Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire! đ„: Recent Episodes
Dominic Gerrard
Actor Dominic Gerrard hosts an exciting new series that explores the Life and Times of Charles Dickens: his extraordinary novels, who he was as a person, his career as a performer, and his activism. Each episode includes special guests: academics, writers, actors, directors and descendants of the great man himself! Thank you for listening đ„
Ahead of a new series this month Dominic re-shares his popular interview with the inimitable Armando Iannucci!
Armando is one of the leading comedy writers and political satirists of our time - where we delve into his literary passions and influences.
This lively conversation peels back the layers of Armando's lifelong love of Charles Dickens - Martin Chuzzlewit in particular -and his interest in John Milton's masterpiece Paradise Lost and how these literary giants have left an indelible mark on his work. How he would later go on to write, produce and direct his own adaptation of David Copperfield, and whether he agrees that the character of Alan Partridge belongs in Dickens' canon of comic creations!
With readings from the wonderful Rebecca Tanwen.
Original cover headshot of Armando Iannucci © Matt Crockett / Original cover headshot of Dominic Gerrard © Jane Lloyd &Original Dickens illustrations sourced from Michael John Goodman's incredible Charles Dickens Illustrated Gallery
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire! will return in the summer ...
In the meantime there are nearly 100 Episodes to enjoy with guests such as: Stephen Fry, Miriam Margolyes, Armando Iannucci, Andrew Davies, Alice Loxton, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Lucinda Hawksley, John Bowen, John Mullan, Rosie Holt, Steven Knight âŠ. And many more!
And if youâd like to make a small donation to cover the costs of researching, recording and producing this series, wherever and whenever you listening to this you can follow the link below and buy a coffee! âïž
Also - if you feel these episodes have earned a five star rating âïžâïžâïžâïžâïž please consider scrolling down right now and added them there.
With Best wishes,
Dominic x
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic welcomes back one of the most celebrated guests of this series Professor Robert Douglas-Fairhurst ...
Robertâs latest book Look Closer: How to get more out of reading (published by Penguin) is an invitation to all of us to go deeper into our reading, and find greater joy and meaning in the works of great writers from all ages and backgrounds. With examples from Dickens (of course!) but also George Eliot, Shakespeare, Margaret Attwood, Samuel Becket, Jane Austen and many more âŠ
Since they last spoke Robert has also published Metamorphosis: A Life in Pieces: a deeply powerful biography of his life and career, set against the backdrop of shock diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in 2017.
Here are links to purchase Robert's books:
Look Closer: How to get more out of reading
Metamorphosis: A Life in Pieces
The Turning Point: A Year That Changed Dickens and the World
A Christmas Carol & Other Christmas Books
Becoming Dickens: The Invention of a Novelist
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
This Christmas Eve ... Dominic is joined by the inimitable Meredith Braun, who played Scrooge's love interest Belle - opposite Michael Caine (and Fozziwig!) - in Brian Henson's The Muppet Christmas Carol ...
Meredith shares her memories of filming the role, whilst simultaneously playing Eponine in the iconic West End production of Les Miserables ...
A special thank you to Tim Hutton at Stage Door Records for allowing the use of the recording of When Love is Gone from Meredith's 2017 album of the same name ...
When Love is Gone is available to purchase here at Stage Door Records or Amazon. It can also be streamed on Apple and Spotify
HAPPY CHRISTMAS !!!
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined again by the inimitable Dr. Lydia Craig where they dive into Dickens' third Christmas Book, with readings from the award-winning actress Penelope Rawlins
The Cricket On The Hearth - published 180 years ago this year - explodes into life from the very start and hardly pauses for breath until the very end. Its unrelenting pace sweeps its characters along whether they be human, animal, insect or household object âŠ
Centred around that fabled victorian fireside. Where dreams and visions appear happy in the glowing light but depressed in the shadows, there sits John Peerybingle with his pipe. His occupation as a carrier brings one of the many Christmassy elements to the book, in his daily round of delivering parcels out in the raw Winter weather. His wife Dot - as in the brightest little star that ever shone - is a young, energetic woman, who races about their home.
Another Christmassy element in this story is the occupation of Toy-making. Enter Caleb Plummer and his blind daughter Bertha who make Dolls for the nasty, crab-faced Tackleton.
And tearing in and out is the excited dog, Boxer seen as a spec in the distance one moment, then suddenly up close with his wet nose pressed into your face âŠ
Last but not least, is the magical Cricket ...
HAPPY CHRISTMAS !!!
Intro Music and Additional SFX provided under license by Epidemic Sound
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the inimitable Dr. Philip Palmer: Robert H. Taylor Curator & Department Head of Literary and Historical Manuscripts at the Morgan Library & Museum and custodian of Charles Dickens' one and only handwritten manuscript of A Christmas Carol ...
Here Philip shares many of the secrets of the manuscript, such as the ideas and phrases that Dickens struck from his story (that can still be seen in the crossings out), and the expert care that goes into its preservation.
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic reads a quietly enchanting festive episode from âMaster Humphreyâs Clockâ by Charles Dickens.
Master Humphrey is wandering the snowy streets, one 25th December, and casually walks into a tavern. A decision that will change his life forever ...
A MERRY CHRISTMAS to all you listeners, wherever in the world you are!
Original cover headshot of Dominic Gerrard © Jane Lloyd&Original Dickens illustrations sourced from Michael John Goodman's incredible Charles Dickens Illustrated Gallery
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Welcome to CHRISTMAS at Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire! đ„The very first of our special Festive will go live shortly ...
And If youâre new to this series, there are some incredible episodes already waiting for you to listen to. Interviews with leading actors, academics, writers, historians, and descendants of the great man him self!
Guests such as: Stephen Fry, Miriam Margolyes, Armando Iannucci, Rosie Holt, John Mullan, Lucinda Hawksley, Robert Douglas Fairhurst, Andrew Davies & Alice Loxton ⊠and many many more!
I hope you have as much fun listening to these episodes this Christmas, as I have had the honour to record them âŠ
So wherever in the world you're listening from ... MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by returning guest, the inimitable Professor John Mullan: author of What Matters in Jane Austen? (now released in a 250th Birthday Edition) and The Artful Dickens - both published by Bloomsbury Press
In a lively chat, John sheds light on the tricks, devices and styles of these two incredible writers: Jane Austen and Charles Dickens ...
And in case you havenât heard John's previous conversation on Great Expectations we thoroughly recommend you scroll back to Episode 5 of this series also!
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the inimitable Prof. Emma Clery- author of The Rise of Supernatural Fiction 1762-1800 and Professor of English Literature atUppsala University, Sweden. They continue this monthâs theme of the supernatural, taking you on a journey into the heart of an event that caused a sensation in Georgian London, and would inspire Dickens decades later âŠ
The real life story of The Cock Lane Ghost set the stage for an earnest debate between Anglicans and Methodists - the former skeptical the latter credulous towards a spirit realm - where the dead can seek out the living and communicate with them. The alleged haunting in Cock Lane quickly spiralled in the first months of 1762, with many great figures of the age Samuel Johnson, Horace Walpole and Prince Edward, Duke of York attending seances to cross examine the ghost. At the heart of the controversy lay the very serious charge of murder that the ghost - known as âScratching Fannyâ - was trying to convince her hearers of, and the very real possibility of the man accused being sent to the gallows.
It will come as no surprise to you that Dickens loved this story! Mentioning it not only in articles but in three of his novels - through Mrs Nicklebyâs flighty imagination, the disgruntled temper of Mrs Pipchin, and as Prologue to the madness and terror that engulfs A Tale of Two Cities âŠ
Joining us to bring to life the real characters from this story - in the form of articles, letters and transcripts - are the fantastic actors Peter Bray and Rachel Winters.
Additional Sound Effects in this episode have been used under license from Epidemic Sounds
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
The ghostly episodes continue as Dominic welcomes back the inimitable Dr. Emily Middleton who helps piece together the scattered psychological fragments that create Dickens' To Be Read at Dusk ...
