Black Britain and the classic adaptation: Integrated casting in television adaptations of Oliver Twist and Little Dorrit

Abstract

This article examines the BBC 2007 adaptation of Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist (1838) and the BBC 2008 adaptation of Little Dorrit (1857). It explores the casting of black British actors to play non-racially marked roles, with a focus on the casting of Sophie Okonedo and Freema Agyeman in the roles of Nancy and Tattycoram, respectively. It examines this casting in two critical contexts: firstly, as a representational strategy which serves to make visible the historical presence of a black diaspora in Victorian England and, secondly, as a performance practice which invites the audience not to see the racial identity of the actor as relevant to his or her role. Through critical reflection on the tensions between these two interpretations, this article seeks to situate classic adaptations of Victorian texts within the context of debates about representations of black British identity and history in contemporary culture.