dickens too. now i think we're at a point where if you are a writer in the english language you must know about dickens. you must know. >> dickens and shakespeare on the same page. >> yes. >> i think shakespeare comes when you talk or think about dickens. one way to know why is to think of a character like scrooge. how does one come up with a scrooge or a fallstaff or hamlet. how does one come up wit with-- there is something about a creation that, a character creation that becomes iconic the first time you read it, that you only find perhaps in shakespeare and dickens. i think you can also make that statement. i'm sure i'm forgetting. >> one of the things they have in common, shakespeare and dickens is the brilliance at portraying low life. when you think about shakespeare you think about the greatlyo hamlet but he is actually incredibly good at soldiers getting drunk in pubs and you know prostitutes and-- et cetera, et cetera, if you look at the low life of dickens and low life of shakespeare th

dickens. celebrated as one of the greatest writers in english literature, his books have sold millions worldwide. as we commemorate the 200th anniversary of his birth, there is new evidence that dickens was himself closer to some of his characters than previously thought. >> charles dickens is one of the great writers, the academics are convinced ensor the public. his books have never been out of print -- are convinced and so are the public. his books have never been out of print. few authors have documented their time more insight fully than charles dickens -- insightfully than charles dickens. a new book claims this street was dickens' inspiration for when he was writing "oliver twist." it is true that he did live here and would have walked up and down this road, doing his favorite thing, observing everyday life with his attuned year for dialogue and his keen eye for detail -- attuned ear for dialogue and his keen eye for detail. the historian who wrote this book took me on a tour of the are

charles dickens.henomenal interest worldwide of charles dickens. we know he was a great man and we're terribly proud to be related to him but this has completely taken us by surprise. >> reporter: as you can imagine, there are events happening all across the country. there is a dickens read-a-thon where they will be going through all of charles dickens' classic works, and even the politicians are getting in on it. the culture minister is going to be giving a card copy of dickens classics to every member of the cabinet. and it is tailored to either their personality or their jobs. for example, prime minister david cameron is getting a copy of great expectations, reflecting his political ambitions and hard time, inspiration, perhaps, for the bleak economic climate the country is currently in. now, as for liberal democrats, he is getting a copy of oliver twist. that can be interpreted in many different ways. but for fans of dickens, they say the main reason that we should continue to read dickens works t

at another former home, now the dickens museum, a royal audience for one of those who brought dickens stories to a new generation. >> his description of characters and the state of being at that time in england was a part of our historical record. >> charles dickens had 10 children. in westminster abbey, the largest ever gathering of his relations gathered. the public demanded that he be allowed to join other great literary figures in the abbey. the man who grew to enjoy the attention would have probably appreciated their efforts. >> it was 50 years ago today that the united states tightened its economic embargo on cuba to a near total blockade. they launched the longest trade barrier in history. the aid -- aim was to force the castro brothers from power. 50 years later, the situation is the same. >> owning a classic car in some people's dream. for this man, stopping his chevy a headache. the trade embargo has caused headaches for getting parts. this is a testament of the ingenuity. this is a reminder when american money flowed freely here. the trade blockade was meant to strangle the

today's biographers agree that the journey from page to stage helped make dickens a victorian superstar. one biographer has played his own part in bringing dickens to a wider audience. >> when writing his books, he used to leap up and look in the mirror and check the expression on his face and report it and write it down, because it was a performance for him. he was being those characters in the same was an actor does. -- same ways and actor does. >> charles dickens did not live to see his productions brought into film. "great expectations" was completed in 1939. his fame was still spreading -- 19009. his aim was still spreading. >> he was a rock star. crowds flooded to him. he made millions of pounds in modern-day money. he was the first great media celebrity. the more you look at him, the more you realize what he is so exciting -- why he is so exciting. >> interested and inspired, these are the children of manchester's all saints primary, tapping into dickens for a sense of history and a spur to their own imagination. >> say if you stop at a certain part, you want to read more. >> it

