Using David Copperfield as a starting point, novelist Romesh Gunesekera explores how Charles Dickens writes about the move from childhood into the world beyond. Show more

Taking an excerpt from Nicholas Nickleby, novelist AL Kennedy explores Charles Dickens's - and her own - literary response to the themes of poverty, misery and death. Show more

Writer Alexander McCall Smith salutes Charles Dickens's mastery of the episodic form, which McCall Smith used in his novels 44 Scotland Street and Corduroy Mansions. Show more

Justin Cartwright reflects on the significant place that Christmas occupies in Charles Dickens's work, arguing that it is direct result of his experiences as a child. Show more

Focusing on Little Dorritt, Tessa Hadley explores how Dickens paints the reality of his world through his characters' houses, and reveals how significant houses are her own writing. Show more