What 1861 published novel by Charles Dickens helped to inspire the name of the comedy series Bleak Expectations?
Bleak Expectations Bleak Expectations is a BBC Radio 4 comedy series that premièred in August 2007. It is a pastiche of the works of Charles Dickens – such as "Bleak House" and "Great Expectations", from which it derives its name – as well as adventure/ science fiction and costume dramas set in the same period, and parodies several of their plot devices (such as cruel guardians, idyllic childhoods interrupted, lifelong friendships, earnest young people), whilst simultaneously tending toward a highly surreal humour along the lines of "The Goon Show". The series has also demonstrated a fondness for allusions to and parodies of the films of Alec Guinness, particularly the Edwardian satire "Kind Hearts and Coronets".
Bleak House (2005 TV serial) Bleak House is a fifteen-part BBC television drama serial adaptation of Charles Dickens' novel "Bleak House", which was originally published in 1852–53. Produced with an all-star cast, the serial was shown on BBC One from 27 October to 16 December 2005, and drew much critical and popular praise. It has been reported that the total cost of the production was in the region of £8 million.