Five couriers sit high up watching the sun set over snowy peaks of the St Bernard's Pass, their minds flitting from one strange unsettling anecdote to another. Ideas of premonition, mesmerism, and the powerful telepathy that can exist between twins, abound in this story ...
Additional sound effects of the ghostly mountain have been used, with permission, from Epidemic Sound
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the inimitable Dr. Kirstin MillsSenior Lecturer and Director of the Master of Research & Graduate Diploma of Research in the Faculty of Arts, at Macquarie University. Kirstin's recent articles include the chapter "Morphean Space and the Metaphysics of Nightmare ..." published in Gothic Dreams and Nightmares for Manchester University Press.
Their conversation flits and tumbles through the realms of 19th Century dreams and nightmares. Many of which are sure to have visited the young Charles Dickens, thanks to the bedtime stories told to him by Mary Weller, and the books he would later read voraciously âŠ
Expect to meet Demons, Vampires, the much overlooked Headless Horseman and - one of the greatest literary creations of all time - Ichabod Crane!
Sounds of horses, dutch folk dances, eerie whistling and windy gusts on a mountain side were used provided under license by Epidemic Sound
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
This Halloween ... actor Jonathan Broadbentreads one of the interpolated ghost stories, from The Pickwick Papers
In The Lawyer and The Ghost a somewhat disreputable young Lawyer has retired to his meagre lodgings one night and is forced to debate with something not of this world ...
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
This Halloween Dominicis joined by the inimitable Prof. Andrew Smith who guides us through Dickens' The Black Veil and his latest book Dickens and the Gothic (for Cambridge University Press)
Perhaps calling to mind Susan Hillâs The Woman In Black ⊠The Black Veil begins with a young man sitting by the fire one winterâs night, with cosy thoughts of Christmas. Out of the corner of his eye the veiled figure of a lady dressed in mourning appears, standing motionless, with eyes fixed on him.
As the story unfolds the man - a newly qualified doctor - is compelled to leave his cheerful parlour and head towards a derelict house in an isolated spot, to face whatever is waiting for him there âŠ
Returning to the series to read excerpts from Dickens, Radcliffe, Walpole & Thackeray is the brilliant actress: Rebecca Tanwen
The 'harpsichord swirl' at the start of the Castle of Otranto reading has been used under license from EPIDEMIC SOUND. All other music and sound has been created byDominic Gerrard
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic announces a new series of Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire!đ„ and share some personal stories of haunting ...
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic checks in with his listeners to announce that exciting NEW EPISODES of Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire! đ„ will arrive at the end of October ...
You can support the costs of recording and producing these episodes below: ââââ
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic now to Jeff Wayne about the creation of his masterpiece The Musical Version of The War of the Worlds ...
At time of recording this multiplatinum album has sold over 16 million copies worldwide and is currently running as an Immersive Experience in London.
It features searing performances from Thin Lizzyâs Phil Lynott as the crazed Parson Nathaniel, and David Essexâs swaggering and delusional Artilleryman, with Julie Covington as Beth bringing real humanity into their performance.
While underpinning every scene and driving the story onwards, is the rich, dark, iconic voice of Richard Burton as the narrator.
All Excerpts from "The War of the Worlds" album in this episode have been used with permission from Jeff Wayne Music Ltd
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominicspeaks to the award-winning composer Jeff Wayne about Two Cities (his Musical adaptation of A Tale of Two Cities)that opened at the Palace Theatre, in London's West End, on 27th February 1969
Despite a run of just 44 performances, Two Cities was Nominated for Best Musical at the Evening Standard Awards - with its star Edward Woodward also winning the Best Male Performance for a Musical category for his portrayal of Sydney Carton. Audiences and critics alike also praised Elizabeth Powerâs performance as Lucie Manette ...
All musical excerpts in this episode from "Two Cities" & "The War of the Worlds" have been used with permission from Jeff Wayne Music Group Ltd
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
In the July of 1844 Dickens, his wife Catherine, their five children, his sister-in-law Georgina - plus three servants and their dog Timber - left London for Italy. What followed was an extraordinary adventure for them all.
Returning to the series to talk to Dominic about his new Oxford University Press edition of Pictures From Italyis the inimitable Dr. Pete Orford also returning to read excerpts from the book is the brilliant actorTom Andrews ...
The recording Vivaldi's Four Seasons has been granted under license from Epidemic Sound
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Bonus Episode!
In which Dr. Leon Litvackrecounts Dickens' dramatic retrieval of Part 16 of the Manuscript of Our Mutual Friendfrom the swaying carriage at Staplehurst; and reveals, here for the first time, a key discovery he has made; plus the cut sections he has restored in his new Oxford University Press Edition of the novel ...
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by Dr. Leon Litvack whose new edition of Our Mutual Friend for Oxford University Press will be published in November
Leon is a reader at Queenâs University Belfast, and is an expert analyst of Dickensâ letters, manuscripts & handwriting. As well as being the Principal Editor of the Dickens Letters Project and Joint General Editor of the Oxford Edition of Charles Dickens, he sits on the Advisory Council for the UKâs National Records and ArchivesâŠ
And returning to the series to read excerpts from the novel is actress Carlyss Peer
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Vincent Van Gogh was an avid reader of Dickens. Throughout his life Dickens' works provided not only a mental 'scaffold' that helped him to believe in his own mission as an artist, but also pull himself out of deep depressions ...
Here to talk to Dominic today about the powerful connection between Dickens and Van Gogh is the inimitable Carol Jacobi, Curator of British Art (1850-1915) at Tate Britain where her many exhibitions included the celebrated Van Gogh in Britain âŠ
Here are links to paintings discussed in the episode:
Miners in the Snow
The Potato Eaters
Boots
Vincent's Chair + Gaugin's Armchair
Empty Chair
Prisoner's Round
Self-Portrait
Woman Rocking Cradle
L'Arlésienne
Starry Night Over the Rohne
The piano music in this episode was composed by Franz Gordon. Used with permission under license from Epidemic Sound
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dickens' genius as a novelist is acknowledged the world over ... but what was he like as a poet?
Joining Dominic today to find out are the inimitable Dr. Lydia Craig & Dr. Emily Middleton who have just co-authored The Verse of Charles Dickens (Edinburgh University Press)
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Ahead of a new series Dominic re-shares the most popular episode of this show so far! Bleak House with the inimitable Stephen Frywho takes the listener on an intricate journey through the fog and mystery of Dickens' thrilling masterpiece.
And reading extracts from Esther's narrative is the brilliant Sally Scott
And here is a link to Miriam Margolyes' unabridged audiobook of Bleak House mentioned in the episode
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Hot on the heels of Dominic's audiobook of George Silverman's Explanation comes the discussion with Dr. Emily Middleton (formerly Bell) ⊠who weâve met before in the episodes on Oliver Twist and The Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices âŠ
Emily is working on George Silverman, and other rarer Dickens stories for Oxford University Press, and has just published The Verse of Charles of Dickens for Edinburgh University Press which she has co-authored with Dr Lydia Craig. ( There is a joint episode on this with Emily and Lydia already waiting in the wings)
George Silverman's Explanation is an indictment against poverty, as powerful as you will find in any of Dickensâ larger works. It is also a biting satire against the 'daring ignorance' and little 'meannesses' found in many non-conformist movements. Above all it is a deeply affecting examination of how far a childhood of of both want and punishing religious control can impact a manâs self-worth and future happiness.
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominicreads George Silverman's Explanation - one of Dickens' rarer short stories -ahead of an upcoming discussion with Dr. Emily Middleton ...
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Here are two fragments that didn't make the cut in the previous episode on THE PICKWICK PAPERS ...
Prof. Hugo Bowles talks about the afterlife of Pickwick &Gina Beck reads an extract where Pickwick is observed from a window by a Scientific Gentleman!
