Τhe Artful Dodger is an Australian TV series produced for Disney+. It is a sequel to the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist (1838).
Let’s find out more about the series!
- The Artful Dodger is an Australian television series.
- It was produced by Sony Pictures Television’s Curio Pictures and Beach Road Pictures for streaming service Disney+.
- It is a sequel to the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist (1838).
- It features Thomas Brodie-Sangster as the eponymous Artful Dodger and David Thewlis as Fagin.
- The series has eight parts.
- The eight-part series was created by James McNamara, David Maher and David Taylor.
- It is directed and produced by Jeffrey Walker.
- Also directing are Corrie Chen and Gracie Otto.
- Set 15 years after the conclusion of Oliver.
- A sign outside the Cat & Bagpipes can be seen advertising Wild’s Celebrated Ales. In the musical Oliver, the Artful Dodger was played by Jack Wild.
- The project was announced in 2022.
- The eight-part series is a co-production between Sony Pictures Television’s Curio Pictures and Beach Road Pictures.
- Jo Porter represents Curio Pictures as executive producer, while David Maher and David Taylor executive produce for Beach Road Pictures.
- It was created by James McNamara, David Maher and David Taylor.
- Writers on the series include McNamara, Andrew Knight, Vivienne Walshe and Dan Knight,
- Miranda Tapsell was a story consultant.
- In November 2022, the lead cast was confirmed as including David Thewlis, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Maia Mitchell.
- Brodie-Sangster and Mitchell read through real-life historical case files from the era and had medical experts to help them in their roles.
- The cast also includes a number of Australian actors, including Damon Herriman, Miranda Tapsell, Tim Minchin and Susie Porter.
- The series was released in Australia on streaming service Disney+, via its Star hub, on 29 November 2023.
- Internationally, it also premiered on Star+ in Latin America and on Hulu in the United States.
- In the United Kingdom and Ireland, the series premiered on Disney+ on 17 January 2024.
- Filming took place in Sydney, New South Wales.
- Filming on the series took five months.
- The production had access to a former psychiatric hospital precinct in Sydney, preserved from the 19th century with the production surrounding the existing sandstone buildings with standing sets.
- Filming locations also included Elizabeth Farm in the Western Sydney suburbs, Rookwood Cemetery, Callan Park, and the northern headland of Botany Bay, Cape Banks.
- Luke Buckmaster in The Guardian gave it four stars out of five, described it as “darkly comedic”, and praised the editing for helping the series maintain a “wild energy”.
- Maggie Lovitt for Collider described a “stellar cast, sumptuous costumes, plucky score, and surprising story, the series is easily one of the best—and most refreshing—to debut on the streamer this year. “
- Dan Einav in The Financial Times praised the performances, saying “Thewlis steals every scene” and “Brodie-Sangster is well-cast as a young man caught between his innate impish spirit and efforts to be a responsible professional.”
- On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, The Artful Dodger holds an approval rating of 92% with an audience score of 96%.
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