Charles Dickens was a master of managing his personal brand. In fact, almost everything we know about him comes from one biography, written by his friend John Forster. But, if you dig a little deeper, strange biographical inconsistencies begin to emerge. Speaking to Ellie Cawthorne, Helena Kelly outlines her new theories on the truth behind the stories Dickens told about everything from his family and childhood to his sex life, and how they paint a much darker picture of the author’s life.

(Ad) Helena Kelly is the author of The Life and Lies of Charles Dickens (Icon, 2023). Buy it now from Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Lies-Charles-Dickens/dp/1837731047/?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_w=dKdrS&content-id=amzn1.sym.3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_p=3413293e-3815-4359-96ba-1ec5110e0b30&pf_rd_r=260-4281246-2111105&pd_rd_wg=KK2pp&pd_rd_r=22b9c5ce-9e82-4453-bc64-7ac5042e4472&ref_=aufs_ap_sc_dsk&tag=bbchistory045-21&ascsubtag=historyextra-social-histboty

The HistoryExtra podcast is produced by the team behind BBC History Magazine.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

NFL Wild-Card Weekend, Worst Beats of 2019, and Biggest Upset