BBC Drama DODGER – What the Dickens! Blackpool’s beautiful Grand Theatre features in an exciting episode of the brand-new BBC and NBC Universal International Studios children’s drama DODGER!

Binge on the first five episodes of the classic Charles Dickens tale now on BBC iPlayer and be transported back in time to the wonder of Victorian England and enjoy the beauty of Blackpool Grand’s Grade 11* listed building in Episode Five as it was first experienced!

BBC Drama DODGER

It’s great half-term holiday viewing for all the family!

The Grand Theatre is featured right from the very beginning of the action-packed episode of the Oliver Twist prequel as Fagin’s gang fight to save Tang’s life, Dodger scores a leading role at a haunted theatre and Polly strikes a questionable deal with the enemy.

WATCH NOW: Click on the link below to watch… https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0bl8th0/dodger-series-1-5-phantom

The ‘boisterous and amusing drama’ is currently trending on BBC iPlayer and has hit all the right notes with reviews describing it as ‘channelling the energy of Horrible Histories’; ‘will help get young people back into Dickens!’ and ‘comes close to reminding us of current limes of reduced heating, fuel and food shortages – cue a big helping of Dickens.’

BBC Drama DODGER is a CBBC production and is an Oliver Twist spin-off (produced by NBCUniversal International Studios) and conceals not a thing of the squalid shortages of a 19th-century life as a young child. Welcome to a world of sickening health and shivering shamelessness living conditions….

This ten-part family adventure series is a prequel to the events of the famous Charles Dickens’ novel and stars Christopher Eccleston (The A Word, The Leftovers) as Fagin and David Threlfall (Shameless, Housewife, 49) as Chief of Police, Sir Charles Rowan. Playing Dodger is Billy Jenkins (The Crown) with Saira Choudhry (Life, No Offence) as Nancy.

Filming of the series took place across the Northwest, including Blackpool’s iconic Victorian theatre, Blackpool Grand. Filming at the venue took place during the theatre’s closure as a performance venue during Covid-19. Blackpool Grand Chief Executive, Ruth Eastwood, said: ‘The timing of the filming was vital to the theatre and really helped towards the theatre’s running costs while closed.’

DODGER was created and written by Emmy award-winning Rhys Thomas and Lucy Montgomery, with Charlie Higson guest writing an episode. Rhys Thomas also directs alongside Hildegard Ryan and DODGER is one of several new BBC dramas set to air over the coming year.

Christopher Eccleston talked about what attracted him to the project: ‘I’d worked with the creators, Rhys Thomas and Lucy Montgomery, on a couple of other smaller productions and I think they’re brilliant writers, brilliant people. I love the fact that they bring, what I describe as a contemporary energy, which we don’t traditionally see in more period pieces. They come from a world of comedy and I think that is what will appeal to audiences as it is a slightly irreverent approach to the genre.

‘As a child, as much as I adored the films, I wasn’t that interested in Oliver Twist. Because of my council estate background, I always wanted to know what happened to Fagin and the kids and how they survived. Rhys and Lucy have taken those characters and created a whole new set of backstories. Through Fagin and the gang, they look at the reality of what it was like to be the underclass in Dickensian London.’

The Grand Theatre has appeared in many films and TV series including for BBC, ITV and Channel 5. The Grand was very happy to work with the production team at NBCUniversal International Studios to help return the theatre to the Victorian era.

Ruth Eastwood, Blackpool Grand Theatre Chief Executive said ‘We were delighted to be approached by the production company and the director, from the moment they arrived in our venue they were delighted with the setting, and even wanted to change how scenes were filmed to fit with the venue.

‘The theatre as many will know is committed to and known in the Northwest for presenting high-quality children’s drama. This season’s highlights include George Orwell’s Animal Farm and Michael Morpurgo’s Private Peaceful – two incredible classics. The theatre will also see the return of distinguished children’s companies Northern Ballet (with Pinocchio) and Birmingham Stage Company with David Walliam’s hit Gangsta Granny.’

