''Oliver Twist'' is a 2007 British television adaptation of
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...
' 1838 novel ''
Oliver Twist'', written by
Sarah Phelps
Sarah Phelps is a British television screenwriter, radio writer, playwright and television producer. She is best known for her work on ''EastEnders'', a number of BBC serial adaptations including Agatha Christie's ''The Witness For the Prosecut ...
and directed by
Coky Giedroyc
Mary Rose Helen "Coky" Giedroyc (; born 6 February 1963) is an English director known for her work on ''Women Talking Dirty'', '' The Virgin Queen'', '' The Nativity'', and ''Penny Dreadful''.
Early life
Giedroyc was born in Kowloon on 6 Febru ...
. It consists of five episodes, broadcast on
BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, ...
from 18 to 22 December 2007. It aired on
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educat ...
' ''
Masterpiece Classic
''Masterpiece'' (formerly known as ''Masterpiece Theatre'') is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH-TV, WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on January 10, 1971. The series has presented numerous acclaim ...
'' in the United States on 15 and 22 February 2009, in two ninety-minute installments. In
Australia,
ABC1
ABC TV, formerly known as ABC1, is an Australian national public television network. It is owned and operated by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, and is the flagship ABC Television network. The headquarters of the ABC TV channel an ...
also opted to air this series as a two-part special each Sunday at 8:30 pm from 20 December 2009.
Production
Filming took place in May 2007, with the scene at the workhouse where Oliver asks "Please, sir, I want some more" being filmed at
The Historic Dockyard in Chatham.
Plot Summary
A heavily pregnant woman makes her way to a workhouse in Mudfog where she gives birth to a boy and subsequently dies. The Beadle, Mr. Bumble names the boy Oliver Twist.
10 years later, Oliver makes the mistake of asking for more gruel. He is subsequently sold to work with an undertaker, Mr. Sowerberry but runs away following harsh treatment from another apprentice named Noah Claypole. Meanwhile, Mr. Bumble and his assistant, the Widow Corney are visited by a mysterious man named Mr. Monks, who seems interested in learning about Oliver. Oliver escapes to London where he meets a young pickpocket named Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger. Dodger brings Oliver to his gang led by Fagin. Oliver also earns the affections of Nancy, a former pupil of Fagin's and also meets her brutal lover, Bill Sikes.
A few days later, Dodger takes Oliver to teach him how to pick pockets. He steals a wallet from a gentleman named Mr. Brownlow, however, a crowd start chasing Oliver, believing him to be the thief. On Sikes' urging, Fagin attends court where Oliver does not 'peach' on Dodger and Brownlow vouches for Oliver and decides to make amends by giving him a home. Oliver becomes acquainted with Mrs. Bedwin, Brownlow's housekeeper and Rose Maylie. Rose Maylie reveals that Brownlow looked after her and her sister, Agnes, who has been missing for years.
Fagin and Sikes worry that Oliver could still bring down the authorities onto them. They decide to use Nancy to bring him back. Sometime later, Oliver receives a letter from an anonymous person stating that he will need to meet them to learn more about his mother. Oliver plans to do so when he is sent by Brownlow to send some books back to the bookseller. When he does, he is entrapped in a cell by Sikes, Fagin and a reluctant Nancy. It is soon revealed that Monks has been plotting with Fagin to make a criminal out of Oliver and also to kill him. Monks is actually Oliver's half-brother who intends to disinherit him from a will left by his late father. Sikes and Fagin decide to take Oliver to burgle a house. Oliver is shot by one of the residents and taken back to Fagin's for treatment.
