Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire! 🔥

Dominic is joined by the inimitable Dr. Joanna Hofer-Robinson and Dr. Pete Orford, for a lively discussion on their new publication The Plays of Charles Dickens .

This is the first ever critical edition of Dickens’ plays which include the early farces of The Strange Gentleman, The Village Coquettes, Is She His Wife, Or Something Singular, The Lamplighter … and his later collaborations of Mr Nightingale’s Diary, The Frozen Deep and No Thoroughfare ...

Original cover headshot of Dominic Gerrard © Jane Lloyd Original cover headshot of Joanna Hofer-Robinson c/o University of Warwick © Original cover headshot of Pete Orford c/o University of Buckingham © Background watercolour of Interior of St. James Theatre, London (c. 1835) by John Gregory Crace & sourced by Wikimedia Commons

Piano music of John Hullah & Joseph W. Turner played by Dominic Gerrard

Additional Sound Effects have been provided under license through Epidemic Sound

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If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard

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Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: Léna Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard

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Dominic is joined by the inimitable Dr. Céline Prest who guides today's discussion on A Tale of Two Cities  - one of the most gripping, exciting and heart-rending stories that Dickens ever wrote. 

Céline completed her Phd at the Sorbonne University in 2016. Her doctoral research was awarded the André Topia Prize by the Chancellerie des Universitiés de Paris, and the Robert B. Partlow Jr prize by the Dickens Society. In 2019 she published a new edition of The Pickwick Papers for Gallimard. And in 2023 she published a monograph Le Spectre du document dans l’œuvre romanesque de Charles Dickens ...

Original Photo of Céline Prest © Chancellerie des Universités de Paris - Sylvain Lhermie / Original Photo of Dominic Gerrard © Jane Lloyd / Original Dickens illustrations sourced from Michael John Goodman's incredible Charles Dickens Illustrated Gallery

Support the show

If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard

Thank you so much!

Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: Léna Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard

Thank you for listening!

Ahead of a new series this month Dominic re-shares his popular interview with the inimitable Armando Iannucci!

Armando is one of the leading comedy writers and political satirists of our time - where we delve into his literary passions and influences.

This lively conversation peels back the layers of Armando's lifelong love of Charles Dickens - Martin Chuzzlewit in particular -and his interest in John Milton's masterpiece Paradise Lost and how these literary giants have left an indelible mark on his work. How he would later go on to write, produce and direct his own adaptation of David Copperfield, and whether he agrees that the character of Alan Partridge belongs in Dickens' canon of comic creations!

With readings from the wonderful Rebecca Tanwen.

Original cover headshot of Armando Iannucci © Matt Crockett / Original cover headshot of Dominic Gerrard © Jane Lloyd & Original Dickens illustrations sourced from Michael John Goodman's incredible Charles Dickens Illustrated Gallery

Support the show

If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard

Thank you so much!

Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: Léna Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard

Thank you for listening!

Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire! will return in the summer ...

In the meantime there are nearly 100 Episodes to enjoy with guests such as: Stephen Fry, Miriam Margolyes, Armando Iannucci, Andrew Davies, Alice Loxton, Robert Douglas-Fairhurst, Lucinda Hawksley, John Bowen, John Mullan, Rosie Holt,  Steven Knight …. And many more!

And if you’d like to make a small donation to cover the costs of researching, recording and producing this series, wherever and whenever you listening to this you can follow the link below and buy a coffee! ☕️ 

Also - if you feel these episodes have earned a five star rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ please consider scrolling down right now and added them there. 

With Best wishes,

Dominic x

Support the show

If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard

Thank you so much!

Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: Léna Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard

Thank you for listening!

Dominic welcomes back one of the most celebrated guests of this series Professor Robert Douglas-Fairhurst ... 

Robert’s latest book Look Closer: How to get more out of reading (published by Penguin) is an invitation to all of us to go deeper into our reading, and find greater joy and meaning in the works of great writers from all ages and backgrounds. With examples from Dickens (of course!) but also George Eliot, Shakespeare, Margaret Attwood, Samuel Becket, Jane Austen and many more … 

Since they last spoke Robert has also published Metamorphosis: A Life in Pieces : a deeply powerful biography of his life and career, set against the backdrop of shock diagnosis of Multiple Sclerosis in 2017.

