Oliver Twist (TV miniseries)
Encyclopedia
Oliver Twist is a 1999
television mini-series produced by ITV
based on the book Oliver Twist
by Charles Dickens
.
) witnessed this and was left traumatized. Agnes was pregnant with Oliver when she ran away. She ran into the main streets of London and collapsed; she was then taken into the workhouse where she gave birth, and she died shortly after.
Oliver was taken to a different sort of workhouse whilst he was a child. Once he reached 10, he returned to receive abuse and torture. The boys of the workhouse pulled straws to decide which of them should try asking for more; Oliver got the short straw. He was then sold to Mr Sowerberry, not before being beaten by Mr Bumble. Most of Mr Sowerberry's family abused Oliver as well. When Noah Claypole insulted Oliver's mother he lost control and ran away. Monks, who was aware that Oliver was alive, arranged for Fagin to take the boy in and train him as a pick-pocket. Oliver was taken by the Artful Dodger and taken to Fagin. Oliver believed Fagin to be a magician as he knew his name straight away. Monks arrived and began having a fit when Oliver was asleep, shortly after he told Fagin that he wanted Oliver to be disgraced in public. Fagin set up Oliver to get caught pick pocketing by Mr Brownlow. Dodger, Oliver and Charley (a newcomer to the story) stole from Mr Brownlow, the Dodger pushed Oliver into him and the street thought Oliver was guilty. Before the trial, Oliver was badly beaten and when he came to the trial the drunken magistrate. During the trial, the owner of the book store reveals that it wasn't Oliver who stole the book. The charges are dropped and Oliver is thrown out onto the streets.
Mr Brownlow takes Oliver in and Oliver lives with him and Mrs Bedwin, unaware that Mr Brownlow was very close to his mother and father. Nancy (Emily Woof
) is forced to bring Oliver back by Fagin and Bill (Andy Serkis
). She does so, despite Oliver's best attempts to run away. Mr Brownlow later shows hostility towards Mrs Bedwin and sends her to another house down South. Oliver is taken back to Fagin's hideout and the gang strips him of his clothes and take the books and money he was given to return by Brownlow. Bill Sykes then comes up with a plan to steal money from a house down south, it's actually the house in which Mrs Bedwin is now living.
Agnes' sister Rose is also living there too. Oliver, Bill and one of Fagin's thugs break in and Oliver is shot by the guards. Oliver is dumped in a ditch by Bill. Fagin then informs Monks who loses his temper unaware that Nancy is listening outside the door. Oliver is found by Mrs Bedwin, Rose and the guards and taken in. Mr Brownlow arrives to apologise to Mrs Bedwin, they make up and Mr Brownlow learns what happened to Oliver. Fagin and Monks head to find if Oliver is still alive, when they arrive Oliver sees Fagin and Rose sees Monks, who she saw years ago trying to kill her sister.
When Fagin learns that Brownlow is looking for him, he tells his gangs to scatter. Meanwhile, Mr Brownlow and the others move back to London to continue their search. Rose tells Mr Brownlow about her nightmares of Agnes' attacker and her vows to find him. Nancy heads to Brownlow's house to tell him what she heard between Monks and Fagin. Fagin is already aware of her deceit and send Dodger and Charley to spy on her. Dodger returns and Fagin tells Bill. Elizabeth (Monks' mother) dies of a heart attack and Monks means to end his quest to have Oliver convicted. He is arrested afterwards, though. by Brownlow and his guards. Bill returns to Nancy and kills her. She is found by Charley and one of Nancy's friends. A manhunt begins for Bill.
Fagin begins to lose control of the situation and is forced to change his looks in order not to be captured. Bill is cornered when an army of London men and women plan to kill him, he leads them up to Fagin's new quarters and the pair plan an escape. They both make their way up on the rooftop. Fagin pretends that Bill has kidnapped him and Bill loses his balance and falls off the building to his death. Fagin is mistaken for a humble victim. Oliver recognises Fagin and he is arrested by the police. Fagin is visited in prison by Oliver and Brownlow to find out about a letter which Monks gave Fagin, Fagin tells Oliver where it is.
Whilst in prison, Fagin shows signs of becoming insane as he talks to himself and is constantly forgetting he's in prison. Brownlow and Oliver find the letter which was made by Oliver's father to his mother. Brownlow reads the letter. Monks tells Brownlow and Oliver about the horrible childhood he has had and promises to change his ways, Brownlow frees him and allows him to go down South. Years later, Monks is married and expecting a baby and Rose marries the man of her dreams. Oliver is present at the wedding as the series draws to a close.