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the inimitable Prof. Hugo Bowleswho is currently working the OUP edition of The Pickwick Papers to guide us through this riot of a novel - if it is a novel?
Hugo is an alumnus of both Oxford and Cambridge where he read English, Classics and Applied Linguistics. For over three decades he lectured at four Italian Universities and is the author of Dickens and Stenographic Mind (published by Edinburgh University Press). We last caught up with Hugo in his joint episodes with Dr. Claire Wood as they spoke about their award-winning Dickens Code Project.
Joining us today, to read extracts from this dizzying narrative is the wonderful actress Gina Beck.
The sounds of horses, carriages, seagulls and nature are used with permission from Epidemic Sound
Caution: Listeners please note that the topic of suicide is covered in the earlier parts of the Pickwick story.
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Todayâs episode is A Tale of Two Podcasts where Dominic teams up with Jordan Evans-Hill: creator and host of the Charles Dickens Museumâs Inimitable podcast.
Here Jordan takes the listener on a tour inside number 48 Doughty St- the house where Dickens lived and worked as he completed Pickwick, wrote the entirety of Oliver Twist & Nicholas Nickleby and began Barnaby Rudge âŠ
Jordan is a former footman from the Royal Household where he served the late Queen Elizabeth II. He is also a writer, having recently completed his debut novel and he works as the Head of Marketing and Commercial at the Dickens Museum.
And as you journey through the house you can follow the Dickens Museumâs online interactive tour and walk around the rooms virtually as we go.
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic has helped create a sister podcast to mark the 250th Anniversary of Jane Austen's birth!
A Jane Austen Yearis told by the people that work at Jane Austenâs House - the idyllic Hampshire cottage, in the south of England, where Jane Austen wrote her world famous novels.
On the first of every month a new episode of letters, scenes from the novels, recipes & talks about the objects in the house, will be published.
And every sound you hear - including the birds - were recorded in Jane Austenâs House and Garden.
So pour yourself a glass of Orange wine, and follow the link in the description, to enjoy the first January episode of this series âŠ
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Welcome to Part Two of Dominic and John Bowen's journey through A Christmas Carol ...
With readings again from Hollie Hales and violin parts performed by Alexis Bennett.
HAPPY CHRISTMAS !!!
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Itâs Christmas Eve, and Dominictakes a deep dive with you all through A Christmas Carol. Returning to the series is the inimitable Prof. John Bowen (who recently worked on David Edgarâs Carol adaptation for the RSC) and who like many of us, re-reads this ghostly little book every Christmas and has pondered its power and meaning for decades.
The Carol Philosophy that Dickens expresses so generously in this story is truly universal: everyone has a chance to change and not be fixed, or branded, as the worst version of themselves. Dickensâ righteous anger here is channeled and diffused with goodwill, laughter and an unyielding determination to think only the best of people âŠ
Joining the series again to read excerpts is the fantastic Hollie Hales and the violin you will hear throughout is played by the brilliant Alexis Bennett
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
This episode focuses on the theme of domestic violence
Dominic shares a bonus fragment from his last interview with Dr. Lydia Craig on The Haunted Man and The Ghost's Bargain ...
It is a moment in the story where Redlaw comes across âa woman sitting on the stairs, either asleep or forlornâ and âwhose headâ is âbent down on her hands and knees.â Redlaw sees that her arms are âblack, her face cut, and her bosom bruised.â
Itâs a deeply powerful, moment in the story, that reveals Dickensâ compassion not only for the poor, but for women on the receiving end of violence and abuse at the hands of husbands, partners, fathers or sons âŠ
Given that there is a spike in this cruel and vicious behaviour over the holiday season it makes this moment in Dickensâ final Christmas book a clarion call for our society today âŠ
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Todays episode is on Dickensâ final Christmas Book The Haunted Man and the Ghostâs Bargain. A deeply powerful story, where the chemist, Stephen Redlaw is offered the chance to forget all his painful memories by a Phantom who is a ghastly copy of himself drawn from the shadows in his study. Redlaw accepts the ghostâs bargain ⊠but then faces a desperate struggle to have this spell lifted again, when to his horror he discovers that his new gift has a 'King Midas' quality of infecting everyone he meets (or nearly everyone) with the same curse of forgetting âŠ
Light in the story comes in the form of Millie, one of Dickensâ good little women and a ministering angel to the people around her. Millie, her sparky husband William Swidger and her ancient father in law Philip, quietly try to help Stephen: turning up the lamps or decorating his study with that powerful wintry emblem, holly âŠ
Dominic is joined by the inimitable Dr Lydia Craig, Lecturer in English at the University of Eastern Illinois. Lydia co-authored The Verse of Charles Dickens for Edinburgh University Press and her specialities include Nineteenth Century Race and Gender and The English Novel.She is both Associate editor of The Dickensian and The Charles Dickens Letters project, Co-editor of Dickens Search and Treasurer of The Dickens Society âŠ
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
This episode marks the 3rd birthday of Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire! đ„
In this first Christmas episode for 2024 Dominic is joined again by the critically acclaimed author, broadcaster, and art-historianLucinda Hawksley. And as they return to Dickensâ Christmas books their focus this time is on the illustrations found in each of them.
Many of you will of course be familiar with the name of John Leech, whoâs images for A Christmas Carol are now inseparable from Scroogeâs story, and how we picture it, but as we move on through the rarer books The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life and The Haunted Man Leech is joined by other eminent artists such as Daniel Maclise, Richard Doyle, Clarkson Stanfield, Edwin Landseer, Frank Stone and John Tenniel âŠ
Dominic caught up with Lucinda while she was putting the finishing touches to her new book Victorian Christmas(published by WW Norton) which is a fun and festive look at all our Christmas customs , both ancient and modern, and the part her great-great-great Grandfather Charles Dickens played in popularising them for us today. There is a link to every Christmas illustration we talk about in this episode via the brilliant Charles Dickens Illustrated Gallery
Support the show
If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined today by the inimitable Professor Ian Heywood, of the Centre for Inclusive Humanties at the University of Roehampton.
Together they delve into the astonishing 'Riots of Eighty' that gripped London for a week and were brought thrillingly to life in Dickens' Barnaby Rudge ...
Ian is a specialist in the radical politics and visual culture of the period of 1750-1850, and has published extensively on that period in books such as Bloody Romanticism: Spectacular Violence and The Politics of Representationand Queen Caroline and the Power of Caricature in Georgian England(for Palgrave); and appropriately for today The Gordon Riots: Politics, Culture and Insurrection in Late Eighteenth-Century Britain(for Cambridge University Press) âŠ
Reading the following excerpts in this episode is wonderful actress Hollie Hales:
1, 2 & 16. Barnaby Rudge (C. 68 Dickens)
3. Sketches of Popular Tumults(Craik)
4, 5, 6, 11 & 13. The Scots Magazine (June 1780)
7 & 10. Narrative of the late Riots and Disturbances ... (Holcroft)
8. The Riot Act
9. Kentish Gazette (June 1780)
11. (Source to be inserted!)
12. King's Proclamation
14. Northampton Mercury (July 1780)
15. Oxford Journal (August 1780)
The sound of crowds, gunshots & horses in this episode were used with permission from Epidemic Sound
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined again by the inimitable Dr. Pete Orfordfor Part II of his examination of The Mystery of Edwin Drood ...
Peteâs book Edwin Drood: Charles Dickensâ Unfinished Novel And Our Endless Attempts To End It ⊠(Pen & Sword books) is our guide throughout. It is a hugely entertaining read where scholarly citations and tomfoolery combine with vibrant illustrations by Alys Jones ⊠there is a link purchase this in the description.
And reading extracts today, it is an honour to welcome the fantastic actors Joseph Chance and Dan Wheeler together they are part of a quartet known as The Apocalypse Players: an award-winning podcast where role-playing and improvisation combine to create immersive stories for eager listeners each week.
