Dickens in America

Dickens in America
Genre	Documentary
Directed by	Christopher Swann Sarah Howitt Richard Shaw
Presented by	Miriam Margolyes
Theme music composer	Giles Lamb
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language	English
No.of seasons	1
No.of episodes	10
Production
Executive producers	Andrew Lockyer Richard Shaw Colin Cameron Krishan Arora
Camera setup	Single camera
Running time	30 minutes
Production companies	British Broadcasting Corporation Lion Television Scotland
Original release
Network	BBC4
Release	April 5(2005-04-05)– June 7, 2005(2005-06-07)

Dickens in Americais a 2005 television documentary followingCharles Dickens's travels across the United States in 1842, during which the young journalist penned a travel book,American Notes.It is hosted by British actressMiriam Margolyes,a lifelong fan of Dickens, and intersperses history with travelogue and interviews. It was produced by Lion Television Scotland forBBC Four.Nathaniel Parkerprovided the voice of Dickens, quoting from his texts throughout the journey.

Overview

Margolyes developed a love of Dickens' work when she was 11 years old and readOliver Twist,and was inspired to create the series due to the small number of people who were familiar withAmerican Notes.Margolyes received anOlivier Awardnomination for her one-woman showDickens' Women,in which she portrayed 23 characters from the novels and short stories. The show was originally devised for the 1989Edinburgh Festivaland Margolyes continued to reprise the role through to the Dickens bicentennial celebrations in 2012.

Dickens sailed for the United States on January 3, 1842, leavingLiverpoolwith his wifeCatherineon board thesteamshipRMSBritannia.During the five-month trip, Dickens travelled by ship,railwayandstagecoachas far west asSt. Louisand as far north asQuebec.He visited countless social institutions across all levels of society as well as making a specific trip toRichmond, Virginiato observeslaveryfirsthand, about which he wrote scathingly on his return to the United Kingdom.

Margolyes follows Dickens' route, leaving the UK on theQueen Mary 2,the contemporary equivalentflagshipof theCunard line,and wherever possible sleeping in the same inns and visiting the same sites that the author did. She traces both Dickens' own experiences as a travelling celebrity and the differences and similarities of the American culture which so shocked him.The series has been reviewed as being "far from... a critical academic analysis of Dickens' narrative of his 1842 journey" but as a work designed to bring viewers closer to the author with the aid of Margolyes' "subjective opinions".

Home media

The DVD of the series was released in North America on 1 March 2011.

