David Copperfield was Dickens' own favourite - and was to become his most enduringly popular - novel, with a host of characters which are among the most famous creations in fiction.

Now it burst onto screen in a dazzling adaptation which boasts a truly world-class cast: there's Bob Hoskins as the ever-optimistic Mr Micawber; Maggie Smith as David's fearsome aunt, Betsey Trotwood; Trevor Eve as the sadistic Mr Murdstone; Nicholas Lyndhurst as sly, sinister Uriah Heep; Pauline Quirke as David's loyal friend and servant, Pegotty; and featuring Ciaran McMenamin as David, with Harry Lloyd (the 15 year old descendant of Dickens himself) as the young Steerforth.