, attracted controversy, particularly for the decision to begin with two hours of backstory (much of it invented by Bleasdale) before reaching the plot of the novel. Furthermore, Bleasdale altered well-known sections of the novel, so that although the basic idea is the same, almost every detail is changed enough so that the miniseries plays like an original story, not an adaptation. Monks, who is made an out-and-out murderer in this miniseries (he kills his father), is nevertheless changed from a completely irredeemable and evil villain to someone who reforms to the point of getting married and starting a family.
. Then on 16 October 2006 ITV re-released it on DVD. The VHS version remains a "collectors item" as it is almost impossible to find one now that the DVD version has been released and new VHS tapes are no longer being manufactured.
1999 in television
The year 1999 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1999.For the American TV schedule, see: 1999-00 United States network television schedule.-Events:-Debuts:-Miniseries:...
television mini-series produced by ITV
ITV
ITV is the major commercial public service TV network in the United Kingdom. Launched in 1955 under the auspices of the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC, it is also the oldest commercial network in the UK...
based on the book Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
by Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
.
Plot
The first episode revolved around Oliver's parents (Agnes Fleming and Edwin Leeford) as they struggled to fight their love for each other. Edwin struggled with his estranged wife Elizabeth Leeford, mother of his son Edward Leeford (later also "Monks"), and Agnes struggled with her family's life. When it came to them both being together, Elizabeth murdered Edwin and planned on murdering Agnes. She made Monks kill her, but Agnes ran away; her sister Rose (Keira KnightleyKeira Knightley
Keira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
) witnessed this and was left traumatized. Agnes was pregnant with Oliver when she ran away. She ran into the main streets of London and collapsed; she was then taken into the workhouse where she gave birth, and she died shortly after.
Oliver was taken to a different sort of workhouse whilst he was a child. Once he reached 10, he returned to receive abuse and torture. The boys of the workhouse pulled straws to decide which of them should try asking for more; Oliver got the short straw. He was then sold to Mr Sowerberry, not before being beaten by Mr Bumble. Most of Mr Sowerberry's family abused Oliver as well. When Noah Claypole insulted Oliver's mother he lost control and ran away. Monks, who was aware that Oliver was alive, arranged for Fagin to take the boy in and train him as a pick-pocket. Oliver was taken by the Artful Dodger and taken to Fagin. Oliver believed Fagin to be a magician as he knew his name straight away. Monks arrived and began having a fit when Oliver was asleep, shortly after he told Fagin that he wanted Oliver to be disgraced in public. Fagin set up Oliver to get caught pick pocketing by Mr Brownlow. Dodger, Oliver and Charley (a newcomer to the story) stole from Mr Brownlow, the Dodger pushed Oliver into him and the street thought Oliver was guilty. Before the trial, Oliver was badly beaten and when he came to the trial the drunken magistrate. During the trial, the owner of the book store reveals that it wasn't Oliver who stole the book. The charges are dropped and Oliver is thrown out onto the streets.
Mr Brownlow takes Oliver in and Oliver lives with him and Mrs Bedwin, unaware that Mr Brownlow was very close to his mother and father. Nancy (Emily Woof
Emily Woof
Emily Woof , is an English actress and author, known for her roles in such films as The Full Monty, The Woodlanders, Velvet Goldmine, Wondrous Oblivion, Silent Cry and The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse....
) is forced to bring Oliver back by Fagin and Bill (Andy Serkis
Andy Serkis
Andrew Clement G. "Andy" Serkis is an English actor, director and author. He is popularly known for playing Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he earned several award nominations, including the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Two Towers...
). She does so, despite Oliver's best attempts to run away. Mr Brownlow later shows hostility towards Mrs Bedwin and sends her to another house down South. Oliver is taken back to Fagin's hideout and the gang strips him of his clothes and take the books and money he was given to return by Brownlow. Bill Sykes then comes up with a plan to steal money from a house down south, it's actually the house in which Mrs Bedwin is now living.
Agnes' sister Rose is also living there too. Oliver, Bill and one of Fagin's thugs break in and Oliver is shot by the guards. Oliver is dumped in a ditch by Bill. Fagin then informs Monks who loses his temper unaware that Nancy is listening outside the door. Oliver is found by Mrs Bedwin, Rose and the guards and taken in. Mr Brownlow arrives to apologise to Mrs Bedwin, they make up and Mr Brownlow learns what happened to Oliver. Fagin and Monks head to find if Oliver is still alive, when they arrive Oliver sees Fagin and Rose sees Monks, who she saw years ago trying to kill her sister.