Monks meanwhile visits Brownlow, who addresses him as Edward and is revealed to be his grandfather, feigning sympathy for the missing Oliver. He soon returns to Mudfog in order to obtain proof of Oliver's identity from Bumble and the Widow Corney - a locket. Nancy has come to care for Oliver and regrets her part in bringing him back. She overhears a conversation between Monks and Fagin in which the former orders to latter to kill Oliver, or he himself will do it. Nancy meets with Brownlow and Rose to warn them of Monks and Fagin, keeping Sikes out of it due to her love for him. Rose believes Nancy, but Brownlow does not - he believes that Oliver is a criminal. Dodger was sent by Fagin to spy on Nancy and reports to Fagin that she has peached. However, Sikes overhears this and brutally murders Nancy.
Sikes later goes to Fagin's den to abduct Oliver, intending to use him to convince the authorities that he (Sikes) did not kill Nancy. Brownlow brings the police to Fagin's den in hopes of finding Oliver. When they do not find him, they begin to question Fagin, who they suspect has killed Oliver. Fagin confirms that Monks was the one who wanted Oliver dead and that Sikes has taken him. The police remain unconvinced and arrest Fagin. Sikes brings Oliver into a wooded area but suddenly starts being haunted by Nancy's ghost and decides to run back to London.
Meanwhile, Monks arrives back at Brownlow's house, where Brownlow and Rose reveal that they have discovered his true intentions to try and kill Oliver. He reveals that he had been to Mudfog and gives them Oliver's mother's locket - this reveals that Agnes was indeed Oliver's mother. Brownlow disowns Monks and has him sent to the West Indies, deciding that Oliver deserves the money left by Monks' father. Dodger visits Fagin in prison - Fagin asks him to bring Oliver to vouch for him in front of the magistrate.
On arriving back to London, Sikes is chased by a mob into the sewers of London. He still continues to be haunted by Nancy so decides to hang himself. Oliver who has managed to escape from Sikes is asked by Dodger to help Fagin, but Oliver refuses and returns home to Brownlow and Rose. Fagin is sentenced to death by hanging. Dodger finds Bullseye, Sikes' dog and walks away with him into the streets of London, showing signs of becoming like Sikes. Oliver and his new family light candles for Agnes and Nancy in a church. Oliver is last seen celebrating Christmas with his new family.
Differences
The adaptation makes several major alterations to the plot of the source material, which include both alterations of events as well as familial relationships.
Rose Maylie is living with Mr Brownlow, and she addresses him as "uncle", but explains that he is in fact her
guardian who took her and her sister, Agnes, in when her mother died. Her sister has been missing for many years, and the search for her has been ongoing. Mr Brownlow is now a part of the overall
family tree
A family tree, also called a genealogy or a pedigree chart, is a chart representing family relationships in a conventional tree structure. More detailed family trees, used in medicine and social work, are known as genograms.
Representations of ...
, since
Edward Monks is made his
grandchild
Family (from la, familia) is a group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its members and of society. Ideal ...
. As in the book, Monks becomes aware that Oliver is his half-brother, born to the missing Agnes who had a relationship with his father, and seeks to end his life so that there is no competition to his inheritance. As a result, Oliver is ultimately revealed to be Mr Brownlow's grandchild, in addition to being Rose's nephew and Monks' half-brother, as in the novel. Unlike the book, however, Monks is not an unattractive, nervous and cowardly epileptic, but a scheming, manipulative and attractive cad seeking engagement to Rose, who clearly doesn't like him.
Nancy is even more of a mother figure to Oliver than in the original novel,
the famous musical version or especially,
the 1948 David Lean film version, in which she does not even express any concern at all for him until after she and Sikes bring him back to Fagin's. In the 2007 version, she is seen constantly looking after him and tending to his needs (she even kisses him tenderly at one point, stopping just short of telling the boy that she loves him).
When a gun was pointed at Sikes when he attempts to rob the house, he uses Oliver as a shield from the shots, injuring him. Oliver is taken back to Fagin's lair to recover, rather than being nursed back to health in the countryside by the Maylie family, as in the novel. It is Nancy's informing Rose, and a highly skeptical Mr Brownlow, of Oliver's whereabouts that results in her demise at the hands of Sikes. Her ghost continues to haunt him when he returns to London with Oliver, resulting in him choosing to hang himself in the sewers as a means of escaping the London crowds who chase him.
