It’s a fickle world we live in and the television industry is no exception. Popular Victorian era show Dickensian, which features a London filled with all the Charles Dickens characters, has been cancelled due to falling numbers. According to BBC officials, the show got off to a flying start with 5 million viewers, but steadily fell through the series until it drew a steady 2 million by the end of the series. Sadly, due to the high cost of each episode – a cool £500,000 – it was decided that the show must not go on.
Speaking to the Daily Mail, a BBC Spokesperson said: “We are incredibly proud of Dickensian and would like to thank all those involved in such an ambitious series. We sometimes have to make difficult decisions to make room for new shows and it won’t be returning for a second series.”
The series boasted the largest and most elaborate set which was built in an old disused Denim factory in West London. Regular characters included Stephen Rea as Inspector Bucket from the Bleak House novel who was investigating the murder of Jacob Marley who had been played by Peter Firth. The delightfully named Tuppence Middleton starred as a young Miss Havisham from Great Expectations and Caroline Quentin played Mrs Bumble from Oliver Twist. These are just a select few of 30 Dickens characters.
Fans of the show are naturally disappointed and have blamed the loss of viewers to the constant shifting of time slots.