BBC sparks fears it will 'wokeify' Charles Dickens as broadcaster unveils series about writer's life: 'Study the REAL history!'

Production company Expectation is producing the programme in collaboration with The Open University.

Each episode will run for 60 minutes, examining how the 19th-century writer, journalist, and social campaigner transformed his observations of London life into some of literature's most enduring works.

The programme is billed to delve into Dickens' nighttime wanderings through the capital, revealing how his chronic insomnia drove him to explore the city after dark.

As a compulsive night walker, he encountered characters and stories on London's shadowy streets that would later provide the basis for his work.

The documentary is also set to examine how his observations in courtrooms and prisons not only provided material for his texts but also intensified his awareness of social inequality.

Victorian London plays a pivotal role in the project, portrayed as a sprawling metropolis defined by stark contrasts between wealth and poverty.

The programme traces how these experiences on the ground shaped both Dickens' storytelling and his passionate philanthropy for the disadvantaged.

The series will trace how pivotal moments from Dickens' own life found their way into his most famous novels, including Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and A Christmas Carol.

Viewers will learn about the traumatic period when the young Dickens was sent to work at a boot blacking factory, an experience that left lasting scars and influenced much of his subsequent writing.

The documentary also covers his work as a journalist, including his reporting on the devastating 1849 cholera outbreak in Tooting.

However, the BBC has also claimed it will incorporate "dramatic reconstructions" and connect the injustices of his era to modern societal issues. Together, these factors have led to a sense of wariness among some.

"Hoping this is a rather dry academic study of the real history of Charles Dickens, as there is a lot of stuff to go on, and not another docudrama," one X user explicitly said in response to the announcement.

Meanwhile, a second sarcastically predicted a woke overhaul of the legendary author: "Cool, can't wait to see him portrayed as the black disabled trans lesbian he/she/they was/were in real life. The truth will come out at last!"

And a third was similarly worried: "Oh God... what are you going to destroy now?"

However, there were several literature boffins keen to see how BBC Arts would put together the series. "Intriguing! I look forward to its impending release," one X user said.

"Definitely want to watch this!!" a second agreed, while a third also held an optimistic view: "Looking forward to this!"

Suzy Klein, Head of BBC Arts and Classical Music TV, described Dickens as "beloved by generations of readers for his peerless plotting, keen sense of place and vivid characters who live long in the memory."

She added that the series "promises to reveal as much about love, passion, society, crime and class today as it will for Dickens' own era."

Welp. pic.twitter.com/gPaJMCgLyD

— It's Walter's toupée (@Al_Joe_K) March 18, 2026

Colin Barr, Creative Director of Factual at Expectation, noted that "like many of his much-loved characters, Dickens himself was a man of contradictions and secrets, which both drove him on and threatened to tear him down."

The production will bring nineteenth-century London to life through early Victorian street photography, period etchings and drawings, alongside the author's own words and dramatic reconstructions.