Nigel Havers stars as the young Nicholas Nickleby, cruelly thrown out into the world to seek his fortune, in the BBC's triumphant adaptation of one of Charles Dickens' most celebrated novels.

Upon the death of his father, Nicholas - along with his mother and sister Kate - finds himself destitute and at the mercy of stern and parsimonious Uncle Ralph. Ralph cruelly despatches his niece to a dressmaking establishment, while Nicholas is found a post as a schoolmaster in Dotheboys Hall, a vile and oppressive boarding school for unwanted and unloved children run by the sadistic Wackford Squeers. It is an experience that will shape the course of his life.

Darkly satirical, angry, funny, hugely entertaining - and filled with the richest assortment of oddball characters that could only have originated from the quill of Dickens - Nicholas Nickleby features Nigel Havers in his first leading role, along with a delightful supporting cast that includes Freddie Jones, Liz Smith and Patricia Routledge.