a a lifelong fan of dickens and i have invariably be disappoint by adaptation of his novel . although his work present an extremely accurate re telling of human life at every level in victorian britain and throughout them all be a pervasive thread of humour that could be both playful or sarcastic a the narrative dictate . in a way and he be a literary caricaturist and cartoonist . he could be serious and hilarious in the same sentence . he prick pride and lampoon arrogance and celebrate modesty and and empathise with loneliness and poverty . it may be a cliché and but he be a people writer . and it be the comedy that be so often miss from his interpretation . at the time of writing and oliver twist be be dramatise in serial form on bbc television . all of the misery and cruelty be their and but non of the humour and irony and and savage lampoonery . the result be just a dark and dismal experience represent the story pen by a journalist rather than a novelist . it not really dickens at all . oliver . and on the other hand and be much closer to the mark . the mockery of officialdom be perfectly interpret and from the bluster beadle to the drunken magistrate . the classic stand off between the beadle and mr brownlow and in which the law be describe a a as and a idiot couldn not have be good do . harry secombe be an ideal choice . but the blinding cruelty be also there and the callous indifference of the state and the cold and hunger and poverty and loneliness be all presented just as surely a the master would have wish . and then there be crime . ron moody be a treasure a the sleazy jewish fence and whilst oliver reid have bill sykes to perfection . perhaps not surprisingly and lionel bart himself a jew from london east end take a liberty with fagin by re interpret him a a much more benign fellow than be dicken original . in the novel and he be utterly ruthless and send some of his own boy to the gallows in order to protect himself ( though he be also catch and hang ) . whereas in the movie and he be present a something of a wayward father figure and a sort of charitable thief rather than a corrupter of child and the latter be a long standing anti semitic sentiment . otherwise and very few liberty be take with dickens original . all of the most memorable element be include . just enough menace and violence be retain to ensure narrative fidelity whilst at the same time allow for child sensibility . nancy be still beat to death and bullseye narrowly escape drowning and and bill sykes get a faithfully graphic come uppance . every song be excellent and though they do incline towards schmaltz . mark lester mime his wonderfully . both his and my favourite scene be the one in which the world come alive to who will buy . it schmaltzy and but it dickens through and through . i could go on . i could commend the wonderful set piece and the contrast of the rich and poor . there be top quality act from more british regular than you could shake a stick at . i ought to give it 10 point and but i be feel more like scrooge today . soak it up with your christmas dinner . no original have be well realise .