Great Expectations, recognized as Charles Dickens' finest novel, is told by Pip, an orphan who lives with his sister and her husband, the village blacksmith. The young boy's life is changed forever when he meets and aids an escaped convict who wanders into his yard. Years later, Pip is sent to live with the decaying, bitter Miss Havisham and falls in love with her ward, the elegant and elusive Estella. A young man of modest means, Pip nevertheless aims to become a gentleman in order to win Estella's heart and an endowment from an anonymous benefactor suddenly places his intentions within reach. But capricious fate will lead him through further adversity and unexpected revelations in the pursuit of his dreams.
Charles Dickens (1812–1870) was born in Landport, Portsmouth, England, the second of eight children in a family continually plagued by debt. A legacy brought release from the nightmare of debtors’ prison and child labor and afforded him a few years of formal schooling. He worked as an attorney’s clerk and newspaper reporter until his early writings brought him the amazing success that was to be his for the remainder of his life. He was the most popular English novelist of the Victorian era, and he remains popular, responsible for some of English literature’s most iconic characters.
Martin Jarvis has starred in many West End productions and on Broadway in By Jeeves. His screen appearances include Titanic, Murder She Wrote, Miss Marple, Numb3rs, Inspector Morse, and Stargate Atlantis. He is an award-winning audiobook performer and has received an OBE from the Queen for his services to drama.