Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English novelist, journalist and social commentator, widely regarded as the greatest writer of the Victorian era. Born in Portsmouth into a family that knew poverty firsthand, he drew on that experience to craft unflinching portraits of working-class life in industrial Britain - from the orphan Oliver Twist to the miser Ebenezer Scrooge. His fifteen novels, published in serial installments, reached mass audiences in a way no author before him had managed, and his best-known work, A Tale of Two Cities, has sold over 200 million copies, making it the best-selling novel in history.
The Charles Dickens Museum in London marked its 100th anniversary on 9 June 2025 with free entry and appearances by members of the Dickens family.
Queen Camilla visited the Charles Dickens Museum on 26 March 2025 to mark the institution's centenary year.
The Charles Dickens Museum opened the exhibition 'Showtime!' (23 July 2025 - 18 January 2026), exploring 185+ years of stage and screen adaptations of Dickens's work.
Marlowe Theatre announced a major new UK tour of A Tale of Two Cities, adapted by Terence Rattigan and Sir John Gielgud, premiering in Canterbury in September 2026.
The longest-running production of TINTILO Musical Theatre – a musical adaptation of Dickens' classic about the transformation of the miserly merchant Scrooge on Christmas Eve.
Dickens' beloved "A Christmas Carol" reimagined as a live radio-play performance at Berlin's Zebrano-Theater - a charming and festive evening out.