Dominic also asks AI to try and write an ending to Edwin Drood with some truly hilarious results!
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
This Friday 17th May listeners can join an online symposium Charles Dickens: Beyond Realism ... hosted by the Centre For Nineteenth Century Studies & Dr. CĂ©leste Callen
The link to register is here:
https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx?id=i9hQcmhLKUW-RNWaLYpvlGP-wSu2R1JFpVjsNyCAKKVURjI2MkFVUDRGNDBBODBEVEQ4RzNUV1RaOS4u
Chair and Guest Speakers include:Kirsten Mills
Emily Vincent
John Bowen
Jonathan Wild
CĂ©leste Callen
Lara Virrey
Chris Louttit
Amy Coles
Claire Wood
Amy Waterson
Andrew Smith
Madeline Potter
There will also be opportunities for an online Q&A after each talk!
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the inimitable Emily Howes, author of The Painters Daughters, who is currently writing her second book, Mrs Dickens, all about the life of Catherine Hogarth and her marriage to Charles Dickens âŠ
Emily is an alumna of Cambridge University, where she was a member of the famous Footlights. After gaining a First in English, she studied Lecoq at the London School of Performing Arts. She then went on to create work for theatre, radio and television. Highlights including two series of her show The Ladies BBC Radio 4, and performing in Tim Minchinâs Rocking On for BBC Radio 2. Emily is also a recipient of the Hans Cohn Scholarship for the study of existential pyscotherapy âŠ
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic meets Ben Powerbackstage at Londonâs National Theatre who takes a break from rehearsals to talk about London Tide - an exciting new staging of Our Mutual Friend - which he has adapted with songs composed by the award-winning PJ HarveyBen is a Tony Award winning, and a BAFTA & Olivier Award nominated writer for stage and screen, and an Associate here at the National. His adaptation of The Lehman Trilogy, directed by Sam Mendes, has become an international theatrical juggernaut, playing in London, New York, San Francisco and Sydney. His screen credits include the BBC series The Hollow Crown and Netflixâs Munich: The Edge of War âŠ
London Tideruns from 10th April - 22nd June 2024. You can book tickets here
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
A new series of Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire! đ„will launch on Friday 5th April ...
The first episode takes place deep inside Londonâs Royal National Theatre, mid-rehearsal, for London Tide-an exciting new adaptation of Our Mutual Friend, co-written by Ben Power and PJ Harvey.
Previous series guests include: Stephen Fry, Miriam Margolyes, Armando Iannucci, Lucinda Hawksley, Andrew Davies, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Alice Loxton, John Mullan and many many more âŠ
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Our final festive extract comes from Dickensâ last Christmas Book The Haunted Man and The Ghostâs Bargain - read today by the fantastic actor Tom AndrewsTomâs screen credits include: This England (for Revolution films & Sky Atlantic), Netflixâs The Strays, Feelgood & Afterlife; HBOâS I Hate Susie and the BBCâs Show Trial ⊠His stage work includes the Royal National Theatre production of Major Barbara and The Accidental Death of an Anarchist in Londonâs West End
In the following scene Dr Redlaw - a celebrated chemist and teacher - is sitting down to dinner one Christmas. He is full of grief and feels that each passing year only seems add to the store of regrets and painful memories âŠ
Meanwhile the Swidger family: William, Millie, and the elderly Philip, visit Redlaw and gently try to cheer him âŠ
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Happy 6th Day of Christmas! Todayâs guest is the wonderful Rebecca Tanwen reading for us the opening pages of Dickensâ 4th Christmas book The Battle of Life âŠ
The story opens with a wide shot of an ancient battle ground, where the traces of the fight have lingered through the centuries, not only in the earth but in the minds of the generations that have lived afterwards. The narrative works its way through a kind of time-lapse describing the changing seasons over many decades before settling on an orchard where amongst the apple-pickers two sisters - Grace & Marion - are found dancing along to a harp and fiddle with total abandon âŠ
As a voice artist Rebecca won this yearâs One Voice Award and previously the BBCâs Carleton Hobbs. Her theatre credits includeRoyal National Theatre production of Othello, As You Like It for the Oxford Shakespeare Company and Elephant 21 at the Royal Court. Her screen credits include The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime and Lionsgateâs Nacho XXL ...
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Happy 5th Day of Christmas!
The fantastic actor Tom Bennett reads an excerpt from Dickensâ third Christmas book The Cricket on the Hearth âŠCaleb Plummer and his daughter Bertha are poor toymakers in the service of the cruel, miserly Tackleton. As the scene unfolds we learn that Calebâs daughter Bertha is blind, and that her father is constantly trying to shield her from the hardship and poverty of their lives ⊠meanwhile even their poor hearth is visited by a cricket that may yet bring good fortune for them.
Tomâs screen credits include his critically acclaimed portrayal of Sir James Martin opposite Kate Beckinsale in Love and Friendship, the HBO series Family Tree, Netlfixâs After Life and coming soon in 2024 House of the Dragons. He also starred as Del Boy in the Londonâs West End hit Only Fools and Horses âŠ
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
The wonderful actress Carlyss Peer returns to the series to read an excerpt from Dickens' second Christmas Book The Chimes
You'll be transported to Trotty's humble abode, feeling the chill of the London streets and the welcoming embrace of his heart as he opens his home to strangers, reminding us of the transformative power of kindness and community.
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the inimitable Harry Christophers CBE , founder and conductor of The Sixteen, one of the worlds most revered choral ensembles. With thanks to CORO for these stunning Christmas excerpts:
Carol of the Bells Apple / Spotify Pilgrim Jesus Apple / Spotify
Of a Rose Apple / Spotify This Have I Done ... Apple / Spotify
Lo, How a Rose e'er Blooming Apple / Spotify
O Radix Jesse Apple / Spotify Past Three a Clock Apple / Spotify
For unto us ... Apple / Spotify Amen ... Apple / Spotify
God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen Apple / Spotify
Wassail Song Apple / Spotify Good King Wenceslas Apple
This Little Babe Apple /
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
The wonderful actor Chris Nayak reads the from the First Branch of The Holly-Tree Inn - one of Dickens' rarer Christmas stories âŠ
Packed with self-deprecating humour, a fantastic snowy atmosphere, this a very pleasing festive narrative.
Chrisâ stage credits include King Duncan in Macbeth at the Globe this year, and previously the RSC and West End. His screen work includes Coronation Street and We Hunt Together âŠ
So sit back an enjoy this opening excerpt from The Holly Tree Inn
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the wonderful award winning food historian Pen Vogler who returns to the podcast to talk about Dickensian Christmas Dinners ...
Focusing on Dickens' five Christmas books - A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life and The Haunted Man - Pen explores what the characters eat and why.
From the Cratchit children 'basking in luxurious thoughts of sage and onion'; Trotty and Meg sharing a dish of a tripe outside on the steps; Edward and Mayâs wedding; Dr. Jeddlerâs breakfast out in the orchard; and the Tetterby familyâs knucklebone of pork and pease pudding.
Pen's books - such as Dinner With Dickens and Stuffed are available to buy here: https://thesohoagency.co.uk/authors/pen-vogler
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Award-winning actress, comedian, and satirist Rosie Holt returns to the series to read the opening of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol on the 180th anniversary of its publication today in 1843 ...
Rosie makes regular appearances on BBC Radio 4 and as a satirist her work is so powerful that half the country seem to think sheâs an actual Conservative Member of Parliament. This is both hilarious and deeply worrying. Her podcast, NONCENSORED with Eshaan Akbar and Brendan Murphy, was nominated for an ARIA this year, and her show Thatâs Politainment will tour in the Spring of 2024.
