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The Secret Life of Books

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Factual: Arts, Culture & the Media: Arts

Classic books are reconsidered by returning to the writers' original manuscripts.

Classic books are considered with a fresh eye. Returning to the authors' original manuscripts and letters, expert writers and performers bring their personal insights to these great works.

The Secret Life of Books: Great Expectations

BBC Four

Tony Jordan

Allan Campbell

Richard Bright

Ben Ryder

The Secret Life of Books: Series 1: Episode 1: Great Expectations

Great Expectations

Episode 1

Episode 1: Great Expectations

Series 1

BBC Four - The Secret Life of Books, Series 1, Great Expectations

Tony Jordan brings his writer's insight to Charles Dickens's Great Expectations.

Series which uncovers the story behind the creation of six classic books. Tony Jordan brings his writer's insight to Charles Dickens's Great Expectations.

Tony Jordan, chief scriptwriter on EastEnders for 15 years and creator of Life on Mars and Hustle, brings his writer's insight to a popular classic - Charles Dickens's Great Expectations.

Dickens serialised his novels and, says Jordan, his brilliant characterisation and cliffhangers make him a godfather to contemporary television writers: 'He's a populist, through and through. He wrote for a mass audience - and they adored him for it'.

Jordan investigates why Dickens decided to change the ending of Great Expectations and what this decision reveals about the writer and the man.

By examining original texts and manuscripts to piece together Dickens's troubled life at the time, Jordan discovers how the author's own personal story may have influenced whether his hero Pip would have a future with Estella.

Produced in partnership with the Open University.

The Secret Life of Books: Series 1

Knowledge, arts, music and culture from the UK and the world.

BBC Four reflects arts, music and culture with an ambitious range of intellectually and culturally enriching programmes, taking an expert and in-depth approach to its subjects.

Six British books are reconsidered by returning to the writers' original manuscripts.

Six classic British books are considered with a fresh eye. Returning to the authors' original manuscripts and letters, expert writers and performers bring their personal insights to these great works.

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Episode 1: Great Expectations

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