The star of this drama mini series for me has to be Marc Warren.Although the main stars in this series were Robert Lindsay, Julie Walters, Michael Kitchen and David Ross, Marc Warren was unsurpassed in his portrayal of Monks.I would assume virtually all know the story of the poor Oliver Twist and they will be aware of the storyline.ITV however did more in this presentation. They actually started their story from before Oliver was born and the circumstances behind his mother becoming pregnant and her ultimate death.Although I believe the BBC is the worlds best at producing drama, especially period drama I feel the ITV presentation was as good as, indeed better than some of the BBC's offerings.The whole cast was skilfully put together and the writing and direction was flawless. Of course Messrs Walters Kitchen, Lindsay and Ross were their usual perfect selves.As I said at the beginning of my appraisal of Oliver Twist, Marc Warren was superlative in his role as Monks. I first saw Warren in an episode of Frost and thought then that this actor was destined for great things. I have since seen him in other dramas and my opinion has not changed. Neither can I wait to see him in Mutual Friends.POSSIBLE SPOILER.How great an actor he is came to the fore when he portrayed Monks in Oliver Twist. His role was by far the most difficult and demanding. The contortions of his face which he had to master, the way he had to use his eyes and the epileptic seizures he had to perform must have been extremely difficult but he performed these actions flawlessly.POSSIBLE SPOILER ENDS.Warren must have been completely drained after his filming sessions, but he should feel proud and delighted with the result. I cannot understand why he was never nominated for an award for his role.Marc, for what its worth, you have my nomination.I know this version of Oliver Twist was made in 1999 but I have only just seen it and to those who love Dickens but have not seen this version of Oliver Twist I urge you to do so as I feel you will not be disappointed.

This production suffers from two problems. The locations in Prague look exactly like..........locations in Prague. There are plenty of places in London and even Paris that have the right Victorian look. But Prague is cheaper. Secondly, if you making a mini series then there is enough screen time to really get into the detail of Dickens' book. So why get in scriptwriters that seem to think they are better writers than Dickens and allow them to change significant parts of the story, leave out whole chapters of perfectly valid storyline and finally change the whole Bill Sikes death scene? On the whole the acting was very good, Julie Walters and Robert Lindsay deserve a special mention.But ultimately this was very disappointing.

This film is one of the best movies based on one of Dickens' novels that I have seen. (seen it 3 times, matter of fact - all 6 hours, not a minute wasted!!) Fortunately, the screenwriter chose to ignore the shallow, dull, and offensive novel and take his inspiration from Dickens' more carefully written works. Colorful, imaginitive, and painstakingly detailed, Rye's film truly brings Dickens' celebrated style to life.

I would have given it a 10, if it weren't for the commercials. Despite that this was the most detailed rendition of Twist I've ever seen, my 11 and 7 year old children were also completely absorbed by it. Where did all these great actors and actresses come from? Julie Walters in a small but masterfully played part was the only one I ever heard of before. Yet all the characterizations were brilliant - especially, perhaps, that of the bad guys: Fagin, Bill Sykes, Mr. Bumble, and Edwin and Elizabeth Leerford. Nancy and Rose were riveting, too. Bravo!