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominicâs guest today is the inimitable Emma Rutherford who recalls her time working on the rediscovery of a lost portrait of Dickens, painted by Margaret Gillies in 1843, and lost for over a century until its serendipitous reappearance at a South African auction. A pivotal snapshot of Dickens' life, the portrait's story hints at the profound bond between Gillies and Dickens, a bond that may have helped shape A Christmas Carol
Emma is an art historian, with a specialisation in portrait miniatures and silhouettes. Emma began her career at Londonâs Victoria & Albert Musuem, and then for 15 years established and ran the Portrait and Miniatures Consultancy at Philip Mouldâs & CompanyThis year she has set up The Limner Company
Her publications include Without Hands The Art of Sarah Biffin ⊠a topic for a future episode!
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Light up your holiday season with the enchanting narration of our guest, the brilliant Gina Beckas she transports us to the charm and warmth of a festive journey from Charles Dickens' Pickwick Papers in a way that is sure to stir the Christmas spirit in you.
Gina has been a star of Londonâs West End for nearly two decades playing the leads in Matlida, The Phantom of the Opera, Wicked & Les Miserables. Right now she can be seen in the current season of The Crown on Netflix.
Reading adapted from Chapter 28 of the Pickwick Papers by Dominic Gerrard âŠ
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
The award-winning actor and writer Patterson Joseph takes the listener on a fascinating journey into the captivating life of Charles Ignatius Sancho, an African man who found favour among the highest reaches of 18th-century British society, and who had a front-row seat to the infamous Gordon Riots of 1780 ...
Sharing the inspiration behind his thrilling novel -The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho-Paterson shares his unique writing processes, heavily influenced by Dickens' immersive character development, and his uncanny knack for sensory detail
Here is also a link to Paterson reading the audiobook of Sancho:
https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/The-Secret-Diaries-of-Charles-Ignatius-Sancho-Audiobook/B09TD1SGLZ
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Celeste Callen returns to share her insights on how Henri Bergson's theories of the 'superficial self' and the 'mechanical man' permeate through Dickens' novels such as The Signal-Man, Bleak House, Hard Times, The Chimes, and Master Humphrey's ClockCeleste Callen holds a BA (Hons) in English Language and Literature from King's College London and an MSc in Enlightenment, Romantic and Victorian Literature from the University of Edinburgh. She is a third year PhD candidate in English Literature at the University of Edinburgh. Her PhD research explores subjective temporal experience in Dickensâ fiction, through the lens of Henri Bergsonâs philosophy of time. Her other areas of interest include representations of selfhood, memory, subjectivity and temporality, as well as reflections on the novel and the philosophy of time more broadly.
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the inimitable James Swanton who is performing A Christmas Carol, The Chimes and Haunted Man in person this year at the Dickens Museum. And for those of you listening outside the UK you can watch a live stream of his Haunted Man- filmed inside number 48 Doughty Street - on the 11th December.
James read English at Selwyn College Cambridge. Since graduating his acting credits include Sikes and Nancy at Londonâs Trafalgar Studios, Irving Undead and this yearsâ upcoming BBC Ghost Story for Christmas Lot No.249
His inspirations are far ranging, and a brilliant English teacher by the name of Mr Crisp who took James under his wing when he was at secondary school and set him on the path that he still treads today âŠ
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the award-winning author and food historian Pen Vogler who offers insightful reflections on how Charles Dickens used food as complex metaphors in his novels, that reflect the psychological and societal shifts during the Victorian era. The richly detailed food descriptions in works like A Christmas Carol and Little Dorrit reflect not just the era's celebrated dining etiquettes but sometimes Dickens' own discomfort in these settings.
From Pen's new book Stuffed there's also a hearty discussion on the role of food in society, particularly concerning feeding children, an issue highlighted more than ever during the pandemic. With a nod to the inspiring campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford, Pen finds parallels in Dickens' advocacy for children's rights and a nation's duty to nourish its future generations. We take a bite into history with the contentious debates in Parliament over this responsibility and the impact of land Enclosures on the food system.
Get ready also to rediscover the culinary history of forgotten ingredients like caraway seeds and dried broad beans. Pen also promises a future Christmas episode. So sit back, savour the flavour of history, and let's dig in!
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Host Dominic Gerrard reads Dickens' account of The Gunpowder Plot from his 1851 A Child's History of England ...
Dickens transports back us to 1605, the era of King James I, Guy Fawkes and a conspiracy that shook the nation.
This compelling narrative is a tribute to November 5th, a date that continues to resonate through the annals of history.
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
It is Publication Eve for todayâs guest the inimitable Dr. Helena Kelly. Her latest book The Life & Lies of Charles Dickens(published by Icon Books) lifts the cover on what we think we know about Dickens from his friend and sanctioned biographer John Forster.
In this episode we try to spend some time with Dickensâ wife Catherine, and understand the enormous struggles they both went through: when Charlesâ genius sent their lives into the stratosphere, right from the very start of their marriage, at a time when no-one had written the handbook yet on how to cope with global fame âŠ
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the inimitable Professor John Bowen who returns to this series to explore the hidden depths beneath the pages of one of Dickens' most iconic ghost stories -The Signal-ManWritten only a year after Dickens survived the Staplehurst Rail Crash, The Signal-Man finds an author grappling with trauma and the conflicted feelings of fear and wonder at the new railways, mixed with a desperate yearning to know in advance where danger lies âŠ
Reading excerpts from the haunting tale is the fantastic actor and director Oliver Dimsdale
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the inimitable Dr. Emily Bellwho guides the listener through the rollercoaster that is Charles Dickens & Wilkie Collins' Lazy Tour of Two Idle Apprentices - a unique blend of travel writing and ghost stories seen through the eyes of the quintessentially British characters of Francis Goodchild and Thomas Idle, who amusingly mirror their creators, Dickens and Collins
This eccentric collection contains within its pages two fantastic ghosts stories - The Dead Hand & The Ghost in the Brideâs Chamber - and other dark flights of fancy that crash in on the everyday. It is a work full of both silliness and mystery and (in spite of its title) the action hardly ever gives in to any idleness ...
Reading the excerpts in this episode is the fantastic actor Adam Cunis
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Are you an unsung codebreaker? Does your knowledge and feel for Dickens mean that you could be the next person to crack some of the hieroglyphic mystery of the shorthand system that Dickens created for himself. Or are you able to trace the source of the writings that Dickens read from whilst dictating to his pupil Arthur Stone �
A year ago Dominic caught up with Dr. Claire Wood & Prof. Hugo Bowles on their extraordinary Dickens Code project. Since they last spoke, Claire and Hugo have not only won the Research Project of the Year: Times Higher Education Award but have now - for the very first time - pooled all of Dickensâ surviving shorthand manuscripts into one place in a special online exhibition entitled - Decoding Dickens: The Shorthand Mysteries âŠ
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Welcome to this special one-on-one chat with Armando Iannucci - one of the leading comedy writers and political satirists of our time - where we delve into his literary passions and influences.
This lively conversation peels back the layers of Armando's lifelong love of Charles Dickens - Martin Chuzzlewit in particular -and his interest in John Milton's masterpiece Paradise Lost and how these literary giants have left an indelible mark on his work. How he would later go on to write, produce and direct his own adaptation of David Copperfield, and whether he agrees that the character of Alan Partridge belongs in Dickens' canon of comic creations!
Plus his current work adapting his mock-verse poem Pandemoniumfor London's West End.
With readings from the wonderful Rebecca Tanwen.
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
What does it mean to experience time? Is it a linear journey from past to present, or is it a complex and intricate web of memories, feelings, and experiences?
Our guest today is the inimitable CĂ©leste Callen, from The University of Edinburgh, who delves into her thesis that explores subjective temporal experience in Dickensâ fiction, through the lens of Henri Bergsonâs philosophy of time.
This episode explores Bergson's seminal works: Time and Free Will & Matter and Memory and Dickens' Christmas Books: A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Haunted Man and his first person narratives David Copperfield & Great Expectations ...
