Description
The Emmy award winning David Warner reads a six-part abridgement of Charles Dickens’ all time classic Oliver Twist. In this departure from the merry world of Pickwick, Dickens targets the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 which renewed the importance of the workhouse as a means of relief for the poor. Dickens was severely criticized for introducing criminals and prostitutes in Oliver Twist, to which Dickens replied, in the preface to the Library Edition of Oliver Twist in 1858, “I saw no reason, when I wrote this book, why the very dregs of life, so long as their speech did not offend the ear, should not serve the purpose of a moral, at least as well as its froth and cream”.
One of the most dramatized of Dickens’ works, Oliver Twist was appearing in 10 theatres in London before serialization of the novel was even completed. There are 25 film versions currently listed, the first in 1906. Academy Award winning filmmaker Roman Polanski is the latest to bring the little orphan boy to the silver screen.
As heard on BBC Radio 2.
Abridged by Neville Teller
Produced/directed by Neil Gardner
A Spokenworld Audio/Ladbroke Audio release
