Great Expectations

By: Charles Dickens

Narrated by: Douglas Hodge, Geraldine McEwan, Amanda Redman

Length: 5 hrs and 37 mins

Publisher's summary

When orphan Pip meets the escaped convict Magwitch in an overgrown churchyard on the Kent marshes, little does he know that the incident will change his life forever? Some years later, now apprenticed to his blacksmith brother-in-law, Pip falls in love with the beautiful Estella. Her half-crazed and bitter guardian Miss Havisham, however, exerts a malign influence over the girl and forces a wedge between the two. Pip abandons his roots and, with 'great expectations' of becoming a gentleman, heads for London society. There he begins to receive riches from a mysterious benefactor... Pip's quest to find his true identity, and his growth to maturity through misfortune and misery, form the basis of this atmospheric tale starring Douglas Hodge, Geraldine McEwan and Amanda Redman. Directed by Sally Avens.

©2012 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd (P)2012 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

Great Expectations was amazing

One of my favorite books. Was not disappointed in the performance of the cast who did an amazing job. Dickens would be flattered at how well this was done. I'm probably going to listen to it many, many more times.

Great book

Excellent story! Loved the different people playing the characters.

I think the heavy breathing was a little overused and it was hard to understand the 2 convicts at times.

Loved this old Classic tale

Particularly enjoyed my all time favorite, Geraldine McEwan. Dickens is brilliant! Worth hearing many times.

The Enchanters

A classic of tortured souls. Dickens verbiage is beautiful, but I feel underlying sorrow in his books.

Wonderful dramatizisation! It made an old read new to me.

Superb Production Spoilt By Lack Of Vocal Clarity

Is there anything you would change about this book?

This narration / dramatisation of Dickens' masterpiece has been lovingly produced with an excellent script and a star-studded cast ( Douglas Hodge, Geraldine McEwan, Amanda Redman and others ). A bried glimpse at the CVs of these actors confirms their impressive achievements in film and theatre. So with a story of such richness and a cast of this quality what could go wrong ?

In my opinion the actors sometimes forget that we can't see them as we would do on the screen or stage which makes vocal clarity and diction absolutely crucial. There are passages where they become so involved in the emotional intensity, characterisation and accents that it's difficult to understand what is being said. The opening scene where Pip meets Magwitch for the first time is charged with menace and evokes the scene with great atmosphere, but large tracts of the dialogue are simply unintelligible. It's such a pity, just a little more restraint would make it so much more enjoyable. My children who love radio theatre just couldn't follow some sections and disengaged. At one point in this opening scene I even thought I'd downloaded a foreign language version.

excellent book

its a truly classical book filled with a lifetime experiences in a single book.I have enjoyed it.

An excellent way to enjoy Dickens

Excellent. I read my first Dickens book just a short time ago and love his work. This version is splendid.

Wonderful realisation of a great story

This dramatisation of the novel is beautifully done and both the dramatisation and the acting are superb. I was incredibly moved by both the story and the way it was presented