Readings in this episode are from the wonderful Sophie Reynolds and Peter Bray
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Welcome to a new series of Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire!đ„
Today we take a deep dive into Dickensâ final, unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood âŠ
Joining us to talk about this extraordinary book, is the inimitable Dr Pete Orford who is a Lecturer in English Literature, and Course Director for the MA research in Charles Dickens, at the University of Buckingham.
Pete has written extensively on Shakespeare, Dickens but also Terry Pratchet, Philip Pulman and JK Rowling. With contributions to The Oxford Handbook and Blackwell Companion to Charles Dickens and he is currently editing Pictures From Italy for Oxford University Press.
Pete is also the author of Edwin Drood: Charles Dickensâ unfinished novel and our endless attempts to end it - which means following swiftly on the back of this episode he will be joining us again to talk about all the âwhat ifâsâ and conspiracy theories that have sprung up in trying to solve the unanswered questions of what was Dickens going to write next at the point where his novel stops!
But right now, in this first part, our focus is on the text that exists âŠ
Support the Show.
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Charles Dickens: A Brain On Fire! đ„ will return on Friday 15th September with more exciting guests.
Thank you for all your support, and if you would like to rate this serious please award us some stars âïž âïžâïžâïžâïž on whichever platform you listen to this series.
Have a wonderful Summer!
Dominic
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
What if the scribbles on paper could reveal intimate details about a personâs character, personality, and even their health? Charles Dickens, one of the greatest authors in the annals of literature, is under the microscope in this riveting conversation with Emma Bache (one of the UK's top graphologists).
Emma offers her expert analysis on Dickens' handwriting, hinting at revelations that range from potential bisexuality, plus insights into his tumultuous relationships with women. From the youthful writing of Pickwick to the poignant final page of The Mystery of Edwin Drood ...Emma's book Reading Between The Linesis fun way for you, the listener, to examine your own writing and what it could say about you!
For full links to the manuscripts and other writing mentioned in the episode go to @DickensFire on twitter.
The three Dickens extract links are here also:
1. The Pickwick Papers (The New York Public Library, Berg Collection)
2. A Christmas Carol (The Morgan Library & Museum)
3. The Mystery of Edwin Drood (Victoria & Albert Museum)
Jane Austenâs Houseis the most treasured Austen site in the world! Step back in time and walk the very rooms where Jane Austen lived, wrote and revised her globally beloved novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion ...
Situated in the beautiful Hampshire village of Chawton .
Visit janeaustens.house to find Support the show
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
What do luxurious wallpapers, deadly poison, and supernatural elements have in common? Join host Dominic Gerrard for a captivating conversation with novelist and literary historian Jon Michael Varese as we unravel the mysteries of his latest novel, The Company. Set in 1870, this gothic tale follows the Braithwhite family as they grapple with the shocking discovery of a poisonous pigment in their wallpaper business. Jon shares his inspirations for this riveting story and how it mirrors modern issues like climate change and denial of truth.
Here is a link to purchase The Company
Here is also a link to purchase Lucinda Hawksley's Bitten By Witch Fever ...
Jane Austenâs Houseis the most treasured Austen site in the world! Step back in time and walk the very rooms where Jane Austen lived, wrote and revised her globally beloved novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion ...
Situated in the beautiful Hampshire village of Chawton .
Visit janeaustens.house to find Support the show
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic welcomes the brilliant writer Katie Lumsden back to the podcast.
Katie's debut novel The Secrets of Hartwood Hall, published by Penguin's Random House, is now out in the shops (both sides of the Atlantic) and ready to be a part of your summer reading.
Katie has also launched a The Mega Dickens Readalong, where you the listener are all invited to read all of Dickensâ novels in chronological order, so in this episode she shares her impressions of the first five books that have been read by the group so far: Pickwick Papers, Oliver Twist, Nicholas Nickleby, The Old Curiosity Shop and Barnaby Rudge.
Reading excerpts from these first five novels is the wonderful actress, Olivia Mace.
Jane Austenâs Houseis the most treasured Austen site in the world! Step back in time and walk the very rooms where Jane Austen lived, wrote and revised her globally beloved novels: Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion ...
Situated in the beautiful Hampshire village of Chawton .
Visit janeaustens.house to find Support the show
If you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by Dr. Nicholas Cambridge who is an Honorary Research Fellow in Humanities at the University of Buckingham and a visiting scholar in Medical Humanities at Nova Scotiaâs Dalhousie University.
After qualifying as an electrical engineer, Nicholas switched career to became a GP and as a medical student won the first ever History of Medicine Prize from the Royal Society Medicine. He then worked for 25 years as a family Doctor in Surrey (in the south of England), but that prize he won as a student nearly 50 years ago seems to have planted a seed that in retirement is now growing to fruition.
His new book, Bleak Health which gives a fascinating insight into the conditions that Dickens, his family and people in the 19th Century more widely, had to contend with. The primary sources in Bleak Healthare Dickensâ own words where in his letters he confides to the people who are closest to him, about his mental, physical and emotional struggles throughout his life âŠ
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the brilliant actress, poet & playwright Laurie Ogden. Together they talk about her experience filming her TV debut as Biddy in FX's Great Expectations...
Laurie's poetry collection Humaningis available to purchase here:Â
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the brilliant Dr. Emily Bell who digs deep into Dickensâ second novel: Oliver Twist; or, the Parish Boyâs Progress âŠ
Emily is a Lecturer in Digital Humanities & Digital Skills at the University of Leeds; and is an alumna of both the University of Warwick (where she read English) and York where she completed her MA and Phd. She is also Editor of The Dickensian and is a researcher and consultant on programmes such the BBCâsHorrible Historiesand Homeschool History âŠ
In this episode Dominic reads excerpts from not only Oliver Twist but there are also clips from his performance of Sikes and Nancywhich was filmed during lockdown at the Charles Dickens Museum- the very building where Dickensâ actually wrote this astonishing book.
N.B. This conversation touches on some of the more disturbing themes in the novel - such as Nancyâs murder, Sikesâ hanging, and antisemitism - so just be aware if thatâs something you might find difficult to listen to.
Enjoy the episode!
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the inimitable Steven Knight who's exciting and daring screenplays include Peaky Blinders, Taboo and SAS Rogue Heroes.Steven also adapted the dark and thrilling FX A Christmas Carol (with Guy Pearce as Scrooge) and has now re-imagined Great Expectations in a new series led by Olivia Colman. Now screening on Hulu in the US and BBC One in the UK.
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Host Dominic Gerrard reads the opening chapter of A Tale of Two Cities ...
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the inimitable actor and Dickens descendant Harry Lloyd. Together they discuss their first impressions of FXâs new Great Expectations and Harry's experience of playing Dickens characters in previous BBC dramatisations of his Great Great Great Grandfather's works, and his career more widely.
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the inimitable broadcaster & historian Alice Loxton who takes us on a journey into the frenzied and scandalous world of London society in the Georgian Period ...
Alice is a celebrated presenter on History Hit and her new book UPROAR! takes a look at the movers and shakers of the time as seen through the eyes of caricaturists such as James Gillray, Thomas Rowlandson & Isaac Cruikshank
You can also follow Alice on Twitter, Instagram and TikTok
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
It's the 10th Day of Christmas ... and Dominic is joined by the brilliant writer Katie Lumsdenwhere they attempt to examine, with fresh eyes, Dickens' long forgotten Christmas Book The Battle of Life ...
An alumna of both Durham & Bath Spa Universities, her debut novel The Secrets of Hartwood Hall - set in 1852 - is now available to pre-order here. Katie also hosts the hugely successful Youtube channel Books and Things where she examines in detail the mountains of literature she reads her way through each year!
And reading excerpts from The Battle of Life is the wonderful Sophie Reynolds who is the curator at Jane Austensâ House in Chawton.
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic reads a Christmas Day excerpt from Chapter IV of Great Expectations where Pip has to sit through the ordeal of a Christmas Dinner with a heavy conscience ...