BBC Drama DODGER – CBBC

DODGER is a funny, optimistic, fast-paced comedy-drama full of jeopardy, set before the events of Charles Dickens’ iconic novel, Oliver Twist. There are some familiar characters and a whole gallery of colourful, new ones. What is great is that each episode is a standalone adventure brought together at the end of the ten-part series with some dramatic reveals and surprises.

Following the exploits of the infamous pickpocket, The Artful Dodger, and Fagin’s gang as they find ingenious ways to survive the grim and exploitative conditions of early Victorian London in the 1830s.

The group of young misfits is led by Dodger and his pickpocketing partner-in-crime, Charley Bates – a girl from the countryside with a mysterious past. Charley is played by newcomer Aabay Ali. They are joined by Polly (Ellie-May Sheridan), Tang (Mila Lieu) and Dodger’s adversary in the gang, Tom (Connor Curren). Together the orphans duck and dive their way through the criminal underworld, trying to make a better life for themselves, whilst satisfying Fagin’s pickpocketing demands and avoiding the hangman’s noose. The police are always just one step away with Sir Charles Rowan (Threlfall) becoming increasingly obsessed about how to deal with the gang and catch Dodger.

Rhys Thomas, creator, writer, director and executive producer said ‘I would describe Dodger as an historical comedy adventure series for the whole family. It is funny, dramatic, sometimes sad but, the main thing is, it moves very quickly.

‘It’s a very fast-paced action-adventure series with a lot of laughs. It takes familiar characters and gives them a new life within its own original story. I don’t know what Charles Dickens would think, but we’ve created our own backstory for these characters.’

The cast also includes Sam C Wilson (Hanna) as Bill Sikes, Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education) as Queen Victoria, Lucy Montgomery (Disenchantment) as Fagin’s landlady, Minnie Bilge, and Frances Barber (Medici) as theatrical dame, Eliza Vestris. Javone Prince (Horrible Histories) plays inept copper PC Blathers and Rhys Thomas (The Fast Show, Brian Pern) takes an on-screen role as his partner PC Duff.

DODGER started on CBBC, 6 February 2022, and can be streamed as a boxset via BBC iPlayer. or on Sundays 5:30pm CBBC.

Book for some of the incredible children’s drama at Blackpool’s Grand Theatre by visiting www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk or call the Box Office on 01252 290 190.

…//ends

NOTES FOR EDITORS

BBC Drama DODGER Cast

Jack Dawkins / Dodger – Billy Jenkins

Charley Bates – Aabay Ali

Polly Crackitt – Ellie-May Sheridan

Tang – Mila Lieu

Tom Chitling – Connor Curren

Fagin – Christopher Eccleston

Chief of Police, Sir Charles Rowan – David Threlfall

Nancy – Saira Choudhry

Bill Sikes – Sam C Wilson

Morgan / The Crossing Sweeper – Lenny Rush

PC Duff – Rhys Thomas

PC Blathers – Javone Prince

Minnie Bilge (Fagin’s landlady) – Lucy Montgomery

The Gang

Dodger

His real name is Jack Dawkins but was renamed Dodger by Fagin, after he joined the gang, because of his quick-witted nature and instinct to survive! Twelve years old and an orphan, he has no memory of his mother and father and was brought up in an orphanage in London. Conditions were hard and the kindly matron Miss Piptree looked out for him. At the age of six he was sold by the orphanage to a cruel mill owner who made him work long hours with frequent beatings and little food. He escapes from the mill and by way of a big adventure arrives in London where he becomes involved in Fagin’s misfit gang of pickpockets. Infectiously upbeat, quick with his hands (and a deck of cards) Dodger is always making plans and finding ways to succeed in a world that is frequently against him. He is rarely downhearted, very loyal but is impulsive and often rushes into situations without thinking them through first.

