2006-01-01 • 0h 0m

Ask people, the world over, to name a great English novelist and chances are the name at the top of the list will be Charles Dickens, the author responsible for creating such all-time classics as "Oliver Twist", "Nicholas Nickleby", "Great Expectations" and the holiday classic, "A Christmas Carol". Even in the 21st Century, his novels are still proving inspirational. And when it comes to costume drama, with a touch of glamor, gritty realism and social conscience, Dickens has a message as resonant today. Follow in the footsteps of Dickens, back to an age of romance, sentimentality and Victorian sensibility. From humble beginnings in his birthplace in Portsmouth, to the luxurious elegance of Gad's Hill Place in Kent, experience a tour of the landscapes that truly inspired the great author.