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!Â
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
It's Christmas Eve! And Dominic reads an excerpt from Stave III of A Christmas Carol ...
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the wonderful Dr. Claire Wood again for a special Christmas episode on Charles Dickens' The Story of the Goblins who Stole a Sexton; A Christmas Carol and The Chimes ...Reading extracts from these stories is the brilliant actor Tom Andrews ...
HAPPY CHRISTMAS!!
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined again by the inimitable Robert Douglas Fairhurst who returns to this series to explore Dickens' five iconic Christmas Books:A Christmas Carol, The Chimes, The Cricket on the Hearth, The Battle of Life & The Haunted Man ...
Robert's latest book Metamorphosis: A Life in Piecesis available to order here
Happy Christmas!
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the brilliant Morgan Lloyd Malcolm: whoâs writing for stage and screen includes her pivotal play Emilia - which won three Olivier Awards when it transferred from Shakespeareâs Globe to the West End - and a soon to be released adaptation of Josephine Hartâs Damagefor Moonage, Gaumont & Netflix
As a writer Morgan also works extensively with Clean Break: a feminist theatre company that engages and empowers women who have either experience of the criminal justice system or are at risk of entering it. Morgan has also written several pantomimes, and Christmas shows for children. All of these elements of her work have been woven into her magical new adaptation of A Christmas Carol which opens this week at the Rose Theatre, Kingston âŠ
The music in this episode is taken from the show itself and has been composed by the hugely talented Eamonn OâDwyer
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by Gage Mcweeny, who is Professor of English at Williams College, Massachusetts. Gage is an alumni of both Columbia and Princetown, with a specialism in nineteenth-century literature; sociology; and culture. His book The Comfort of Strangers: Social Life and Literary Form (OUP) examines that Victorian phenomenon of new people emerging everywhere in the Great Cities as Industrialisation takes its hold in the 19th Century and how authors such as George Eliot, Oscar Wilde, Henry James and of course Dickens respond to it. He also wrote the introduction to the Longman edition of Hard Times.Reading extracts from Hard Times is the actor Ben Eagle and The Bookshop Band also appear in the episode with their song The Tumbling Girl ...
Support the showIf you like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: LĂ©na Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!
Dominic is joined by the brilliant Dr. Anna Mckay who is a social and cultural historian who specialises in both 18th & 19th Century British Maritime history and the methods of confinement that were practised throughout that period. Anna's research has taken her to historic prisoner of war depots and penal colonies across the world. She has also undertaken archival research in the UK, Australia, Bermuda and Canada. Anna is also writing a book on the Hulks and is best placed to tell us how true to life Dickensâ portrayal of Magwitch really is âŠ
Reading excerpts from Great Expectations and contemporary newspapers is the inimitable Matt Grinter
Support the show
It's Halloween ... and the Dickens Code Decoders have uncovered Anecdote: a short ghost story which may have written or improvised by the inimitable Boz himself!
Claire Wood returns to introduce it and Dominic reads it for us ...
HAPPY HALLOWEEN đ đ» ...
Support the show
It's Halloween .... and wherever you are in the world you can watch Dominic's Live Stream of Ghosts and Murder today at 7.30pm (GMT) from inside the Charles Dickens Museum in London.
The film will be followed by an online Q&A with Dominic and Claire Wood - where you can ask them questions in real time!
BOOK HERE: https://dickensmuseum.com/blogs/all-events/ghosts-murder
The film is three dramatic readings of Dickens' Sikes and Nancy; The Signalmanand Wilkie Collinsâ The Dead HandâŠHere is a little background to each of the three stories:
Sikes and Nancywasa reading that Dickens himself was at first afraid to perform. Fear and betrayal end in tragedy, as Nancy is followed one night over London Bridge and is wrongly accused of betraying Sikesâ gang. Dickensâ brutal and unflinching adaptation of the murder scene in Oliver Twist caused shockwaves among his audiences and itâs horror and humanity resonates as powerfully today as it did in 1870âŠ
The Dead Hand (by Wilkie Collins) follows a young traveller seeking shelter on a rainy night. Arriving at an inn, young Arthur Holliday learns the horrifying truth of what lurks there. This is one of Wilkie Collinsâ rarer ghost stories, packed with masterful suspense and humourâŠ
The Signalman is haunted by a strange figure standing by the mouth of a tunnel. Each time it appears, a terrible tragedy occurs on the line. Written only a year after Dickens himself survived the Staplehurst Rail Crash, The Signal-Man finds the author grappling with his trauma: his conflicted feelings of fear and wonder at the new railways, and a desperate yearning to know in advance where danger liesâŠ
Support the show
Dominic is joined by the inimitable Andrew Davies whose iconic screen adaptations include Bleak House, Pride & Prejudice, War & Peace, Les Miserablés, Middlemarch, Vanity Fair ... and many more!
It all begins in 1976 with his iconic retelling of The Signalman ...
To book for Dominic's GHOSTS AND MURDER live stream on Monday 31st October - which includes readings of Sikes & Nancy, The Dead Hand,The Signalmanplus a live Q&A with Dr. Claire Wood - click here: https://dickensmuseum.com/blogs/all-events/ghosts-murder
You can watch wherever you are in the world!
Support the show
In this bumper episode Dominic is joined by the brilliant Prof. Hugo Bowles from Italy's University of Foggia and welcomes back to the series the inimitable Dr. Claire Wood.
Together they take the listener on journey insideTHE DICKENS CODE: a project that seeks to crack the code of Dickens' unique form of shorthand, and decipher the author's hidden messages from 150 years ago ...
Support the show
This Halloween Dominic is taking part in a Live Stream + Q&A of Ghosts and Murder from inside the Charles Dickens Museum in London.
You can watch it online - wherever you are in the world!
Dominic will perform three dramatic readings of Sikes and Nancy, The Signalman and Wilkie Collinsâ The Dead Hand âŠHere is a little background to each of the three stories:
Sikes and Nancy was a reading that Dickens himself was at first afraid to perform. Fear and betrayal end in tragedy, as Nancy is followed one night over London Bridge and is wrongly accused of betraying Sikesâ gang. Dickensâ brutal and unflinching adaptation of the murder scene in Oliver Twist caused shockwaves among his audiences and itâs horror and humanity resonates as powerfully today as it did in 1870âŠ
The Dead Hand (by Wilkie Collins) follows a young traveller seeking shelter on a rainy night. Arriving at an inn, young Arthur Holliday learns the horrifying truth of what lurks there. This is one of Wilkie Collinsâ rarer ghost stories, packed with masterful suspense and humourâŠ
The Signalman is haunted by a strange figure standing by the mouth of a tunnel. Each time it appears, a terrible tragedy occurs on the line. Written only a year after Dickens himself survived the Staplehurst Rail Crash, The Signal-Man finds the author grappling with his trauma: his conflicted feelings of fear and wonder at the new railways, and a desperate yearning to know in advance where danger liesâŠ
Support the show
Dominic is joined by the brilliant Dr. Emily Dunbar, curator at theCharles Dickens Museum in London.
Today the museum launches its new exhibition To Be Read at Dusk: Dickens, Ghosts and the Supernatural ... Emily is here to guide us through what visitors can expect to encounter as they pass through the famous red door and cross the threshold of number 48 Doughty Street, London.
Dominic's film Ghosts and Murder - which includes his readings of Sikes & Nancy, The Dead Handand The Signalman - will be live streamed from the Dickens Museum this Halloween 31st October at 7.30 (GMT). Watch wherever you are in the world! Book here
Support the show
Dominic is joined by the fantastic historianAdam Zamoyski who shares his insight into the origins of both Revolutionary thought and action in the last quarter of the 18th Century: what Dickens famously calls 'The Period' in his A Tale of Two Cities ...Adam's celebrated titles on the Age of Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars include: Holy Madness, 1812. Napoleonâs Fatal March on Moscow, Rites of Peace and Napoleon: The Man Behind The Myth ...This episode also contains both French Revolutionary and British Reactionary quotes and slogans read by the brilliant actress LĂ©na Robin.
