It is Publication Eve for today’s 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 Dickens’ wife Catherine, and understand the enormous struggles they both went through: when Charles’ genius sent their lives into the stratosphere, right from the very start of their mar...
Nov 01, 2023•26 min
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-Man Written 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 … Reading excerpts from the haunting tale is ...
Oct 26, 2023•42 min
Dominic is joined by the inimitable Dr. Emily Bell who 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...
Oct 19, 2023•52 min
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 o...
Oct 12, 2023•32 min
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 ...
Sep 29, 2023•42 min
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 Céleste Callen , from The University of Edinburgh , who delves into her thesis that explores subjective temporal experience in Dickens’ fiction, through the lens of Henri Bergson’s philosophy of time. This episode explores Bergson's seminal works: Time and Free Will & Matter and Memory and Dickens' Ch...
Sep 21, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Ep. 37
Welcome to a new series of Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire!🔥 Today we take a deep dive into Dickens’ final, unfinished novel, The Mystery of Edwin Drood … 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 contribution...
Sep 14, 2023•1 hr 21 min•Ep. 35
What if their scribbles on paper could reveal intimate details about a person’s 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, to insights into his tumultuous relationships with women. From the youth...
Jun 30, 2023•56 min•Ep. 34
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 is...
Jun 23, 2023•42 min•Ep. 33
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 Dickens’ novels in chronological order, so in this episode she shares her impressions of the first five books that have been read ...
Jun 03, 2023•50 min•Ep. 32
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 Scotia’s 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 wo...
May 19, 2023•46 min•Ep. 31
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 Humaning is available to purchase here: 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: Léna Gibert Original ...
Apr 26, 2023•22 min•Ep. 30
Dominic is joined by the brilliant Dr. Emily Bell who digs deep into Dickens’ second novel: Oliver Twist; or, the Parish Boy’s Progress … 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 BBC’s Horrible Histories and Homeschool History … In t...
Apr 11, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 29
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 show If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here ht...
Mar 30, 2023•26 min•Ep. 28
Host Dominic Gerrard reads the opening chapter of A Tale of Two Cities ... 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: Léna Gibert Original Music: Dominic Gerrard Thank you for listening!...
Mar 24, 2023•7 min
Dominic is joined by the inimitable actor and Dickens descendant Harry Lloyd . Together they discuss their first impressions of FX’s 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. The copyright for this specific episode is owned by FX Networks. Support the show If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' rig...
Mar 17, 2023•42 min•Ep. 27
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 show If you...
Mar 03, 2023•48 min•Ep. 26
It's the 10th Day of Christmas ... and Dominic is joined by the brilliant writer Katie Lumsden where 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 ...
Jan 03, 2023•41 min•Ep. 25
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! 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: Léna Gibert Original Music: Dominic Gerrard Thank you for listening!...
Dec 25, 2022•15 min
It's Christmas Eve! And Dominic reads an excerpt from Stave III of A Christmas Carol ... 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: Léna Gibert Original Music: Dominic Gerrard Thank you for listening!...
Dec 24, 2022•11 min
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 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 Se...
Dec 21, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 24
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 Pieces is available to order here 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...
Dec 12, 2022•57 min•Ep. 23
Dominic is joined by the brilliant Morgan Lloyd Malcolm : who’s writing for stage and screen includes her pivotal play Emilia - which won three Olivier Awards when it transferred from Shakespeare’s Globe to the West End - and a soon to be released adaptation of Josephine Hart’s Damage for 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 o...
Dec 05, 2022•45 min•Ep. 22
Dominic is joined by Gage Mcweeny , who is Professor of English at Williams College, Massachusetts. Gage is an alumni of both Columbia and Princeton, 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 J...
Nov 21, 2022•1 hr 2 min•Ep. 21
Host Dominic Gerrard reads the opening chapter of Bleak House ... 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: Léna Gibert Original Music: Dominic Gerrard Thank you for listening!...
Nov 11, 2022•17 min
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 tr...
Nov 04, 2022•45 min•Ep. 20
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 ... 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...
Oct 28, 2022•37 min•Ep. 19
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 inside THE 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 ... To book for Dominic's GHOSTS AND MURDER live stream on Monday 31st October - which includes readings of Sikes &...
Oct 21, 2022•1 hr•Ep. 18
Dominic is joined by the brilliant Dr. Emily Dunbar , curator at the Charles 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 Hand and The Signalman...
Oct 05, 2022•36 min•Ep. 17
Dominic is joined by the fantastic historian Adam 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. Napoleon’s Fatal March on Moscow , Rites of Peace and Napoleon: The Man Behind The Myth ... This episode also contains both French Revolutiona...
Sep 27, 2022•42 min•Ep. 16
