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First pictures released of Ralph Fiennes as Charles Dickens

British actor Ralph Fiennes plays Charles Dickens in The Invisible Woman, joining an illustrious list of actors who have portrayed the author, including Simon Callow, Derek Jacobi and Anthony Hopkins.

Ralph Fiennes will play Charles Dickens in The Invisible Woman, which he also directs.
Ralph Fiennes will play Charles Dickens in The Invisible Woman, which he also directs. Credit: Photo: David Appleby

Fiennes directs and stars in fortchoming film The Invisible Woman, which is based on Claire Tomalin’s biography of Nelly Ternan, a woman with whom Charles Dickens had a secret decade-long relationship.

Felicity Jones - best known for appearing in romantic drama Like Crazy last year - plays the role of Ternan in Fiennes’ second acting and directing project, following the award-winning Coriolanus.

While Fiennes' beard and parting look stays faithful to classic images of Dickens, previous portrayals are a mixed bunch.

Anthony Hopkins took on the role in The Great Inimitable Mr. Dickens in 1970, and more recently Mark Heap gave a typically unsettling performance in the BBC's Desperate Romantics. Elsewhere, Derek Jacobi starred as Dickens alongside Vinnie Jones in 2007 film The Riddle.

Simon Callow has probably played Dickens the most - in one-man show, The Mystery of Charles Dickens, film Hans Christian Andersen: My Life as a Fairytale, and twice in BBC series Doctor Who.

Here's our favourite portrayal, however:

Gonzo in The Muppet Christmas Carol (1992) and various other Muppet vehicles