, Bucket delivers the boy to Mr and Mrs Bumble, advising Oliver: "Manners are important, and so is standing up for yourself." Fans of Oliver Twist will understand the significance of these words.

For fans of Dickens there is much to enjoy in these allusions to the novel, but again it must be stated that even a basic awareness of his works is not necessary. I mean, I haven’t read Our Mutual Friend or Martin Chuzzlewit yet I love the boozy back and forth between the respective Silas Wegg and Mrs Gamp. These two provide the story its comic relief against its backdrop of suspicion and intrigue. Gamp, the resident nurse, is a Nightingale with a drink problem; her kind deeds are usually followed by the catchphrase, “You can pay me in a large gin – or two if you like.” Wegg as pub proprietor has enough gin to bathe in, so it is no surprise that he Gamp tries to use her feminine wiles to get her feet under the table – Wegg and his libido would rather those feet go under the covers. Another hilarious sub-plot features the aspirational Bumbles trying to get themselves into a situ more befitting their ego. Mrs Bumble is hilarious as the Lady Macbeth puppet-master using her boundless cleavage to get her husband to do her bidding.

The Dickensian characters.

Like I said, Dickensian is a show for purists and newcomers. Aficionados can enjoy the fan fiction backstories and latecomers can be introduced to a master’s riot of characters. I appreciate 13 episodes in that there’ll be some that have missed the boat. But for those of you on board, I’m sure you’ll agree that experiencing this tribute makes for the very best of times.

Dickensian is available on BBC iPlayer and on BBC One Thursday and Friday, 8pm.