When Fagin learns that Brownlow is looking for him, he tells his gangs to scatter. Meanwhile, Mr Brownlow and the others move back to London to continue their search. Rose tells Mr Brownlow about her nightmares of Agnes' attacker and her vows to find him. Nancy heads to Brownlow's house to tell him what she heard between Monks and Fagin. Fagin is already aware of her deceit and send Dodger and Charley to spy on her. Dodger returns and Fagin tells Bill. Elizabeth (Monks' mother) dies of a heart attack and Monks means to end his quest to have Oliver convicted. He is arrested afterwards, though. by Brownlow and his guards. Bill returns to Nancy and kills her. She is found by Charley and one of Nancy's friends. A manhunt begins for Bill.
Fagin begins to lose control of the situation and is forced to change his looks in order not to be captured. Bill is cornered when an army of London men and women plan to kill him, he leads them up to Fagin's new quarters and the pair plan an escape. They both make their way up on the rooftop. Fagin pretends that Bill has kidnapped him and Bill loses his balance and falls off the building to his death. Fagin is mistaken for a humble victim. Oliver recognises Fagin and he is arrested by the police. Fagin is visited in prison by Oliver and Brownlow to find out about a letter which Monks gave Fagin, Fagin tells Oliver where it is.
Whilst in prison, Fagin shows signs of becoming insane as he talks to himself and is constantly forgetting he's in prison. Brownlow and Oliver find the letter which was made by Oliver's father to his mother. Brownlow reads the letter. Monks tells Brownlow and Oliver about the horrible childhood he has had and promises to change his ways, Brownlow frees him and allows him to go down South. Years later, Monks is married and expecting a baby and Rose marries the man of her dreams. Oliver is present at the wedding as the series draws to a close.
Cast
The cast included- Sam SmithSam Smith (actor)Sam Smith is a former English child actor. He played the title role in the 1999 BBC series of Oliver Twist, and played David Wiseman in the 2003 film Wondrous Oblivion.-External links:* at the IMDB...
as Oliver TwistOliver TwistOliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to... - Robert LindsayRobert Lindsay (actor)Robert Lindsay is an English actor who is best known for his television work, especially his roles of Wolfie Smith in Citizen Smith, Michael Murray in G.B.H., Captain Sir Edward Pellew in Hornblower and Ben Harper in My Family which has been on television screens since 2000.-Early life:Lindsay was...
as FaginFaginFagin is a fictional character who appears as an antagonist of the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, referred to in the preface of the novel as a "receiver of stolen goods", but referred to more frequently within the actual story as the "merry old gentleman" or simply the "Jew".-Character:Born... - Julie WaltersJulie WaltersJulie Walters, CBE is an English actress and novelist. She came to international prominence in 1983 for Educating Rita, performing in the title role opposite Michael Caine. It was a role she had created on the West End stage and it won her BAFTA and Golden Globe awards for Best Actress...
as Mrs. Mann (Widow Corney) - Michael KitchenMichael KitchenMichael Kitchen is an English actor and television producer, best known for his starring role as DCS Foyle in the British TV series Foyle's War.-Early life:...
as Mr. BrownlowMr. BrownlowMr. Brownlow is a character from the novel, Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens. He is later revealed to be none other than a very close friend of Oliver's father.-Description:Dickens describes Brownlow's first appearance:-The novel:... - Alun ArmstrongAlun Armstrong (actor)Alun Armstrong is a prolific British character actor. Armstrong grew up in County Durham in North East England. He first became interested in acting through Shakespeare productions at his grammar school. Since his career began in the early 1970s, he has played, in his words, "the full spectrum of...
as Captain Fleming - Lindsay DuncanLindsay DuncanLindsay Vere Duncan, CBE is a Scottish stage, television and film actress. On stage she won two Olivier Awards and a Tony Award for her performance in Les Liaisons dangereuses and Private Lives , and she starred in several plays by Harold Pinter. Her most famous roles on television include:...
as Elizabeth Leeford - David RossDavid Ross (actor)David Ross is an English actor who has worked in theatre, cinema, and television.His best-known roles include playing the first appearance of Kryten and the voice of the Talkie Toaster on the science fiction comedy series Red Dwarf, Elgin on the BBC sitcom The Green Green Grass, and as Mr...
as Mr. Bumble - Andy SerkisAndy SerkisAndrew Clement G. "Andy" Serkis is an English actor, director and author. He is popularly known for playing Gollum in The Lord of the Rings film trilogy, for which he earned several award nominations, including the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in The Two Towers...
