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Charles Dickens and the Invention of Christmas, written and presented by Griff Rhys Jones. BBC 1, 23 December 2007.
Given all the entertainment possibilities competing for viewers' attention over the recent Christmas period, it might have been easy to overlook this hour-long exploration of Dickens and Christmas, tucked away on a Sunday afternoon. Like the book it was celebrating, this programme was a gem. During the course of a well-crafted and attractively-presented hour, Griff Rhys Jones examined the impact of A Christmas Carol when it first appeared on 19 December 1843, its influence over subsequent years, the ways in which Christmas celebrations themselves developed during the nineteenth century, and the place this work has in Dickens's life and career.
The programme was a blend...