"I've played a few, haven't I? I've played Fagin and I've played Mr Venus. I've played Cheeryble, I've played young Wackford Squeers, I've played Ham on the radio, I've played many of them... they don't feel like Dickensian characters to me. They feel like real characters. They feel like real people."

  - Timothy Spall

Actor Timothy Spall, a longtime Dickens fan, has played a wide variety of the writer's characters on stage, screen and radio. In this exclusive interview he talks about his enduring fascination with Dickens the author and his affinity with Dickens the man, as well as his experiences of bringing his creations to life.

We would like to thank the following for their generous contributions to these films: Nigel Algar, Bryony Dixon, Michael Eaton, Mervyn Heard, Gwyneth Hughes, Anne Pivcevic, Dr John Plunkett, Dr Florian Schweizer, Poppy Simpson, Timothy Spall, Phil Wickham and Adrian Wootten, as well as the BBC, The Bill Douglas Centre, The Charles Dickens Museum, The Imperial War Museum, ITV Global Entertainment and Studiocanal.