Olivia Colman chills in trailer for Steven Knight's Great Expectations
The Dickens tale as you've never seen it before.
Steven Knight is back with another dark and gritty Charles Dickens adaptation in Great Expectations, with the full trailer showing Olivia Colman in one of her toughest roles to date.
Based on the classic novel of the same name, the drama follows the life of orphan boy Pip (Fionn Whitehead), who dreams of a better life where he can be with the cold-hearted Estella (Shalom Brune-Franklin).
Colman plays Miss Havisham, the tragic figure who was once abandoned at the altar by the man she was due to marry, and whose sanity has taken a severe knock in the years since.
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As described in the book, Miss Havisham wears a wedding dress at all times, with Colman and Knight's incarnation of the character being perhaps the most striking ever depicted on screen.
The trailer below gives us a taste of what's in store. Watch now:
This is the second Dickens adaptation to come from Knight, best known as the creator of Peaky Blinders, following on from his bold reimagining of A Christmas Carol in 2019.
In addition to Colman, Whitehead and Brune-Franklin, the ensemble cast also includes Ashley Thomas (The Ipcress File), Johnny Harris (Without Sin), Hayley Squires (The Essex Serpent), Owen McDonnell (Killing Eve), Trystan Gravelle (The Rings of Power) and Matt Berry (What We Do in the Shadows).
The BBC is yet to announce a confirmed air date for the much-anticipated limited series, although notably it is scheduled to premiere in late March in the United States via producing partner FX.
Read more:
- Olivia Colman is Miss Havisham in first look at Great Expectations
- Olivia Colman stars in new look at Great Expectations from Steven Knight
Great Expectations is coming soon to BBC One and iPlayer. Check out more of our Drama coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on.
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Authors
David Craig is the Senior Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest and greatest scripted drama and comedy across television and streaming. Previously, he worked at Starburst Magazine, presented The Winter King Podcast for ITVX and studied Journalism at the University of Sheffield.