as Bill SykesBill SikesWilliam "Bill" Sikes is a fictional character in the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.He is one of Dickens's most vicious characters and a very strong force in the novel when it comes to having control over somebody or harming others. He is portrayed as a rough and barbaric man. He is a career... - Tim DuttonTim DuttonTim Dutton is a British actor. He was born in Stratford-on-Avon, Warwickshire, England.Dutton has appeared on stage, in film, and in television series. Among the films are Darkness Falls , The Bourne Identity , and The Detonator...
as Edwin Leeford - Marc WarrenMarc WarrenMarc Warren is an English actor, known for his British television roles as Danny Blue in Hustle, Dougie Raymond in The Vice and Dominic Foy in State of Play.-Career:...
as MonksMonks (Oliver Twist)Edward "Monks" Leeford is a character in the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. He is actually the criminally-inclined half-brother of Oliver Twist, but he hides his identity. Monks's parents separated when he was a child, and his father had a sexual and romantic relationship with a young...
(Edward Leeford) - Annette CrosbieAnnette CrosbieAnnette Crosbie, OBE is a Scottish character actor.-Life and career:Crosbie was born in Gorebridge, Midlothian, Scotland, to Presbyterian parents who disapproved of her becoming an actor. Nevertheless, she joined the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School while still in her teens...
as Mrs. Bedwin - Emily WoofEmily WoofEmily Woof , is an English actress and author, known for her roles in such films as The Full Monty, The Woodlanders, Velvet Goldmine, Wondrous Oblivion, Silent Cry and The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse....
as Nancy - Isla FisherIsla FisherIsla Lang Fisher is an actress and author. She began acting on Australian television, on the short-lived soap opera Paradise Beach before playing Shannon Reed on the soap opera Home and Away...
as Bet - Roger Lloyd PackRoger Lloyd PackRoger Lloyd-Pack is an English actor known for his roles in the TV shows The Vicar of Dibley, Only Fools and Horses and The Old Guys.-Career:...
as Mr. Sowerberry - Sophia MylesSophia Myles-Early life:Myles was born in London. She is the daughter of Jane, who works in educational publishing, and Peter Myles, a retired Anglican vicar in Isleworth, west London. Her maternal grandmother was Russian, and she refers to herself as "half-Welsh, half-Russian". She grew up in Notting Hill,...
as Agnes Fleming - Keira KnightleyKeira KnightleyKeira Christina Knightley born 26 March 1985) is an English actress and model. She began acting as a child and came to international notice in 2002 after co-starring in the film Bend It Like Beckham...
as Rose MaylieRose MaylieRose Fleming Maylie is a character in Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist. She is Oliver's maternal aunt.-Biography:Rose is an orphan raised from young childhood by Mrs. Maylie. Bill Sikes and Toby Crackit, two thieves, break into the Maylies' house, accompanied by Oliver. Oliver is shot by the...
(Fleming) - Roland ManookianRoland ManookianRoland Manookian is an English actor of Armenian descent, who is most notable for his role as Zebedee, in the 2004 film The Football Factory, and as Craig Rolfe in Rise of the Footsoldier in 2007. He has also appeared in Guy Richie's Rocknrolla and Nick Love's Goodbye Charlie Bright and The Business...
as Charley Bates
Controversy
The adaptation, by Alan BleasdaleAlan Bleasdale
Alan Bleasdale is an English television dramatist, best known for writing several social realist drama serials based on the lives of ordinary people.The Bleasdales live in prescot,liverpool,wales and london.-Early life:Bleasdale is an only child; his father worked in a food factory and his mother...
, attracted controversy, particularly for the decision to begin with two hours of backstory (much of it invented by Bleasdale) before reaching the plot of the novel. Furthermore, Bleasdale altered well-known sections of the novel, so that although the basic idea is the same, almost every detail is changed enough so that the miniseries plays like an original story, not an adaptation. Monks, who is made an out-and-out murderer in this miniseries (he kills his father), is nevertheless changed from a completely irredeemable and evil villain to someone who reforms to the point of getting married and starting a family.
VHS and DVD releases
On 27 March 2000 ITV released a double box set VHS of the adaption. It was co-owned by the TV and movie company CarltonCarlton Television
Carlton Television was the ITV franchise holder for London and the surrounding counties including the cities of Solihull and Coventry of the West Midlands, south Suffolk, middle and east Hampshire, Oxfordshire, south Bedfordshire, south Northamptonshire, parts of Herefordshire & Worcestershire,...
. Then on 16 October 2006 ITV re-released it on DVD. The VHS version remains a "collectors item" as it is almost impossible to find one now that the DVD version has been released and new VHS tapes are no longer being manufactured.