Episodes

No. overall	No.in season	Title	Original air date
1	1	"The Passage Out"	5 April 2005(2005-04-05)
Miriam rereadsAmerican Notesand visits theVictoria and Albert MuseumandCharles Dickens MuseuminLondonto learn about Dickens' plans for the American trip. Miriam boards theRMSQueen Mary 2and receives a behind-the-scenes tour of the ship before she disembarks inNew Yorkand heads north toBoston. Guests:ProfessorLisa Jardine,Jan Mark.
2	2	"Boston"	12 April 2005(2005-04-12)
Miriam visits numerous tourist spots in Boston as well as the Massachusetts Historical Society and theBoston Museum of Fine Arts,where she views a portrait of Dickens byFrancis Alexanderwhich is not kept on general view. Miriam stays at theOmni Parker Housewhere Dickens stayed and then visits thePerkins School for the Blind.Dickens' praise of the school inspiredHelen Keller's mother to send her daughter there.
3	3	"New England"	19 April 2005(2005-04-19)
Miriam travels by train toLowell, MassachusettsandBoston University,where she learns about Dickens' interest in factories and working people, as well as the generally negative reviewsAmerican Notesreceived in the USA. After a Dickens-themedbarbeque,Margolyes visits the Supreme Court of Massachusetts and learns about Dickens' understanding of human nature. She takes a boat down theConnecticut RivertoNew Havenseeing a replica of the slave shipLa Amistadand a progressive church, which was another cause close to Dickens' heart.
4	4	"New York City"	26 April 2005(2005-04-26)
Miriam takes a train to New York City. Here she learns of Dickens' challenged relationship with international copyrights, his concerns about the lack of successful social reform in the US, and the Boz Ball which was held in Dickens' honour onValentine's Day,1842, which became the social event of the decade. Miriam travels toRoosevelt Islandin the middle of theEast Riverwhere Dickens visited a lunatic asylum, and then travels with police officers on night shift throughoutGreenwich Village. Guest:Michael Patrick Hearn
5	5	"Philadelphia"	3 May 2005(2005-05-03)
InPhiladelphia,Margolyes witnesses the only full-length statue of Charles Dickens, contradicting the author's express wish not to be memoralised in sculpture. Miriam visits the Dickens Fellowship, theWanamaker OrganandPennsylvania Hospital- all sites of Dickens' tour - as well asEastern State Penitentiary,about which Dickens wrote at length. He was permitted to speak with some of the inmates during his journey.
6	6	"Washington DC and Richmond"	10 May 2005(2005-05-10)
Miriam follows in Dickens' footsteps by taking a boat down thePotomactoWashington DC.Miriam learns that Dickens did not think Washington would survive as the capital of the US, since it had no strong non-government services or purpose to the country. Miriam tours theLibrary of Congressbefore going by train toRichmond, Virginiawhere she visits a tobacco farm. Dickens visited Richmond in the hopes of understanding the South's endorsement of slavery. Miriam meets Southern journalists and reverends, and is confronted by their opinions. Guests:Juan Williams,Bill Schneider
7	7	"Pittsburgh to Louisville"	17 May 2005(2005-05-17)
InPittsburgh,Miriam learns about Dickens' interest inmesmerismand meets a Civil Rights Attorney specialising in prisoners' rights. She takes a paddleboat steamer down theOhio RivertoCincinnati,where she sees the beauty which Dickens cherishes and a first edition ofDombey and Sonat the Mercantile Library. Miriam attends an etiquette dinner, noting that Dickens commented extensively on the perceived bad manners of Americans. Finally, inLouisville, Kentucky,Miriam stays at theGalt HouseHotel. She meets linguist Martha Banette to understand the difference between Southern and Northern American Speech. Miriam is surprised by how Louisville locals can't agree on the pronunciation of their own city name.
8	8	"St Louis & The Mid West"	24 May 2005(2005-05-24)
Margolyes takes a steam-powered paddleboat down the Ohio River, following the route Dickens took. Margolyes notes that Dickens and his wife, Catherine, celebrated their 6th wedding anniversary while on theMississippi River.Margolyes stops off in Cairo, Illinois, which served as a model for the disastrous development of Eden inMartin Chuzzlewitt.Margolyes discusses Cairo's history with Preston Ewing, Jr., a local historian. Margolyes visits a 9th grade class inSt. Charles, Missouriand meets two Native Americans, from separate nations, Dana Klar and Noel Frazer. Margolyes and a companion take a picnic basket, similar to Dickens's and visit the Looking Glass Prairie.
9	9	"Canada"	31 May 2005(2005-05-31)
Originally Dickens was not going to write much about Canada, but he liked it so much that he spent five weeks there. Margolyes visits many of the same places Dickens did, includingNiagara Fallsand its accompanying museum, as well asOld Fort Niagara.Margolyes travels toTorontowhere she meets Dickens collector Dan Calinescu ofBoz and Friends Rare Books.InMontreal,she tours the city in a horse-drawn carriage, takes lessons on how to be a lady's maid, and becomes involved with a show put on by theConcordia UniversityTheatre Department.
10	10	"Journey's End"	7 June 2005(2005-06-07)
Dickens had five days in New York before his ship sailed and he used it to see more of the state. He went up theHudson RivertoWest Point.Margolyes goes to visit the military academy and meets the cadets. She takes a tour of the Shaker Museum and Library in Old Chatham. Margolyes finishes her tour of America with a special performance at the Bruno Walter Auditorium at theNew York Public Libraryon Saturday 18 December 2004. She is alone on stage and gives a riveting account of her travels. Like Dickens, Margolyes finds herself changed by her American journey.

External links

• Dickens in AmericaatIMDb
• https://web.archive.org/web/20110131215635/http:// liontv /Scotland/Productions/Dickens-In-AmericaSeries' page on Lion Television's website