Young David Copperfield's (Ciaran McMenamin) life is not a happy one. To begin with, after the death of his father, he sees his mother marry the villainous Edward Murdstone (Trevor Eve). Then, when his mother sadly also dies, he moves to live with Mr Micawber (Bob Hoskins) and encounters the scoundrel Uriah Heep (Nicholas Lyndhurst). Is there no end to the young lad's misfortune? This BBC production of Charles Dickens' semi-autobiographical novel formed the mainstay of their Christmas 1999 programming.

Nick Moran directs this drama based on the bestselling memoir by Kevin Lewis. Rupert Friend stars as Lewis, who suffers a childhood of poverty, violence and abuse at the hands of his parents (Natascha McElhone and Con O'Neill) before taking up boxing and becoming embroiled with the criminal underworld in his native South London. A serious incident then triggers a major turnaround in his life and Lewis emerges from his unpromising past to become a published writer and happily married family man. Ioan Gruffud and Jodie Whittaker co-star.

Submerge yourself in classic BBC Dickens dramatisations that, like the great novelist's work, have stood the test of time.

The majesty of Charles Dickens' storytelling is captured in this DVD boxset that brings together BBC dramatisations of eight of the acclaimed author's classic novels. From the touching 1985 dramatisation of the semi-autobiographical Oliver Twist to the moving A Christmas Carol that sidesteps mawkish sentimentality and instead, offers viewers an affecting and sincere drama, each TV adaptation will delight fans of the author – and win over a generation of new ones.

Starring a wealth of celebrated actors including Maggie Smith, Bob Hoskins, John Mills and many more, the Charles Dickens Collection celebrates the author's work with authentic and beautifully-played mini TV-series from a broadcaster that is world-renowned for its adaptations.

In chronological order, the adaptations featured in this set are:

• A Christmas Carol (1977)
• A Tale of Two Cities (1980)
• The Pickwick Papers (1985)
• Oliver Twist (1985)
• Martin Chuzzlewit (1994)
• Our Mutual Friend (1998)
• David Copperfield (1999)
• Great Expectations (1999)