Great Expectations (2023 TV series)
Great Expectations is a historical fiction television miniseries developed by Steven Knight, based on the 1861 novel by Charles Dickens. It premiered on BBC One on 26 March 2023,[2] followed by its US premiere on FX on Hulu later the same day.[3]
| Great Expectations | |
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| Genre | Historical fiction |
| Based on | Great Expectations by Charles Dickens |
| Written by | Steven Knight |
| Directed by |
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| Starring | |
| Country of origin |
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| Original language | English |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
| Production | |
| Executive producers |
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| Running time | 58 minutes |
| Production companies |
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| Original release | |
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| Release | 26 March – 30 April 2023 |
Premise edit
Great Expectations is the coming-of-age story of Pip, an orphan who yearns for a greater lot in life, until a twist of fate and the evil machinations of the mysterious and eccentric "Miss Havisham" shows him a dark world of possibilities. Under the great expectations placed upon him, Pip will have to work out the true cost of this new world and whether it will truly make him the man he wishes to be. A damning critique of the class system, Dickens' novel was published in 1861 after first release in weekly chapters in December 1860.[4]
Cast edit
- Fionn Whitehead as Pip
- Tom Sweet portrays young Pip
- Johnny Harris as Magwitch
- Trystan Gravelle as Compeyson
- Owen McDonnell as Joe
- Hayley Squires as Sara
- Tim Key as Mr. Wopsle
- Matt Berry as Mr. Pumblechook
- Olivia Colman as Miss Havisham
- Ashley Thomas as Jaggers
- Shalom Brune-Franklin as Estella
- Laurie Ogden as Biddy
- Rudi Dharmalingam as John Wemmick
- Matthew Needham as Bentley Drummle
Episodes edit
| No. | Title [5] | Directed by | Written by | Original release date [5] | BBC One broadcast [6] | UK viewers (millions) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Episode 1" | Brady Hood | Steven Knight | 26 March 2023 | 26 March 2023 | 4.51 |
| 2 | "Episode 2" | Brady Hood | Steven Knight | 2 April 2023 | 2 April 2023 | 3.38 |
| 3 | "Episode 3" | Brady Hood | Steven Knight | 9 April 2023 | 9 April 2023 | 2.87 |
| 4 | "Episode 4" | Brady Hood | Steven Knight | 16 April 2023 | 16 April 2023 | N/A |
| 5 | "Episode 5" | Samira Radsi | Steven Knight | 23 April 2023 | 23 April 2023 | N/A |
| 6 | "Episode 6" | Samira Radsi | Steven Knight | 30 April 2023 | 30 April 2023 | N/A |
Production edit
Knight announced in May 2020 that he would develop a television series adaptation of the Charles Dickens novel in collaboration between the BBC and FX, his second after 2019's A Christmas Carol.[7]
In February 2022, the cast for the series was announced, with Olivia Colman cast as Miss Havisham, and Fionn Whitehead cast as Pip.[8] Filming began by March 2022, with production taking place at Buckler's Hard, Hampshire on 30 March.[9]
Reception edit
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 44% of 41 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 5.4/10. The website's consensus reads: "Even with the inestimable Olivia Colman as a ringer, Steven Knight's try-hard reimagining of Dickens' masterwork falls well below expectations."[10] Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned a score of 52 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[11]
References edit
- ^ "Great Expectations - Everything you need to know about Steven Knight's new BBC adaptation of Charles Dickens' story". BBC Media Centre. 7 February 2023.
- ^ "BBC One - Great Expectations, Series 1, Episode 1".
- ^ Ramachandran, Naman (7 February 2023). "'Peaky Blinders' Creator Steven Knight's 'Great Expectations' Adaptation Sets Hulu Premiere Date". Variety. Retrieved 7 February 2023.
- ^ "'Great Expectations'". FX Networks. 16 February 2023. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
- ^ a b "Shows A-Z – Great Expectations on FX on Hulu". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ "Great Expectations". BBC One. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (13 May 2020). "Steven Knight To Adapt Dickens' Great Expectations In Reteam With BBC/FX, Ridley Scott & Tom Hardy". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ White, Peter (17 February 2022). "Olivia Colman, Fionn Whitehead & Matt Berry Among Cast Of FX/BBC's Great Expectations". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
- ^ Jackson, Fiona; Taylor, Mike (30 March 2022). "Great Expectations produced by Tom Hardy starts filming at New Forest beauty spot". Dorset Live. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
- ^ "Great Expectations (2023): Season 1". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved 24 June 2023.
- ^ "Great Expectations (2023): Season 1: Season 1". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 3 April 2023.
External links edit
- Great Expectations at BBC Online
- Great Expectations at IMDb