If you ever wondered what happened to charming rogue The Artful Dodger after the events of Charles Dickens’ immortal classic, Oliver Twist, we have an update for you. He hared off to Australia, and a new eight-part series has arrived to tell us what happened next.
How to watch The Artful Dodger in the UK
The Artful Dodger is streaming in the UK from November 29 exclusively on Disney+.
The Artful Dodger: Season 1
What is The Artful Dodger about?
Why, the Artful Dodger, of course! Who we last saw getting transported to the Colonies (well, Sydney) for a bit of light larceny. Years later he now lives under his real name of Jack Dawkins and is a military veteran and acclaimed surgeon—how things change! But perhaps they don’t change that much, as he’s still a dodgy dude now saddled with crippling gambling debts, and things are only complicated when a shadow from the past intrudes into his current life (it’s Fagin, of course it’s Fagin). It’s a bit like Dexter, but with swiping stuff instead of chopping people into sushi.
The cast of The Artful Dodger
Thomas Brodie-Sangster is our now-adult hero, which is a bit weird because he still looks 12; Tim Minchin is villainous gambler Darius Cracksworth, who holds our hero’s marker; the great David Thewlis, who will never run short of work as long as we’re making period pieces, is Fagin; Damon Herriman is tough copper Captain Gaines; and Maia Mitchell, Miranda Tapsell, Huw Higginson, Susie Porter, Damien Garvey, Andrea Demetriade, Jessica De Gouw, Kym Gyngell, and Luke Carroll round out the ranks. That is a lot of talent on the call sheet.
The Artful Dodger trailer
What are the critics saying about The Artful Dodger?
They are loving it: it’s playful, light on its feet, a bit gritty, a little bloody, and a lot of fun. Brodie-Sangster is getting his share of plaudits for embodying our fave Victorian vagabond, and the whole thing is drenched in that dirty-fancy 19th century aesthetic we all adore. Sounds like a good time to us!
