What the Dickens!

Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol has to be one of the most popular and well-known Christmas stories (muppets or no muppets) of all time. The 19th century British author shows us that Christmas is a wonderful time to spend with the family; a time to forget our troubles and come together. But, just what was family life like for the Dickens family?

As they say, behind every great man, there's a great woman. This Christmas, Sue Perkins (oh how we love you, Sue Perkins) reveals the true story of the life of Mrs Catherine Dickens, faithful wife to the famous novelist and mother to their ten children, in a new documentary for BBC2 entitled Mrs Dickens' Family Christmas.

Speaking to Dickens experts and visiting the British Library, Sue finds out how the Dickens family lived, from Mrs Dickens' family entertaining to the children's part in performing their father's work. Life wasn't all that sweet however, as Sue reveals, with Charles later wanting to trade his wife in for a younger model!

In an interview with the BBC, Sue Perkins describes the programme as reavealing the 'depths and shallows' in Charles Dickens' personality 'and the intense shabbiness with which he treated his partner.'

Sue continues:

'to see this other side of Charles Dickens was incredible. He was a babyish, coquettish, love-struck kind of guy - he was soppy, basically, and he'd lost the plot a bit. He'd gone doolally because he loved her and it was great to read that.'

Mrs Dickens' Family Christmas airs on Friday 30th December at 9pm.

When asked which Dickens' characters Sue would love to play, she replied 'Miss Havisham. I think I'd do the bitterness perfectly!'

Coincidently, a new lavish adaptation of Great Expectations will be on our screens this Christmas. but unfortunately Sue will not be playing the lead!