Now the BBC is rewriting DICKENS to make the British Empire more objectionable in the new TV adaptation of Great Expectations, starring Olivia Colman.
It has been revealed that the BBC has injected a strong anti-colonial message into its adaptation of Charles Dickens’s classic novel, Great Expectations.
Written by Peaky Blinders creator Stephen Knight, the beloved novel has been given a new twist, referencing evils of the Empire not present in the original Victorian book.
In one scene, the criminal Magwitch, one of the central characters, describes the British Empire as “built on the lies of privileged white men,” reports The Telegraph.
Asked if he’s worried that his version of the beloved story might upset traditionalists, Knight said: “Everyone has the right to react the way they want to react.”
‘But I would say that the book exists, it is still there. This is not an attempt to say that the book is bad or that this is better.’
The new show stars multiple Oscar-winning British actress Olivia Colman as the terrifying Miss Havisham and FFion Whitehead as orphaned Pip.
Written by Peaky Blinders creator Stephen Knight, the beloved novel has been given a new twist.
Knight also reportedly told his cast that the adaptation would aim to remove the rigidity long associated with Victorian Britain.
Still set in the 19th century, the 1861 novel has been adapted into a slightly more modern drama that the creators hope will appeal to new audiences.
The show’s lead actor, FFion Whitehead, expressed his hope that the BBC dramatization would make the canonical novel “more accessible to young people”.
The actor, who is no stranger to period dramas having previously starred in Dunkirk, plays the orphaned Pip, the novel’s protagonist.
He described Empire as “kind of horrible” in an interview while promoting the show, challenging anyone who disagreed.
“The Empire was a horrible thing that involved a lot of British people going out and enslaving, plundering and destroying many cultures around the world.
He was driven by greed. If anyone walks around thinking the Empire was a great thing, they’re kidding themselves.
The new show stars multiple Oscar-winning British actress Olivia Colman as the terrifying Miss Havisham.
Still set in the 19th century, the 1861 novel has been adapted into a six-part period drama that the creators hope will appeal to new audiences.
Colman and Whitehead star alongside Line Of Duty actress Shalom Brune-Franklin (right), 28, in the role of Estella. The drama is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer starting next Sunday.
Whitehead, 25, plays orphaned Pip alongside Line Of Duty actress Shalom Brune-Franklin, 28, in the role of her love interest Estella.
They star together with Top Boy actor Ashley Thomas, 38, as lawyer Jaggers, and The Split star Rudi Dharmalingam, 41, who plays Jagger’s assistant Wemmick.
Johnny Harris, 49, of This Is England, plays escaped convict Magwitch.
Mature actress Hayley Squires, 34, plays Pip’s sister Sara Gargery, while Killing Eve actor Owen McDonnell, 49, takes on the role of her husband Joe Gargery.
The highly anticipated six part drama is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer starting next Sunday.