Meanwhile, Monks' murderous motive is discovered by Mr Brownlow and Rose; he is disowned and sent to the West Indies, and Oliver, escaping the clutches of the crazed Sikes, returns to the Brownlow household, and is welcomed. It is the Artful Dodger, rather than Oliver, who visits the condemned Fagin in prison, and goes to his public execution. Sikes's dog finds Dodger and the two disappear into the crowds together. Fagin has genuine concern for Oliver in this version.
Cast
*
William Miller as
Oliver Twist, on orphan with a deep desire to find out who his mother was
*
Timothy Spall
Timothy Leonard Spall (born 27 February 1957) is an English actor and presenter. He became a household name in the UK after appearing as Barry Spencer Taylor in the 1983 ITV comedy-drama series '' Auf Wiedersehen, Pet''.
Spall performed in '' ...
as
Fagin
Fagin is a fictional character and the secondary antagonist in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. In the preface to the novel, he is described as a "receiver of stolen goods". He is the leader of a group of children (the Artful Dod ...
, a Jewish fence who looks after and mentors a gang of boy thieves
*
Edward Fox as
Mr. Brownlow
Mr Brownlow is a character from the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens. Brownlow is a bookish and kindly middle-aged bachelor who helps Oliver escape the clutches of Fagin. He later adopts Oliver Twist by the end of the novel.
T ...
, a taciturn but kindly old gentleman who takes Oliver in
* Adam Arnold as
The Artful Dodger
Jack Dawkins, better known as the Artful Dodger, is a character in Charles Dickens's 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist''. The Dodger is a pickpocket, so called for his skill and cunning in that occupation. He is the leader of the gang of child criminals ...
, Fagin's most adept pickpocket
*
Julian Rhind-Tutt
Julian Alistair Rhind-Tutt (born 20 July 1967) is an English actor, best known for playing Dr "Mac" Macartney in the comedy television series ''Green Wing'' (2004–2006).
Early life
Rhind-Tutt was born in West Drayton, Middlesex, the youngest o ...
as
Monks
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
, a.k.a. Edward Brownlow, Mr. Brownlow's grandson
*
Tom Hardy as
Bill Sikes, a brutish career criminal.
*
Sophie Okonedo
Sophie Okonedo (born 11 August 1968) is a British actress and narrator. The recipient of a Tony Award, she has been nominated for an Academy Award, three BAFTA Television Awards, a Golden Globe Award, and a Primetime Emmy Award. She began her f ...
as
Nancy, Bill's lover and a fellow criminal
*
Morven Christie
Morven Christie (born 1 September 1981) is a Scottish actress. She is best known for her roles as Alison Hughes in the BBC drama ''The A Word,'' Amanda Hopkins in the ITV drama ''Grantchester'', and DS Lisa Armstrong in ITV crime series '' The ...
as
Rose Maylie
Rose Fleming Maylie is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' who is eventually discovered to be the title character's maternal aunt. Though she plays a significant role in the novel, she is often omitted from drama ...
*
Gregor Fisher
Gregor Fisher (born 22 December 1953) is a Scottish comedian and actor. He is best known for his portrayal of the title character in the comedy series '' Rab C. Nesbitt'', a role he has played since the show's first episode in 1988. He has also ...
as
Mr. Bumble
Mr. Bumble is a fictional character and minor antagonist in the 1838 novel ''Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens.
Character
When the story was first serialised in ''Bentley's Miscellany'' in 1837 Mr. Bumble is the cruel and self-important bead ...
