BBC Bosses Don’t Want Any More Of £10million Dickens Mash-Up Series After Viewer Numbers Plummet

Oliver Twist famously wanted more.

But BBC have already had enough of their £10million series Dickensian after its audience numbers slumped from five million viewers to just two million.

The drama, billed as a ‘mash-up’ of Chrales Dickens’ characters and stories has lasted only 20 episodes.

A BBC source told The Sun: “I don’t think anyone expected it to do massive ratings.

“It did a good job in its own way but it didn’t manage to keep it up so its fate was sealed.

“Opening with five million was always going to be a hard act to follow. It did very well on the iPlayer but the traditional ratings still speak volumes for a drama with these sorts of costs attached.”

The series flopped despite featuring stars including Pauline Collins, Caroline Quentin and Stephen Rea, both below.

It launched on Boxing Day last year but viewers criticised the Beeb for constantly shifting the 30-minute episodes.

The drama followed the story of Inspector Bucket, from Bleak House, trying to solve the murder of Marley. It saw 28 characters from Dickens books, including Oliver Twist’s Fagin appearing alongside Scrooge and Jacob Marley from A Christmas Carol, and costly sets featured 27 buildings including a cobbled high street, pub and law court.

A BBC spokesman told The Sun: “We are incredibly proud of Dickensian. We sometimes have to make difficult decisions to make room for new shows.”

Pictures Getty Images/BBC