Great Expectations will form the centrepiece of the Dickens season this Christmas. Part thriller, part mystery, with a powerful love story at its heart, Sarah Phelps"s (Oliver Twist, EastEnders) three-part adaptation embraces all of these qualities, delivering a vibrant, visceral, story. The stellar cast includes Gillian Anderson, David Suchet and Ray Winstone, and it will be broadcast on BBC1 in a prime-time slot in December this year.