Great Expectations review: BBC One’s new adaptation of the Dickens classic
There is much to enjoy in this series, but it feels a bit ‘needless’
There have been at least 18 prominent adaptations of Great Expectations since the invention of the moving image, said Nick Hilton in The Independent. “That’s Pip upon Pip, Magwitch upon Magwitch, Miss Havisham upon Miss Havisham.” Now, “for no discernible reason”, the BBC is treating its viewers to a new one, this time scripted by the Peaky Blinders supremo Steven Knight. The results, alas, are only so-so.
The drama follows the adventures of Pip (Tom Sweet as a boy, Fionn Whitehead later), the orphan from the Kent marshes who is thrust into the orbit of Miss Havisham (Olivia Colman). Aspects of Knight’s telling of Dickens’s classic are “familiar” (there are the usual images of stopped clocks and wedding dresses); but he has innovated by, for instance, having his characters make liberal use of the F-word. I didn’t dislike this version; there is much to enjoy in it. But it feels a bit “needless”.
Great Expectations? More like “Woke Desecrations”, said Christopher Stevens in the Daily Mail. This dire series butchers Dickens’s book, doing away with his poetic language and ruining key characters (innocent Pip, for instance, is here presented as an insolent adolescent). And while Colman is “the saving” of the series, her Miss Havisham is imagined as “a drug-addled opium smoker”, which is plainly “imbecilic”.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
I found the adaptation perfectly fine, said Lucy Mangan in The Guardian. We don’t need another Great Expectations, of course. But as we wait for a better one, this one will pass the time well enough.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Hainault sword attack: police hunt for motive
Speed Read Mental health is key line of inquiry, as detectives prepare to interview suspect
By Arion McNicoll, The Week UK Published
-
Shardlake: a 'tightly plotted, gorgeously atmospheric piece of television'
The Week Recommends Arthur Hughes captivates in this 'eminently watchable' Tudor murder mystery
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
Major League Baseball is facing an epidemic of pitcher's injuries
Under the Radar Many insiders are blaming the pitch clock for the rise in injuries — but the league is not so sure
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Daniel Wallace's 5 favorite books that should not be forgotten
Feature The author recommends works by Italo Calvino, Evan S. Connell, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 picturesque homes in Arizona
Feature Featuring a glass elevator in Sedona and a grotto waterfall in Paradise Valley
By The Week Staff Published
-
Silversea cruise review: a Central and North American adventure
The Week Recommends An incredible journey featuring cultural exploration, cooking classes, comfort and more
By Yasemen Kaner-White Published
-
Baffin Island: looking for narwhal in Arctic Canada
The Week Recommends An exploration of this island between mainland Canada and Greenland is ideal for the adventurous at heart
By The Week UK Published
-
Knife: Salman Rushdie's 'mesmeric memoir' of brutal attack
The Week Recommends The author's account of ordeal which cost him his eye is both 'scary and heartwarming'
By The Week Staff Published
-
Sarah Langan recommends 6 women-centric horror books
Feature The horror novelist recommends works by Stephen King, Gillian Flynn, and more
By The Week US Published
-
6 spacious homes for car lovers
Feature Featuring a 14-car showroom in Oregon and a Bentley-style apartment in Florida
By The Week Staff Published
-
6 serene homes in Vermont
Features Featuring a four-level Shaker barn in Hartland and a Scandinavian-inspired home in Stowe
By The Week US Published