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Oliver Twist : Season 1
  • Network: BBC-1
  • Series Premiere Date: Dec 18, 2007
  • Season #: 1
Metascore
72 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 12 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 8 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 12
  3. Negative: 0 out of 12
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  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    100
    From spot-on casting and one extraordinary performance after another, to a bold adaptation by Sarah Phelps, to Coky Giedroyc's energizing direction, to a toe-tapping musical score (that probably doesn't belong here, but fie on that - it's fun), this Oliver Twist is a thrill ride for anyone who still believes that TV can be entertaining.
  2. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Robert Bianco
    88
    Times have changed, but they haven't weakened the basic strength of Dickens' story or diminished his insights into a society in which the poor are left to their own oppressed devices unless they cross paths with the rich.
  3. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Alynda Wheat
    83
    The humor is wilder, the penury sadder, and Sophie Okonedo a winsome Nancy. The only bad twist is the overwrought score.
  4. Orlando Sentinel
    Reviewed by: Hal Boedeker
    80
    The filmmakers heighten the intrigue, explore the seedy underworld and portray a murderer's guilt with haunting artistry.
  5. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Mary McNamara
    80
    You can't really improve on the story of "Oliver Twist"; the best you can hope for is to bring it to life, which the two-part "Masterpiece Classic" version skillfully does.
  6. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Nancy DeWolf Smith
    80
    The casting is effective. William Miller gives Oliver the requisite vulnerability and steeliness.
  7. Variety
    Reviewed by: Laura Fries
    70
    Director Coky Giedroyc's grittier, reality-based approach to Sarah Phelps' adaptation contrasts sharply the popular and nostalgic musical account "Oliver!" Nevertheless, this version does stay true to Dickens' original intent to call attention to social evils in harsh times.
  8. Philadelphia Daily News
    Reviewed by: Ellen Gray
    70
    Timothy Spall steps onto the screen as one of Dickens' most ambivalent villains in a largely unexceptional version adapted by Sarah Phelps.
  9. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    60
    This latest production of the Dickens classic, solid but not spectacular, adds a few contemporary touches, including some rather modern-sounding background music and expressions like "go bonkers."
  10. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Matthew Gilbert
    60
    The two-part miniseries makes missteps aplenty, with tone and plot changes from the novel that will likely offend purists. But it nonetheless has a warm spirit and an original vision, which is more than I can say for Roman Polanski's rote 2005 version.
  11. Salon
    Reviewed by: Heather Havrilesky
    50
    The whole thing would be worthwhile but ultimately forgettable, if not for some particularly heart-wrenching scenes where Okonedo really makes us feel for poor Nancy, the conflicted prostitute who loves that nasty Sikes in spite of herself.
  12. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Mike Hale
    40
    Their response is a conventional condensation that sticks to the broad outlines of the book while scrambling characters and events in myriad small ways guaranteed to enrage Dickens purists.
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User Score
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No user score yet- Awaiting 3 more ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 1
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 1
  3. Negative: 0 out of 1
  1. LyndaH
    4
    Photographs on the table; an unkempt judge unrealistically young; an underground sewer- these did not exist in the 1830s. Add some modern, inappropriate music, and the whole thing was absolutely dreadful. I couldn't believe it was produced by the BBC!… Full Review »