Great Expectations a reference to a "knowing man", a possible sketch of Bentley Drummle. Another evokes a house full of "Toadies and Humbugs", foreshadowing the visitors to Satis House in chapter 11. Margaret Cardwell discovered the "premonition" of "Great Expectations" from a 25 September 1855 letter from Dickens to W. H. Wills, in which Dickens speaks of recycling an "odd idea" from the Christmas special "A House to Let" and "the pivot round which my next book shall revolve." The "odd idea" concerns an individual who "retires to an old lonely house…resolved to shut out the world and hold no communion with
Dickens in America the usual Dickens eye for the comic, the critical and the satirical. "Dickens In America" assesses a young radical Dickens' view of the emerging country's manners and morals, its flaws, fashions and its fascination with celebrity. It was produced by Lion Television Scotland for BBC Four. The producer was Richard Shaw. The series was directed by Christopher Swann. The DVD of the series was released in North America on 1 March 2011. Part One - Going Away Miriam Margolyes tells us in the beginning of the program: "I like Charles Dickens. No, I love Charles Dickens; because he wrote the