Dickens After Dark: The Nocturnal Inspirations of a Literary Giant

Synopsis

The new series will explore how Charles Dickens, a restless insomniac and obsessive night walker, drew inspiration from the people and stories he encountered in Victorian London after dark. It shows how the characters he encountered on the streets, as well as in London’s busy courts and jails, both shaped his stories and sharpened his keen sense of social injustice. Running alongside the story of his exploration of London is the story of Dickens’ creative evolution, revealing how real-life events informed some of literature’s most enduring works, from Oliver Twist and David Copperfield to A Christmas Carol. The series will revisit the pivotal and often shocking moments he experienced first-hand, from his experiences in a boot blacking factory as a child to the 1849 Tooting cholera outbreak he reported on as a journalist.