Charley Bates

Until Jack meets her as he escapes from the mill, Charley is working on a farm scaring birds from the fields. She is determined, watchful and wise in the ways of the countryside but is not so at home in the big city when she and Dodger reach London. She has a strong northern accent and a strong personality to match taking charge of hiding Dodger and tending to his wounded feet. Initially unhappy with the criminal lifestyle of the gang and after a dangerous foray into the outside world, Charley learns to accept that her new housemates actually care and are the family she never had. She’s not scared to stand up to Fagin. When she was living on the farm her upkeep was paid for by a mysterious woman who came to the farmhouse every few weeks to pay the farmer’s wife. When she runs off with Dodger to London the farmer seems keen to get her back, saying “there’s more to that girl than you’d know…”

Tom Chitling

Tom is the oldest member of the gang, an awkward 17 years old. He should really move on now but, after a stretch in prison, he has lost his nerve for pickpocketing as he doesn’t want to go back inside. He is resentful of the new boy Dodger, who seems to be taking his place in the gang. Tom is full of talk, wants to be the boss and tries to portray himself as a hard man. This riles Fagin. But in truth Tom is scared, confused and doesn’t know how to get back into Fagin’s good books. He frequently brags about his time in prison – the gang are bored of the stories – but it’s clear that he had a tough time. He mistakenly looks up to Bill Sikes who sees him as his protégé. He makes some very wrong decisions which leads him to betray his so-called friends.

Polly Crackitt

Polly is Fagin’s trusted little lieutenant. His fixer. Street-smart and savvy, this pickpocketing dynamo can always be relied on and will get any job done if she can. It’s Polly that first spots the talented Dodger out on the streets and gets him back after he runs for it. When Dodger and Charley arrive at the lair, it is Polly that shows them round and points out all the hiding places and dangerous doors in the secret room above the pub. She has a straightforward no-nonsense way about her. Sees and says it how it is. But beware, if you cross her she will fight back…even if you are Bill Sikes. She is small but strong and quick thinking. She is also most likely to run her own gang in the fullness of time.

Tang

Tang is tiny and cute but Fagin calls her his “little scorpion”. She’s a miniscule nimble operator. As the youngest member of the gang Tang is keen to move up the ranks and take more on. Fagin often puts her on lookout, but this makes her grumpy – she wants to be pickpocketing with the others. She is determined and brave, but the terrible conditions and pollution in the slums of London mean she is prone to illness. Fagin rescued her from the dens of Limehouse and he always retains a soft spot for her because of her strength of character. Patronise Tang and she’ll snap at you and then nick your pocket watch.

The Adults

Fagin

Fagin, a great survivor, runs the gang of child pickpockets from a secret hideout above a dodgy pub near the East London docks. A complex, enigmatic, quick-tempered character with a tragic past, hinted at when he tearfully looks at a faded old family portrait. It’s clear that he cares a lot for his little gang – especially Dodger in whom maybe he sees his old self. The gang are his only real company. He doesn’t like silence. He is also exploiting them. However, as he often points out, if he wasn’t putting a (leaky) roof over their heads they would be on the streets, most likely starving or worse. He urges them to rob simply to survive. He wants them to beat the odds and lives by a strict robber’s code. Though he likes a laugh and often makes jokes, he is prone to periods of melancholy and is agoraphobic so rarely goes outside. He prefers to wait in the lair while his gang of mini criminals are out at work for him. He is constantly hassled for rent by his landlady, publican Minnie, but there is some kind of understanding between them.

Bill Sikes

Bill was part of Fagin’s gang years ago. He has flown the nest, but still comes back when he’s hungry, needs a tipple or when he needs some help from the gang for one of his doomed criminal exploits. A huge unpredictable man with a violent streak, he is always accompanied by his bull terrier Bullseye. Bill is not especially clever but is immensely strong and fearless. All the gang, even Fagin, are a little scared of his angry outbursts and threatening nature. He’s not all bad though and, somehow, he’s impossible to dislike. He wears his heart on his sleeve, loves his dog, pies and wants to marry Nancy. But it’s typical of him that he steals her not a ring, but a knuckleduster.

