Dickens with jazz hands and a side of chaos? Sign me up.
Pickwick is a British television musical made by the BBC in 1969 and based on the 1963 stage musical Pickwick, which in turn was based on the 1837 novel The Pickwick Papers written by Charles Dickens. It stars Harry Secombe as Samuel Pickwick and Roy Castle as Sam Weller. This television production was based on the stage musical Pickwick which had been a commercial success. It was adapted for the screen by James Gilbert and Jimmy Grafton. The musical had premiered in the West End in 1963, again with Harry Secombe in the lead role. Running at 90 minutes and made in colour, the TV musical again had lyrics by Leslie Bricusse and a score by Cyril Ornadel. The book was by Wolf Mankowitz and it was directed by Terry Hughes. The programme was first transmitted on 11 June 1969 and again on 26 December 1969. One of the better known songs from the score is "If I Ruled the World". The cast of this production differed somewhat from that of the stage musical.
Acting
Harry Secombe's jolly, booming presence carries every scene.
Score
Leslie Bricusse's earworm that WILL get stuck in your head.
Production
BBC colour TV from '69 — gloriously staged theatrical intimacy.
Director
Terry Hughes
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Harry Secombe was already famous as a Goon Show member when he originated Pickwick on stage in 1963, making this a rare case of a radio comedian conquering West End then BBC television.
'If I Ruled the World' became Secombe's signature tune and a staple of British light entertainment for decades, completely divorced from its Dickensian origins. Most people humming it have zero clue it's about a put-upon Victorian gentleman.
US