the opening words of "a tale of two cities" by charles dickens.this, dickens bicentennial, mark phillips has a few more words about the author. >> reporter: the bells rang out over london where a congregation gathered to commemorate the birth 200 years ago not just of a man but of the language he created. >> the best of times, the worst of times. >> oliver twist, i want some more. >> please, sir, i want some more. >> reporter: charles dickens' works have been turned into more movies and screenplays than any other novelists. >> humbug, i tell you! >> reporter: his themes of poverty and social injustice made more real, perhaps, because of his own rags-to-riches story. dickens himself was sent out to work in a child labor sweatshop because his father was sent to debtor's prison. ask his great, great grandson. >> these characters are still there, the writing is still there. >> reporter: it's not a happy image. when you say dickens yans, you think of work houses, poverty. >> he was a great social reformer. >> reporter: and a great marketer. his works p

charles dickens has become a literary superstar. his life began in a modest house close to the portsmouth dockyards. today, the street outside was crowded with well-wishers at the first in a series of celebrations which traced his career. in a london neighborhood, others follow the dickens trail to an area which caused some painful memories. 200 years on, it is possible to find traces of the world which inspired this writing. this is the wall of the prison. charles dickens saw his father locked up here for debt and to gain firsthand experience of what it was to be disadvantaged. at another home, now the dickens museum, a royal audience who helped to bring these stories to a new generation. >> his descriptions of characters and their state of being at that time in england was part of our historical record. that is what it was like back then. >> charles dickens had 10 children. at westminster abbey, the largest ever gathering of his descendants gathered in the remembered. he had asked to be buried in can't. the public demanded that he

charles dickens turned his own observations and experiences to good use. his characters and the world they inhabit live on and will be remembered at today's service. >> if ordinary if people of england felt he was likened to them, that has gone on being true. people felt that he felt he wanted to show the poor people, servants, ordinary people, crushed, disabled people were real and mattered. >> charles dickens would be surprised to find himself remembered in this way at westminster abbey. he asked to be buried in the area that he loved so much as a child, rochester. but such was the public demand that he be treated as such a great national figure, they decided an alternative plan. >> hundreds of people memorialized here did not expect this to happen. the same for charles darwin. he expected to be buried at his local churchyard. >> later this morning under the gaze of playwrights and ports from history, family members will give tribute to the writer who asked to be remembered as an ordinary man. bbc news, westminster abbey. >> the latest pictures now and s

one biographer has played his own part bringing dickens to a wider audience. >> he would leap up and look in the mirror, checking the expression on his face and writing it down. he was being those characters. >> he did not live to see his characters make it into the movies. screenings include the earliest versions of christmas carol in 1901. and great expectations completed the 80 years later. his fame was still spreading. >> he was the most famous man in the world, crowds flooded to him. he was the first great media celebrity. the more you realize why people are interested in him. >> interested and inspired. these are children from the all saints primary. tapping into dickens for a sense of history. >> you want to read more and you don't want to stop reading. >> another vote of approval for a journalist or for an aspiring actor had to campaign for the disadvantaged. the road discovery remains well- travelled. >> that brings today's show to a close, but you can find constant updates on all the stories in tonight's broadcast. make sure to check out our facebook page. trevelian. thank

dickens called it foolishness. and frequently the dialogue turns personal and oftentimes completely inaccurate. i firmly believe there is a relationship between this irrational negativity, and our economic fortunes. and, in fact, i've heard this from both rhode islanders and from people across the country. most recently there was a foolish quibble over the distance of the amtrak line from our airport. the station district has the potential to be a source of good jobs, and that should be celebrated and written about. remember, our charter reads, to hold fortha lively experiment that a most flourishing civil state may stand in best be maintained. with that in mind, let's all tone it down for our challenges are too great. criticism is welcome when it is respectful, fair, and accurate. i'm sure governor garrity would agree. i wouldn't have run for governor if i didn't believe that rhode island can have the best of times. dickens writes of the age of wisdom. so it is appropriate to talk now about the knowledge district,