Nancy

Nancy, like Bill, used to be in Fagin’s gang but has now moved on. She has recently been working in Buckingham Palace as a chambermaid (which soon comes in handy…) but has been sacked for stealing. She returns to Fagin’s lair as she has nowhere else to go, but quickly becomes frustrated at having to ‘babysit’ the younger members of the gang. She’s also tired of Fagin’s moods and ambivalent behaviour. You wouldn’t trust Nancy. She wants to set up on her own and make her own way in the criminal underworld. Maybe even with Bill. She’s that desperate. But Fagin still needs her experience and nous. Nancy is no shrinking violet. Her red dress signals, she’s a rose perhaps, but with thorns, certainly.

Minnie Bilge

Minnie runs The Fiddler’s Arms, the disreputable pub that Fagin’s secret hideout is above. She is also Fagin’s landlord, although he is frequently late on paying the rent. She claims her husband is in debtor’s prison. He may be, but wherever he is she certainly has no need for him, as she runs the pub with a rod of iron – serving drinks, hosting rat fight nights and sorting out fights with impunity. She does have a heart, somewhere, and has a soft spot for Fagin and the gang. Although, you wouldn’t really know it, particularly if the rent is late! She is a shrewd businesswoman and will often help the gang with their criminal exploits if she can see the benefit to herself.

Sir Charles Rowan

Based on a real historical figure, Sir Charles Rowan set up the London police force and was Commissioner of Police in London for 21 years. Before that, he had a distinguished military career and fought at the Battle of Waterloo. Unfortunately, this Rowan keeps on having flashbacks to the guns and cannons. Rowan becomes obsessed with catching the young criminal and the quest starts to take over his life. He becomes steadily more unhinged as the series progresses. He is a proud man, given to making slightly boring, rousing speeches. Nearing the end of his career, he is always anxious to please Queen Victoria. He has high ideals but is frequently frustrated by his hugely incompetent police officers.

PC Duff and PC Blathers

These two inept policemen are sent out by Sir Charles to track down Dodger and the gang. However, they are easily distracted and not very bright. Blathers is a family man with a wife who is not well and eleven hungry children to feed. Good-natured, nothing-between-the ears Duff is married but has no children but he would like some. Duff is well-meaning but not at all sharp and is frequently confused and startled by unexpected events. He likes jellied eels and falls over a lot. Duff generally loves people, especially The Queen. Blathers is a little cleverer and claims, “they are the best policemen London has to offer”. Duff says, “they are the only policemen London has to offer”.

Morgan – The Crossing Sweeper

In Victorian times young children would earn money by sweeping the filth from the streets when well-to-do people wanted to cross the road. The all-seeing Crossing Sweeper in Dodger overhears all sorts of conversations and is the go-to person for inside information and news. But he is always on the make – he will tell you what he knows, but only if you pay him first. Rather than go to Jon the News shouting the headlines on the street corner, have a discreet word with Morgan for the real gossip….

Blackpool Grand Theatre – Arts Council England, National Portfolio Organisation

In July 2014 the Arts Council England granted the Grand Theatre, National Portfolio Organisation status

The Arts Council’s National Portfolio Organisations represent some of the best arts practice in the world, and they play a vital role in helping ACE meet their mission of great art and culture for everyone. ACE are determined to fund organisations at a level at which they can continue to produce the excellent and innovative art that audiences want and deserve.

Blackpool’s Grand Theatre – Heritage and History

The Grand Theatre was opened on July 23, 1894 by Thomas Sergenson who immediately dubbed the theatre ‘Matcham’s Masterpiece’. This title is even more merited now that there are few surviving examples of the work of Frank Matcham, the leading Victorian theatre architect.

Access

We want to make a visit to Blackpool’s Grand Theatre a comfortable and enjoyable one for everyone. Accessibility is one of our priorities and full information about all the access provisions of our venue, including our guides, maps, facilities including seating arrangements, assistance dogs, accessible performances, hearing loops and how to sign up to our Access Register, is available at https://www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk/box-office-and-venue/our-venue/accessibility

For further information on Blackpool Grand Theatre visit: www.blackpoolgrand.co.uk

Marketing Department, Grand Theatre, 33 Church Street, Blackpool FY1 1HT

01253 743261 | e. marketing@blackpoolgrand.co.uk