, the parish
beadle
A beadle, sometimes spelled bedel, is an official of a church or synagogue who may usher, keep order, make reports, and assist in religious functions; or a minor official who carries out various civil, educational, or ceremonial duties on the ...
at Mudfog Workhouse
*
Sarah Lancashire
Sarah-Jane Abigail Lancashire (born 10 October 1964) is an English actress from Oldham, England. She graduated from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in 1986 and began her career in local theatre, whilst teaching drama classes at the ...
as Mrs Corney, the matron of Mudfog Workhouse
*
Anna Massey
Anna Raymond Massey (11 August 19373 July 2011) was an English actress. She won a BAFTA Award for the role of Edith Hope in the 1986 TV adaptation of Anita Brookner's novel ''Hotel du Lac'', a role that one of her co-stars, Julia McKenzie, h ...
as Mrs Bedwin, Mr Brownlow's housekeeper
*
Nicola Walker
Nicola Jane Walker (born 15 May 1970) is an English actress, known for her starring roles in various British television programmes from the 1990s onwards, including that of Ruth Evershed in the spy drama '' Spooks'' (2003–2006 and 2009–201 ...
as Sally, a trustee of Mudfog Workhouse who was midwife at Oliver's birth
*
Rob Brydon
Robert Brydon Jones (; born 3 May 1965) is a Welsh actor, comedian, impressionist, presenter, singer and writer. He played Dr Paul Hamilton in the Australian/British comedy series ''Supernova'', Bryn West in the BBC sitcom '' Gavin & Stacey'' ...
as Mr Fang, a cruel magistrate
*
John Sessions
John Marshall (11 January 1953 – 2 November 2020), better known by the stage name John Sessions, was a British actor and comedian. He was known for comedy improvisation in television shows such as ''Whose Line Is It Anyway?'', as a panellist o ...
as Mr Sowerberry, an undertaker
*
Michelle Gomez
Michelle Gomez (born 23 November 1966) is a Scottish actress. She gained recognition for her roles in the comedy series ''The Book Group'' (2002–2003), ''Green Wing'' (2004–2007), and '' Bad Education'' (2012–2013). She went on to appear ...
as Mrs Sowerberry, Mr Sowberberry's shrewish and hat-obsessed wife
*
Adam Gillen
Adam Gillen (born 11 September 1985, Manchester) is a British actor, best known for his role as Liam Conroy in the ITV hit series ''Benidorm'', Brian in the Channel 4 comedy '' Fresh Meat'' and Gavin in BBC's '' Prisoners’ Wives''. In 2019 ...
as Noah Claypole, an apprentice of Mr Sowerberry who bullies Oliver to assert his self-perceived superiority
*
Ruby Bentall as Charlotte, the Sowerberrys' maidservant
*
Vincent Franklin
Vincent Warren Franklin (born 3 November 1966) is an English actor from Haworth, Keighley, Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. He is best known for his roles in comedy television programmes. He has appeared in a number of feature films including ...
as Mr Limbkins, the head of the board of well-fed, hypocritical, upper-class administrators of the workhouse
* Connor Catchpole as Pearly, a member of Fagin's gang of thieves and the Dodger's rival; named ironically on account of his bad teeth
*
Edward Tudor-Pole
Edward Felix Tudor-Pole (also known as Edward Tenpole, though he introduced himself as "Ed" on several episodes of '' The Crystal Maze''; born 6 December 1955) is an English musician, television presenter and actor.
Originally gaining fame in t ...
as Mr Slipsby
* Callum Higgins as Spike, a member of Fagin's gang
* Reece Dos-Santos as Stick, a member of Fagin's gang
* Niall O'Mara as Handles, a member of Fagin's gang named for his big ears.
* Peter Kirkham as a boy at the Mudfog Workhouse who serves with Oliver, who is beaten for desperately eating the oakum he is tasked with weaving due to the children of the workhouse being underfed
Episodes
Ratings
Notes
External links
*
''Oliver Twist''at the
Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...
{{Oliver Twist
2007 British television series debuts
2007 British television series endings
2000s British drama television series
BBC high definition shows
BBC television dramas
Television series about orphans
Television shows based on Oliver Twist
2000s British television miniseries
English-language television shows
Television series set in the 19th century