I’m privy to some important information being released by the BBC on April 1st that for a ten day period over Christmas 2012 there will be a Dickensian Fest to celebrate his 200th Anniversary. This follows the hugely successful* Spirit of Schubert 24/7 broadcast over eight days in March 2012.
During this period all normal broadcasts will be suspended Radio 4 and every single book Dickens wrote will be broadcast unabridged. An earlier plan to dramatize each book has been scrapped in favour of using Martin Jarvis and Miriam Margoles as readers: they are entire theatre companies in their own right. Simon Callow will be the continuity man during the week using his rich, thespian tones to give the experience real depth and atmosphere. Some of the less gripping books will be read by Pinky and Perky to enable listeners to get through them in half the time. The weather forecast will be abandoned during the Dickens Fest and the word Fog will be uttered periodically instead.
Listeners need not be alarmed because MyBBC will be there to help you every minute of the way. There will be regular reminders and trailers to tell you what you are listening to and a stellar group called TeamDickens will be on hand to guide you through this marathon and to untangle some of the more opaque subordinate clauses. Downloadable plot summaries will be readily accessible and a Bereavement Counsellor will be on hand to offer comfort to listeners who become distressed at the many tragedies in the books.
Much of the week is still in the planning stage and listeners are invited to submit their ideas to this thread. We are delighted that Wilkins Micawber will be hosting a special edition of Money Box Live and his erstwhile friend U. Heep will host a special edition of Law in Action. The BBC Social Affairs Correspondent Gillian Hargreaves will lead a debate which will run through the ten day period entitled Dickens and the Big Society. There will be a Moral Maze edition on Whither Education? with Wackford Squeers and Thomas Gradgrind on the panel. Jenni Murray will host a debate on Female Heroines in Dickens. This feature has been made possible by a generous grant from Tate and Lyle. Over the Festive Period, Delia and Nigella will talk us through the best way to roast a goose and how gruel and saveloys can in fact be delightfully nourishing.
Listeners will be able to interact with the Great Man via a series of different email addresses to reflect the many residences Dickens used in his lifetime but for the present, listeners may use charlie.gadshill@bbc.co.uk to establish an initial correspondence with him. He will have his own tweet account #wotthedickensisgoingon
We look forward to further suggestions from members of this Forum.
*as measured by four positive tweets at #Franzisunwell and six thumbs up signs on the Schubert Facebook page
During this period all normal broadcasts will be suspended Radio 4 and every single book Dickens wrote will be broadcast unabridged. An earlier plan to dramatize each book has been scrapped in favour of using Martin Jarvis and Miriam Margoles as readers: they are entire theatre companies in their own right. Simon Callow will be the continuity man during the week using his rich, thespian tones to give the experience real depth and atmosphere. Some of the less gripping books will be read by Pinky and Perky to enable listeners to get through them in half the time. The weather forecast will be abandoned during the Dickens Fest and the word Fog will be uttered periodically instead.
Listeners need not be alarmed because MyBBC will be there to help you every minute of the way. There will be regular reminders and trailers to tell you what you are listening to and a stellar group called TeamDickens will be on hand to guide you through this marathon and to untangle some of the more opaque subordinate clauses. Downloadable plot summaries will be readily accessible and a Bereavement Counsellor will be on hand to offer comfort to listeners who become distressed at the many tragedies in the books.
Much of the week is still in the planning stage and listeners are invited to submit their ideas to this thread. We are delighted that Wilkins Micawber will be hosting a special edition of Money Box Live and his erstwhile friend U. Heep will host a special edition of Law in Action. The BBC Social Affairs Correspondent Gillian Hargreaves will lead a debate which will run through the ten day period entitled Dickens and the Big Society. There will be a Moral Maze edition on Whither Education? with Wackford Squeers and Thomas Gradgrind on the panel. Jenni Murray will host a debate on Female Heroines in Dickens. This feature has been made possible by a generous grant from Tate and Lyle. Over the Festive Period, Delia and Nigella will talk us through the best way to roast a goose and how gruel and saveloys can in fact be delightfully nourishing.
Listeners will be able to interact with the Great Man via a series of different email addresses to reflect the many residences Dickens used in his lifetime but for the present, listeners may use charlie.gadshill@bbc.co.uk to establish an initial correspondence with him. He will have his own tweet account #wotthedickensisgoingon
We look forward to further suggestions from members of this Forum.
*as measured by four positive tweets at #Franzisunwell and six thumbs up signs on the Schubert Facebook page
All I meant was that Charles Dickens and Franz Schubert are among the true greats. Monica is more akin to (say) Grace Williams.
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