. >>> england's prince charles cut a birthday cake yesterday to celebrate charles dickens 200th birththe prince and his wife toured the dickens museum and attended a service of thanksgiving at westminster abbey while prince charles laid a wreath to mark the occasion. >>> nasa shows off a spectacular view of last month's northern lights from the international space station when a blast of electrically charged particles from the sun lit up the earth's atmosphere. >>> now here is another look at >>> now here is an early look at how wall street will kick off the day. dow opens at 12,878 after gaining 33 points. the s&p up two points and the nasdaq also added two. taking a look at overseas trading this morning. nikkei climbed 98 points and hang seng jumped 319. >>> investors watching more earnings reports today and keeping an eye on the top greek debt. the rising wall street stocks tuesday took the dow to its highest level since may of 2008. job openings reached the highest level in almost three years with 3.4 million jobs waiting to be filled at the end of december. consumer borrowing jum

. >>> england's prince charles cut a birthday cake yesterday to celebrate charles dickens 200th birththe prince and his wife camilla duchess of cornwall toured the dickens museum and attended a service of thanksgiving at westminster abbey while prince charles laid a wreath to mark the occasion. >>> some really cool newly released nasa video, shows off a spectacular view of last month's northern lights from the international space station when a blast of electrically charged particles from the sun lit up the earth's atmosphere. >>> new here is your first look at how wall street will kick off the day. dow opens at 12,878 after gaining 33 points. the s&p up two points and the nasdaq was also up two. taking a look at overseas trading this morning, in noek, the nikkei -- in tokyo the nikkei climbed 98 points while in hong kong the hang seng jumped 319. >>> investors watching more earnings reports today and keeping an eye on talks of greek debt. the rising wall street stocks tuesday took the dow to its highest level since may of 2008. job openings reached the highest level in almost three y

this is where charl dickens is buried. they were joined by film makers, writers, but also more than 200 direct descene dents of charles dickens. it was the largest dickens family gathering. they did so to commemorate his works. they say really that his themes of poverty, social injustice are still very much echoing today. in fact, as part of that the cabinet ministers are being given each a book of dickens' work reflecting not just their personality but their jobs. prime minister cameron for example today received a copy of "great expectations " and "hard times" apparently to inspire him in dealing with the political and economic recession for the country. >> sort of ironic we're celebrating his life and sort of seeing his writings play out right now in 2012. atika shubert, thank you. >>> alison kosik at the new york stock exchange. b.p. is making millions of dollars. that's hard for a lot of people to watch, alison. >> yeah, it's kind of interesting to see b.p. in terms of its financial health back on its feet, but in ter

dickens would not be surprised by the political leaders that we now have.liating the poor. and that nicely brings us to newt gingrich and mitt romney. one who would send poor children to clean toilets so they could be civilized and the other who says he's not overly concerned about the very poor in our society. both republicans. sadly, maybe not much as changed in 200 years. thanks so much for watching. dylan is here to take us forward. it's all yours. >> thank you so much. it's nice to be seeing

the ageless words written by dickens 152 years ago addressed the radical, social, and political upheavalhat was the french revolution. "a tale of two cities"expose the inequity of government. is a narrative that speaks to us today. it was the best of time, the worst of times. it was the age of wisdom, the age of foolishness. it was the epoch of belief. it was the epic of in credulity. it was the season of light. the season of darkness. it was the spring of hope. it was the winter of despair. we get everything before us. we had nothing before us. we were all going direct to heaven. we were all going direct the other way. does that sound like the current political discourse? [laughter] does that resonate with your feelings? does that describe your consensus of someone you know? how does one navigate the uncertain valley that lays between the best of times, and the worst of times? is it possible for this season of lights to shine into this season of darkness? there's a compass which can guide us from the winter of despair, and that is called hope. help. -- hope is putting faith to work when

. >>> finally, what the dickens was going on in the british government this week?explain. >>> first, here's my take. if you're trying to understand the recent protests against the putin regime in russia, one of the best guides is an outspoken columnist who's been writing trenchant essays in the nation's leading newspapers over the past month. political competition is the heartbeat of democracy. this author writes, noting the absence of such competition in contemporary russia. he describes the frustrations of the russian middle class, demanding political rights. today, the quality of our state does not match civil society's readiness to participate in it. on corruption, perhaps the issue that most riles the public, the author is scathing. the problem comes from the lack of transparency and accountability of government, he says. now, what makes this all deeply strange is that the author of these essays is vladimir putin. the architect, builder and chief enforcer of the system that he is critiquing. putin seems to understand russia's problems better than your average

. >>> ceremonies today mark the 200th birthday of charles dickens.wreath in westminster abby. in the grand church's poets corner. dickens novels include oliver twist and great expectations and they are still read by millions. >>> still to come, should religious organizations oppose to birth control be forced to cover the costs in their employee insurance plans? >>> up next, what really raises the risk of those dangerous blood clots when you fly. a health alert for all air travelers is coming up. >>> topping tonight's health alert, cheaper seats on your next flight won't increase your risk of dangerous blood clots. their review of research on deep vein thrombosis shows it doesn't matter how much leg room you have. what's crucial is how much you get up and move around. prevent any clots from forming in your legs. >> tonight, the obama administration says it's ready to tackle what could be the defining disease of the baby boomer generation. alalzheimer's. to identify treatments and hopefully find a cure. more than 5 million americans currently suffer fr

bring in dickens to chronicle it. i do think there is the cruelty amidst the reality show debates we have been subjected to. who is running this, entertainment or news? there is a cruelty when people cheer that someone dies without health care or bbo a soldier that dies in iraq. >> i am joking about herman cain. he is a guy who cannot hide the truth well. that makes me more comfortable with the idea that i know who he is about so i can make a decision. >> are you talking about the women coming forward or the fact that he said he did not know what he would do about afghanistan when he became president and would check it out? [laughter] >> we have had presidents who have been reelected like that. we talked about transparency in the value to our society. -- and the value to our society. chris matthews was here peddling his latest jfk book. he is a huge fan. was jfk under estimated? that is the debate going on. talk about controlling the message. in the obama administration, we talk about their view of the press. they are

tuesday is charles dickens' 200th birthday. >> really?er of books that we're going to feature in "kidspost" on tuesday. and i think, you know, kids know about "a christmas carol," but what i didn't know about dickens was he was like a rock star in his life. >> really? >> he was as famous as any movie star or tv star. and so, he came to the united states, twice met with presidents. really fascinating. and as a kid, he was really poor, so some of the stories that he used in his literature are actually his own stories. so, a really nice look at dickens' life on his 200th birthday on tuesday. >> i love those, you know, came from nothing, built this great legend. >> totally. >> finally, proof that reading is more important -- is important more than to -- you know what i'm trying to say. reading is more important not just to humans, how about that? >> viewers and readers of "kidspost" may remember that we called, asked readers to send books -- >> i remember, yes. >> -- to "chimp haven." this is harper the chimp reading one of the 400 books that

and on this day in 1812, the novelist charles dickens was born in britain. the coastal city of portsmouth. he spent his childhood working in a boot polish factory but dickens would none the less go on to become one of the most celebrated writers in history. one of the first celebrity authors and used his fame to campaign for social justice. a christmas carol, a tale of two cities oliver twist among his best two works. today in london he cut the birthday cake for a literary titan born 200 years ago today. and now you know the news for this tuesday, february the 7th already, 2012. and on february the 7th, it's 50 degrees in the canyon of heros as big blue came up broadway. 50 degrees. we haven't had any snow. it's supposed t

elizabeth's ii and the duke of edinburgh have been hosting a priority in london to celebrate charles dickens attended an event at the guildhall in london to mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of the author, followed by a gathering at buckingham palace. >> you have been watching "newsday". >> i am babita sharma.. thanks for being with us carried we will see very soon. stay with us for an update on the headlines enxt. >> make sense of international news. bbc.com/news. >> funding was made possible by -- the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu newman's own foundation and union bank. >> at union bank, our relationship managers work hard to understand the industry you operate in, working to nurture new ventures and help provide capital for key, strategic decisions. we offer expertise and tailored solutions in a wide range of industries. what can we do for you? >> "bbc world news" was presented by kcet los angeles.