''Les Misérables'' is a British television series based on the 1862 French historical novel of the same name by

Victor Hugo Victor-Marie Hugo, vicomte Hugo (; 26 February 1802 – 22 May 1885) was a French Romanticism, Romantic author, poet, essayist, playwright, journalist, human rights activist and politician. His most famous works are the novels ''The Hunchbac ...

. Adapted by Andrew Davies and directed by

Tom Shankland Thomas Otto Shankland (born 7 May 1968) is an English film and television director and screenwriter. He is known for directing the horror films '' WΔZ'' (2007) and '' The Children'' (2008), and television series such as '' The Fades'' (2011), '' ...

, it stars

Dominic West Dominic Gerard Francis Eagleton West (born 15 October 1969) is an English actor, director, producer, and musician. He is best known for playing Jimmy McNulty in HBO's ''The Wire'' (2002–2008), Noah Solloway in Showtime's '' The Affair'' (20 ...

David Oyelowo David Oyetokunbo Oyelowo ( ; ; born 1 April 1976) is a British actor, director and producer. His accolades include a Critics' Choice Award and two NAACP Image Awards as well as nominations for three Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awar ...

, and

Lily Collins Lily Jane Collins (born 18 March 1989) is an English and American actress. Born in Guildford and raised in Los Angeles, she began performing on screen at the age of two in the BBC sitcom ''Growing Pains''. In the late 2000s, she began acting a ...

. The series was produced by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

with support from

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 ...

member station WGBH Boston's ''Masterpiece'' series.

BBC Studios BBC Studios Limited is a British content company. It is a commercial subsidiary of the BBC that was formed in April 2018 through the merger of the BBC's commercial production arm and the BBC's commercial international distribution arm, BBC Wor ...

handles the distribution for the series. It was broadcast in the United Kingdom between 30 December 2018 and 3 February 2019. In Canada, the series started broadcasting on 10 January 2021 on

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

and

CBC Gem CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...

Cast

Jean Valjean Jean Valjean () is the protagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. The story depicts the character's struggle to lead a normal life and redeem himself after serving a 19-year-long prison sentence for stealing bread to feed his ...

Javert Javert (), no first name given in the source novel, is a fictional character and a main antagonist of Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables.'' He was presumably born in 1780 and died on June 7, 1832. First a prison guard, and then a police i ...

as Fantine Thibault *

Adeel Akhtar Adeel Akhtar is a British actor. He is known for his role in '' Murdered by My Father'', for which he won the British Academy Television Award for Best Actor in 2017. He is also known for ''Utopia'', '' Ali & Ava'', '' Showtrial'', and '' She ...

as Monsieur Thénardier *

Johnny Flynn Johnny Flynn (born 14 March 1983) is a British actor and musician. He starred as Dylan Witter in the Channel 4 and Netflix television sitcom '' Lovesick'' and is also known for his performances as David Bowie in the 2020 film '' Stardust''; M ...

as Felix Tholomyès *

Henry Lloyd-Hughes Henry Alexander Lloyd-Hughes is an English actor. He is known for his roles in ''Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire'' (2005), '' Unrelated'' (2007), ''The Inbetweeners'' (2008–2010), '' Miliband of Brothers'' (2010), '' Weekender'' (2011), ' ...

as Col. Pontmercy * David Bradley as Monsieur Gillenormand *

Derek Jacobi Sir Derek George Jacobi (; born 22 October 1938) is an English actor. Known for his roles on stage and screen as well as for his work at the Royal National Theatre, he has received numerous accolades including a Tony Award, a BAFTA Award, two ...

Bishop Myriel Bishop Charles-François-Bienvenu Myriel, referred to as Bishop Myriel or Monseigneur Bienvenu, is a fictional character in Victor Hugo's 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. Myriel is the Bishop of Digne in southeastern France. The actual Bishop o ...