Support the show
Dominic is Joined by the brilliant Dr. Claire Wood, who is a lecturer in Victorian Literature at the University of Leicester and a former research associate at the University of York. Claireâs writing on Dickens includes: Dickens and the Business of Death, published by Cambridge University Press. Claire is also a founder of the Dickens Code which seeks to crack the mysteries of Dickensâ unique form of shorthand - a project that has just been nominated for a Times Education Award ..
Also joining us to read extracts from The Old Curiosity Shop the excellent actor, Gunnar Cauthery.
Support the show
Dominic says a quick hello to thank you all for listening to Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire! and to let you know ways in which you can help support this series.
First you can sponsor or donatehere:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
You can also book for Dominic's live-stream of Ghosts and Murderwhich has been filmed for Halloween exclusively inside the Charles Dickens Museum:
https://dickensmuseum.com/blogs/all-events/ghosts-murder
Watch this live stream and Q&A wherever you are in the world on Monday 31st October at 7.30pm (GMT)
Thank you for listening!
Support the show
It's summer ... the perfect time to talk about Dickens' travels abroad. Dominic is joined again by the brilliant Lucinda Hawskley who returns to talk about her new book Dickens and Travel ...A perfect addition to your holiday reading!
Mentioned also in the episode are two portraits which you can view here:
Daniel Maclise's "Charles Dickens" ('Nickleby Portrait) 1839
Francis Alexander's "Charles Dickens" 1842
Plus Harry Styles' latest album Harry's House!
Support the show
Dominic is joined by the inimitable Stephen Fry who takes the listener on an intricate journey through the fog and mystery of Dickens' thrilling masterpiece: Bleak House
Reading extracts from Esther's narrative also is the brilliant Sally Scott
And here is a link to Miriam Margolyes' unabridged audiobook of Bleak House mentioned in the episode
If you'd like to make a small donation to support the running of this series please click here
Thank you for listening!Â
Support the show
On the 207th anniversary of the Battle of Waterloo Dominic is joined by the inimitable Bernard Cornwell OBE.
Author of the hugely successful Sharpe series which takes the reader through the Napoleonic Wars, Bernard's latest novel Sharpe's Assassinis now available in paperback and follows the events of the occupation of Paris immediately after Napoleon's defeat. Bernard has also written a straight history of Waterloo which is an indispensable guide to the campaign.
Dickens was only 3 years old on that day, which defined Britain's global position for a century ...
In this episode âOver the Hills and Far Awayâ is sung by Georgina White
Support the show
Dominic is joined by Marzia Dati: Professor of English Literature at  Liceo Marconi High School and founder of the first Italian Branch of the International Dickens Fellowship, in her home town of Carrara.Â
Marziaâs new book A Sentimental Journey through Carrara is a visitorâs guide to this remarkable town that sits at the foot of the Apuan Alps, as they slope their way down to the Sea ⊠Â
These marble mountains gave Michelangelo the stone from which he cut the figure of his famous David, and today, if you stand in the lobby of the One World Trade Centre in New York, you will see that its walls are also decorated with Carraraâs unique marble âŠ
Dickens visited Carrara in January 1845 and Marzia shares what he, and other famous writers and artists, found there. Grazie per l'attenzione!
Support the show
Dominic is joined by Ravenmaster Christopher Skaife for a special episode on Grip.
Chris looks after the world famous ravens at the Tower of London, and tells hilarious anecdotes about his Ravens and how ingenious Dickens' descriptions of these rare and wonderful creatures are in Barnaby Rudge ...This episode also includes special readings from curator of Jane Austen's House Sophie Reynolds.
HAPPY EASTER!
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard)
Dominic is joined by Professor Robert Douglas-Fairhurst to discuss his extraordinary biography of Dickens The Turning Point: A Year That Changed Dickens and the World ...
The year is 1851 and London's Hyde Park is centre stage with the opening of The Great Exhibition. It is also the year that Dickens sits down to write his masterpiece: Bleak House ...Thank you for listening! To support this series please follow the link below
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard)
Dominic is joined by the brilliant John Bowen: Professor of 19th Century Literature at the University of York. He is the author of Other Dickens: Pickwick to Chuzzlewit a book which focuses on Dickensâ early novels. Johnâs work has brought him in to close collaboration with many of the UKâs leading cultural organisations: such as the BBC, British Library, and the V&A. He was also was an academic advisor to David Edgarâs adaptation of A Christmas Carol for the RSC.
In this episode they discuss Dickens' first historical novel set against the backdrop of the Gordon Riots of 1780. The 'forgotten' masterpiece that is Barnaby Rudge ...
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard)
Dominic is joined by the celebrated Austen biographer Dr. Helena Kelly -  author of Jane Austen, The Secret Radical Helena has completed a new, soon to be published, biography on Dickens and gives an exclusive interview about it here!
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard)
To mark Charles Dickens' 210th Birthday, Dominic reads the opening chapter of David Copperfield ...
If you wish to make a small donation to this series - all coffees are hugely appreciated! Link here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard/c/2529502?uid=1728604
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard)
Dominic is joined by Dickens' Great-Great Grandson, Gerald Dickens. They talk in detail about the Staplehurst Rail Crash of 1865 and Gerald's new book on the tragedy Dickens and StaplehurstâŠHow the trauma of this experience effected Dickens and led him to write The Signalman âŠThey also explore Gerald's career as a celebrated performer of Dickens' works
If you'd like to support this podcast series please feel free to make a donation here:
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard/c/2529502?uid=1728604
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard)
Dominic is joined by the celebrated writer, broadcaster, journalist and literary critic: Professor John Mullan. They have a lively discussion on Great Expectations with a particular emphasis on some of the 'forgotten' characters - such as Biddy.
John's celebrated book The Artful Dickens is a must read for anyone wanting to deepen their appreciation of Dickens' genius and influence on contemporary fiction
If you'd like to support this podcast series please feel free to make a donation here:Â
https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard)
It's Christmas Eve ... and Dominic's special guest is the brilliant actress, comedian and satirist, Rosie Holt. This week, they have both re-read A Christmas Carol and are set to talk through what they found in each of the Staves.
They also get massively sidetracked and talk about Itâs A Wonderful Life, Scrooged and The Muppets âŠ
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard)
In this episode Dominic is joined by the inimitable Miriam Margolyes. With a career spanning six decades, this celebrated actress has been a life-long fan of Dickens throughout. Now in her 80th year she has recently published her autobiography This Much is True... A candid, unflinching, and hugely entertaining story of her life and career.
In this course of this interview, Miriam talks in great detail about her one woman show Dickens and Women and gives an exciting announcement about its future prospects. And as it's Christmas ... the talk naturally turns to A Christmas Carol also!
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard)
In this Christmas episode Dominic is joined by the Tony Award winning director Tim Carroll. They share their love for Dickens and discuss the process of creating two very different stage adaptations of A Christmas Carol. One a large ensemble production at The Shaw Festival Theatre, Ontario; the other a solo performance that has just been filmed inside the Charles Dickens Museum, London.
This broadcast of this episode also marks the 178th Anniversary of the publication of Dickens' 'ghostly little book'.
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard)
In this first episode, Dominic is joined by Dickens' Great-Great-Great Granddaughter, the Writer and Broadcaster, Lucinda Hawksley.Â
On a cold December morning they talk through Lucinda's book Dickens and Christmas , which has just been published in paperback by Pen & Sword Books. It follows the story of Dickens' earliest Christmas as an infant, through to the five great festive novellas he wrote during the 1840s.
From A Christmas Carol to the Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain ...
Lucinda's also shares her earliest memories of knowing who Dickens was and what she really thinks about each of the five Christmas books!
Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard)