Oliver Twist asks for more

Episode Two, 'Scrooge's London' takes a look at the social context of 'A Christmas Carol.' What was London really like in the 1840s? What help was available to the London poor? What was life like in the Victorian slums? And how did all of this shape Dickens's writing?

This illustration by George Cruikshank depicts Oliver Twist asking the workhouse master for more. The workhouses have become a symbol of the Victorian era, as discussed by Dr Lee Jackson in episode two.