Ron Cook Ronald G. Cook (born 1 December 1948) is an English actor. He has been active in film, television and theatre since the 1970s. Early life Cook was born in 1948 in South Shields, County Durham, the son of a school cook and a car worker. Whe ...

as Hair and Teeth Dealer * Alan David as the Scribe *

Kathryn Hunter Aikaterini Hadjipateras (; born 9 April 1957), known professionally as Kathryn Hunter, is a British-American actress and theatre director, known for her work in physical theatre. Hunter has appeared as Arabella Figg in the '' ''Harry Potter' ...

as Madame Victurnien *

Olivia Colman Sarah Caroline Sinclair ( Colman; born 30 January 1974), known professionally as Olivia Colman, is an English actress. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, four BAFTA Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Award ...

as Madame Rosalie Thénardier *

Enzo Cilenti Vincenzo Leonardo "Enzo" Cilenti (born 8 August 1974) is a British actor. Film credits include '' Wonderland'' (1999), ''24 Hour Party People'' (2002), '' Millions'' (2004), ''Guardians of the Galaxy'' (2014), '' The Theory of Everything'' (201 ...

as Rivette *

Josh O'Connor Joshua O'Connor (born 20 May 1990) is a British actor. His accolades include a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and nominations for three BAFTA Awards. After training at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, O'Connor had supportin ...

Marius Pontmercy Marius Pontmercy () is a fictional character, one of the protagonists of Victor Hugo’s 1862 novel ''Les Misérables''. He is a young student, and the suitor of Cosette. Believing Cosette lost to him, and determined to die, he joins the revoluti ...

** Raphael Bishop and Woody Norman as young Marius * Ellie Bamber as

Cosette Cosette () is a fictional character in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo and in the many adaptations of the story for stage, film, and television. Her birth name, Euphrasie, is only mentioned briefly. As the orphaned child of an ...

** Mailow Defoy and Lia Giovanelli as young Cosette *

Erin Kellyman Erin Mae Kellyman (born 17 October 1998) is a British actress. On television, she gained prominence through the Channel 4 sitcom '' Raised by Wolves'' (2015–2016) and the BBC series '' Les Misérables'' (2018), '' Don't Forget the Driver'' (20 ...

as Éponine Thénardier ** Sienna Barnes and Tiarna Williams as young Eponine * Joseph Quinn as

Enjolras Enjolras () is a fictional character who acts as the charismatic leader of the Friends of the ABC in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo. In both the novel and the musical that it inspired, Enjolras is a revolutionary who fights f ...

Donald Sumpter Donald Sumpter (born 13 February 1943) is a British actor who has appeared in film and television since the mid-1960s. His credits include three appearances in ''Doctor Who'' (1968, 1972, 2015), '' The Black Panther'' (1977), ''Bleak House'' (19 ...

as Monsieur Mabeuf *

Turlough Convery Turlough Convery (born 18 March 1991) is an actor from Northern Ireland. He is best known for his role as Bear in series 3 of the BBC Three series '' Killing Eve'', as Liam in '' My Mad Fat Diary'', and as Arthur Parker in the ITV series '' San ...

as Grantaire * Archie Madekwe as Courfeyrac * Alex Jarrett as Azelma Thénardier ** Amani Johnson and Isabelle Lewis as young Azelma * Reece Yates as

Gavroche Gavroche () is a fictional character in the 1862 novel ''Les Misérables'' by Victor Hugo. He is a boy who lives on the streets of Paris. His name has become a synonym for an urchin or Street children, street child. Gavroche plays a short yet si ...

** Emmanuel Goffin as young Gavroche *

Emma Fielding Emma Georgina Annalies Fielding (born 7 October 1970) is an English actress. Early life and education The daughter of a British Army officer, Fielding spent some of her childhood in Nigeria, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Northern Ireland and other ...

as Nicolette * Charlotte Dylan as Favourite * Ayoola Smart as Zéphine * Hayley Carmichael as Madame Magloire *

Liz Carr Elizabeth Anne Carr (born 21 April 1972) is an English actress, comedian, broadcaster and international disability rights activist. She is known for portraying the role of Clarissa Mullery in the BBC crime drama ''Silent Witness'' (2013–2020), ...

as Fantine's Concierge * Ashley Artus as Gendarme * Matthew Steer as Blachevelle * Lorcan Cranitch as Chief Inspector *

Georgie Glen Georgie Glen (born 20 April 1956) is a Scottish actress, best known for her roles as Miss Higgins in the BBC One period drama series ''Call The Midwife'' from 2018 onwards, and as history teacher Audrey McFall in the BBC One school-based dram ...

