DB: It was great to have Ridley read the scripts and get his thoughts, as well as being across the casting and director selection. It’s a privilege to have both Ridley and Tom as part of our creative team.

In film adaptations of Great Expectations, Miss Havisham has been played by a number of actors, including: Mazur, Matt (5 January 2011). "The Devil is a Woman: Sunset Boulevard, Norma Desmond, and Actress Noir". International Cinephile Society . Retrieved 30 June 2018.KC: We were aware of Samira from her work on Deutschland 83 and it was fantastic to have a female viewpoint for the last two episodes. And also because Samira is not British, having somebody else look at the British class system at that time was very interesting. I think the casting is inspired. I was excited when I heard Ashley was going to be playing Jaggers – he’s mastered language as a rapper and is an incredible actor. As an actor you'd be lying if you didn't say that you're always intrigued as to who’s going to be the other cast members! I’m a massive fan of Olivia. It just works. When they said Olivia was going to play Miss Havisham I was like: they’ve nailed that. Sometimes adaptations can be a bit dusty and old, but I think Steven's was unashamedly modern.

DB: Steve examines her mental illness in a way that's never really been done before, it feels so much more truthful. She is obviously a fragile character to begin with but then when she was left at the altar it had a profound impact on the course of her life.

Who stars in the series? 

Pip is kind of obsessed with Shalom’s character even though she is quite intimidating, harsh and cold with him. This couldn't be further from the truth in real life. Shalom is a brilliant actor and so kind; we get on really well and have a real laugh in between takes. It’s been great to be able to switch in and out of that because it would be exhausting to be really cold with each other the whole time, but we've been able to have a really good time. It’s kind of cheeky to say it because I'm playing Magwitch but it's the graveyard scene from the original movie. That haunting image. And Miss Havisham as well. The haunting image of this old lady who’s been jilted and resentful. That’s a powerful image. It's hard to describe him really because he goes on a journey. It depends which Magwitch you're talking about, you know, he's quite different at the beginning to the end. Magwitch is a troubled man. On the surface, he's a convict, a rogue, a highwayman, a legend of the road, and he's lived the life of sin. We meet him when the repercussions of that are in full swing. Then there’s an awakening, and from there on he's someone who is trying to do the right thing in life. We were so excited to meet each other! He was in makeup and I went in and went "hello" and he went "oh!" He got his earbud and I think he put it up his nose, he didn’t know what to do! We had heard so much about each other, from mutual friends, so working with him was so exciting. He is a proper, proper actor.

Osborn, Michael (24 December 2011). "BBC News – Great Expectations: Miss Havisham given 'youthful' air". Bbc.co.uk . Retrieved 14 August 2012. Many journalists have drawn connections between the jilted Miss Havisham and subsequent jilted brides (life imitates art), such as the widely-reported case of Alice Pinard-Dôges, who committed suicide in 1894. [8] Alternative and derived versions [ edit ] Ronald Frame's 2013 novel, Havisham, is a non-canonical story about Miss Havisham's early life. The story tells how Miss Havisham (given the name of Catherine) is the daughter of a brewer. The story tells of more than just the infamous trauma of being left behind by her fiancé and goes on with her taking charge of her family's business before descending into vengeful madness, adopting Estella, and arranging the meeting of Estella and Pip. The dynamic between Pip and Jaggers is like an abusive relationship. Pip does everything Jaggers says and commits all kinds of terrible acts for and with Jaggers because he thinks that this is what he should do to become a gentleman. But, as it goes on, he starts to draw out the humanity in Jaggers and see that he's not as clear cut as he first appears. He's not just evil and, actually, some of the things he does he does for reasons that he tries not to let onto anyone, and I think that Pip breaks through some of that. With Magwitch, Pip doesn't really have very much to do with him. He's a very influential figure in his early life and I think that really affects him. That initial interaction really affects him throughout his life. I think it shakes him up because it's the first time he's experienced anyone who is completely out of his world, who is nothing to do with his village or where he's from. Anne Bancroft (1998) (a version which modernised the story to the twentieth century and changed the names of several characters)

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