This program traces the story of Christmas, from its origins in Nordic and Roman mid-winter celebrations, through the advance of Christianity, and up to the present day. It pays particular attention to the small book that came out at the end of 1843 and to the moment in time that Charles Dickens became involved in the progression of the mid-winter festivity and changed its course forever.

This program delves into the who, what, when, where, and why of Great Expectations. Locate Charles Dickens’ masterpiece in its historical context and learn about the real-life events that prompted him to pen this beloved bildungsroman. The hero, Pip, is presented against the detailed backdrop of the Industrial Revolution and the age of the "self-made man."

With politics, religion, invention and the monarchy numbering amongst his targets, Jonathan Swift created a masterpiece that is a scathing satire on human nature. Visiting strange nations such as Lilliput and Brobdingnag, the program presents a fascinating study of the man, his life and works and the enduring effect he still has today as one of the world's foremost giants of literature.

This program will be of major interest to all lovers of the writer, logician, mathematician, Anglican deacon, and photographer—and to all students of English literature, as well.

Many people know of the death of Rudyard Kipling's son John - but few know of the earlier death of his much loved daughter Josephine. This film reveals the true story behind both of these deaths, creating an evocation of a man who had remarkable gifts - and had to bear great personal tragedy. Combining touching dramatizations of three of Kipling's most important works with distinguished contributions from his leading biographers, this is a truly remarkable...

The first comprehensive television biography of Jane Austen, the first indisputable genius of the English novel. This definitive documentary will satisfy the surge of interest in her life following the acclaimed BBC adaptations of Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion, and forthcoming productions of Emma Thompson's Sense and Sensibility and at least two Emmas. Fast-paced and witty, this film visits the stately home of her brothers, the ballrooms of her...

This program offers insights into the stylistic devices employed by Dickens to great effect in the novel Great Expectations. Learn more about the characteristics and writing style that have contributed to the perennial popularity of this work, including the author’s use of specific literary techniques and his highly memorable characters—some quite familiar and some very strange.

Pip starts his new life as a gentleman in London, quickly acquiring expensive tastes, and mounting debts. He falls deeper in love with Estella and escorts her around town. As his twenty first birthday approaches, Pip waits for his benefactor and their intentions to be revealed.

Violence and Victorian gentility meet in one of Dickens' greatest creations, Great Expectations. Pip's epic journey from boy to man has at its center his relationships with the terrifying convict Magwitch, manipulative Miss Havisham and the beautiful but heartless Estella. Tony Marchant's new adaptation is dark, sometimes savagely comic and wholly unsentimental. A BBC Production.

Pip wants nothing to do with Magwitch and rushes to confront Miss Havisham. At Satis House he learns that Estella may be lost to him. Back in London Wemmick warns him that the penalty for Magwitch's return from Australia will be hanging. Now Pip must help him escape...