as Abbess * Anna Calder-Marshall as Madame Rully * Natalie Simpson as Sister Simplice *

Angela Wynter Angela Wynter (born 14 July 1957) is a Jamaican-British actress. She is known for her role as Yolande Trueman in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' (2003–2008, 2017, 2023–present). In 2021, she joined the cast of the BBC soap opera ''Doctors ...

as Toussaint * Lily Newmark as Sophie

Episodes

Production

Development

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company, LLC (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film production and distribution company, which was founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein on March 10, 2005. TWC was one of the larg ...

was initially set to co-produce the series and serve as its distributor in the U.S. and China. The studio was dropped, however, following the

Harvey Weinstein sexual abuse allegations In October 2017, ''The New York Times'' and ''The New Yorker'' reported that dozens of women had accused the American film producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, sexual assault and sexual abuse over a period of at least 30 years. Over 80 women in ...

member station WGBH Boston, through their television series

Masterpiece A masterpiece, , or ; ; ) is a creation that has been given much critical praise, especially one that is considered the greatest work of a person's career or a work of outstanding creativity, skill, profundity, or workmanship. Historically, ...

, replaced The Weinstein Company as a co-producer of the series.

Filming

Filming for the series began in February 2018 in Belgium and Northern France.

Release

handles distribution for the series. The drama, which consists of six episodes, premiered on 30 December 2018. In New Zealand, the series was released on

TVNZ 1 TVNZ 1 () is the first national television channel owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster Television New Zealand (TVNZ). It is the oldest television broadcaster in New Zealand, starting out from 1960 as independent channels in the ...

and its free streaming service

TVNZ OnDemand TVNZ+ (), formerly known as TVNZ OnDemand, is an over-the-top New Zealand television and video on demand streaming service offered by TVNZ. It offers a variety of free content, such as news updates and programmes seen on TVNZ channels. TVNZ+ o ...

. In the US, the series was aired on

, starting 21 April 2019, to end on 19 May 2019.

Reception

Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...

, which uses a

weighted average The weighted arithmetic mean is similar to an ordinary arithmetic mean (the most common type of average), except that instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others. The ...

, assigned the series a score of 79 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Collins' performance as Fantine received praise from critics. Alexandra Pollard of ''

The Independent ''The Independent'' is a British online newspaper. It was established in 1986 as a national morning printed paper. Nicknamed the ''Indy'', it began as a broadsheet and changed to tabloid format in 2003. The last printed edition was publis ...

'' praised her performance, writing "she plays the tragic Fantine with steeliness and grace", and described it as "magnificent." West's performance as Valjean in the final episode also received critical praise. Gabriel Tate of ''

The Telegraph ''The Telegraph'', ''Daily Telegraph'', ''Sunday Telegraph'' and other variant names are often names for newspapers. Newspapers with these titles include: Australia * The Telegraph (Adelaide), ''The Telegraph'' (Adelaide), a newspaper in Adelaid ...

'' praised his performance, writing "Dominic West steals the show in a stirring finale." The television mini-series on PBS was described as "an engrossing treat, featuring a vibrant cast and taking its time to unspool the melodrama and offer loving looks at 19th century France." It "hews closely to the source material without skipping too much plot or character motivations", the source material being the 19th century novel by Victor Hugo. The casting is commended, with many strong performances. The plot cannot carry all the detail of Hugo's novel of his characters in a tumultuous time in France, but "when all the cannons are fired and last stands are taken, the sacrifices given do not feel insignificant.". The story is told keeping "the narrative clear and allowing character-driven scenes to breathe." Allison Keene of ''

Collider A collider is a type of particle accelerator that brings two opposing particle beams together such that the particles collide. Compared to other particle accelerators in which the moving particles collide with a stationary matter target, collid ...

'' wrote, "Emotional, engrossing" with 5 stars.

Notes

References

External links

* * Novel by Victor Hugo, English translation: *https://www.gutenberg.org/files/135/135-h/135-h.htm {{DEFAULTSORT:Misérables (British TV series), Les 2010s British drama television series 2018 British television series debuts 2019 British television series endings BBC television dramas Television shows written by Andrew Davies 2010s British television miniseries British English-language television shows Television shows set in France Television series based on Les Misérables Television series by BBC Studios