In the 1810s orphan boy Pip Pirrup lives on the Kent marshes with his shrewish sister and her kindly husband,farrier Joe Gargery. On Christmas eve,whilst visiting his parents' grave, he is confronted by an escaped convict who scares him into stealing a file from Joe's forge to cut his fetters though the man is quickly recaptured without incriminating Pip. In the new year Pip is introduced to Miss Havisham in her decaying mansion Satis House. Still wearing the bridal gown in which she was jilted decades earlier,she tells Pip to play cards with her adopted daughter Estella,who,despite her rudeness, captivates the boy. Miss Havisham also summons Joe to pay the fee for Pip's apprenticeship at the forge but,whilst they are signing the papers at Satis House, Mrs Joe,who has recently quarrelled with her husband's assistant,Orlick,is attacked and struck dumb. As the years pass the teen-aged Pip works for Joe,who cannot afford to keep Orlick on. Then one day Mr Jaggers,a lawyer,arrives to tell Pip to accompany him back to London,where an anonymous benefactor has left him a fortune to improve his life-style.
Stars: Ray Winstone, Oscar Kennedy, Shaun Dooley
Director(s): Brian Kirk
Writer(s): Sarah Phelps, Charles Dickens