Author of some of the most memorable characters in all of literature, Charles Dickens is widely considered the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. His work is timeless, transcending generations, while he continues to be one of the most adapted writers in all of history. During his lifetime, Dickens attracted international adulation on an unprecedented scale. He cultivated a genial intimacy with his readers, and after he died many of his admirers felt that they had lost a personal friend.

But what was Dickens really like? With an introduction by acclaimed actor Peter Ackroyd and imagined by one of the world's foremost Dickens scholars, Paul Schlicke, sit back and listen to the master conversationalist himself talk about everything from actors, literary inspiration, copyright, religion, America, social change... and, of course, Christmas. Join him for a chat, and be swept up by his vigour, warmth and humanity.