Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire! 🔥

99 Episodes

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The Plays of Charles Dickens: Joanna Hofer-Robinson & Pete Orford

2026-09-1238:27

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...

A TALE OF TWO CITIES 📚: with Céline Prest

2026-08-2858:22

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...

(Encore!) Copperfeld, Chuzzlewit ... Partridge? : with Armando Iannucci

2026-07-1142:18

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...

NEW EPISODES for 2026 !!! 📚

2026-02-2801:36

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 y...

Look Closer: with Robert Douglas-Fairhurst

2026-01-3143:28

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 …&n...

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