Here are links to purchase Robert's books:

Look Closer: How to get more out of reading

Metamorphosis: A Life in Pieces

The Turning Point: A Year That Changed Dickens and the World  

A Christmas Carol & Other Christmas Books 

Becoming Dickens: The Invention of a Novelist

Original cover headshot of Dominic Gerrard © Jane Lloyd / Original cover headshot of Robert Douglas-Fairhurst © John Cairns / Background shows A hand-written manuscript of William Wordsworth's 'I wandered lonely as a cloud' also known as 'Daffodils' (1802) © The British Library Board / Public Domain & Ullswater from Gobarrow Park (1819) J. M. W. Turner, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Support the show

If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard

Thank you so much!

Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: Léna Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard

Thank you for listening!

Dominic shares an excerpt from his upcoming audiobook of A Christmas Carol which will be released in the New Year ...

MERRY CHRISTMAS !!!

This content is not available for AI training or scraping. All rights reserved. Recording and Artwork owned by Dominic Gerrard

Support the show

If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard

Thank you so much!

Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: Léna Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard

Thank you for listening!

This Christmas Eve ... Dominic is joined by the inimitable Meredith Braun, who played Scrooge's love interest Belle - opposite Michael Caine (and Fozziwig!) - in Brian Henson's The Muppet Christmas Carol ...

Meredith shares her memories of filming the role, whilst simultaneously playing Eponine in the iconic West End production of Les Miserables ...

A special thank you to Tim Hutton at Stage Door Records for allowing the use of the recording of When Love is Gone  from Meredith's 2017 album of the same name ...

When Love is Gone is available to purchase here at Stage Door Records or Amazon. It can also be streamed on Apple and Spotify

HAPPY CHRISTMAS !!!

Support the show

If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard

Thank you so much!

Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: Léna Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard

Thank you for listening!

Dominic is joined again by the inimitable Dr. Lydia Craig where they dive into Dickens' third Christmas Book, with readings from the award-winning actress Penelope Rawlins

The Cricket On The Hearth - published 180 years ago this year - explodes into life from the very start and hardly pauses for breath until the very end. Its unrelenting pace sweeps its characters along whether they be human, animal, insect or household object … 

Centred around that fabled victorian fireside. Where dreams and visions appear happy in the glowing light but depressed in the shadows, there sits John Peerybingle with his pipe. His occupation as a carrier brings one of the many Christmassy elements to the book, in his daily round of delivering parcels out in the raw Winter weather. His wife Dot - as in the brightest little star that ever shone - is a young, energetic woman, who races about their home.

Another Christmassy element in this story is the occupation of Toy-making. Enter Caleb Plummer and his blind daughter Bertha who make Dolls for the nasty, crab-faced Tackleton.

And tearing in and out is the excited dog, Boxer seen as a spec in the distance one moment, then suddenly up close with his wet nose pressed into your face …

Last but not least, is the magical Cricket ...

HAPPY CHRISTMAS !!!

Intro Music and Additional SFX provided under license by Epidemic Sound

Support the show

If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here  https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard

Thank you so much!

Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: Léna Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard

Thank you for listening!

Dominic takes three more Dickensian Christmas Readings from the archives:

The Battle of Life, The Haunted Man And The Ghost's Bargain & The Holly-Tree

Read by Rebecca Tanwen, Tom Andrews and Chris Nayak

HAPPY CHRISTMAS !!!

These readings were first published separately in December 2023

Support the show

If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard

Thank you so much!

Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: Léna Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard

Thank you for listening!

Dominic dips into the Christmas archives to bring you three Dickensian Christmas Readings from The Pickwick Papers, The Chimes & The Cricket on the Hearth ...

Published here in one episode for the first time. Our cast of readers include Gina Beck, Carlyss Peer and Tom Bennett …

HAPPY CHRISTMAS !!!

These readings were originally published separately during the Christmas of 2023

Support the show

If you'd like to make a donation to support the costs of producing this series you can buy 'coffees' right here https://www.buymeacoffee.com/dominicgerrard

Thank you so much!

Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: Léna Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard

Thank you for listening!