What the Dickens!
An Oliver Twist sequel follows the adult Artful Dodger working as a maverick medic in Australia...
TThe Artful Dodger
Available: Wednesday 17 January
Genre: Period drama Season: 1 Episodes: 8 his action-packed sequel to Charles Dickens’ famous novel Oliver Twist explores what happened next to cheeky young pickpocket Jack ‘The
Artful Dodger’ Dawkins.
Set in the 1850s, some 15 years on from the events of the novel, the now adult Dodger, played by Thomas Brodie-sangster, has escaped prison after being arrested for theft, and is working as a surgeon in the (fictional) Australian colony of Port Victory.
‘Dodger has learnt that quick fingers have a use other than being a pickpocket, and that there is merit in doing something worthwhile for other people,’ says Thomas. ‘He’s good at what he does and has been climbing the ladder, because no one knows of his background.’
He receives a shocking blast from the past, however, when he is reunited with his crafty former mentor, Fagin (David Thewlis), who has evaded the gallows and been sent Down Under as a convict. But as Dodger’s medical career comes under threat due to a gambling debt, Fagin tries to help him out and they are both quickly drawn back into their bad old ways…
‘Fagin is a terrifying ghost who harks back to a time Dodger is trying to swim away from. He has control over Dodger and could put a noose around his neck, or get him thrown back in jail,’ reveals Thomas. ‘But Dodger also loves the thrill of crime – it’s in his blood – and he struggles to say no to Fagin.’
Matters are further complicated when Dodger becomes embroiled with the local governor’s spirited daughter, Lady Belle Fox (Maia Mitchell), whose own dreams of becoming a surgeon are hampered due to her gender and who soon notices Dodger’s talent for medicine and criminality. ‘Dodger and Belle can both be spiky but they have respect for each other,’ explains Thomas. ‘They help and hinder one another and sexual tension builds, but it becomes gutwrenchingly, beautifully romantic. It’s Romeo and Juliet and also a fun heist drama!’