Nick Knowles has slammed the new BBC adaptation of Great Expectations, saying it is “unnecessarily rude” and a “car crash”.
The DIY SOS star, 60, wondered “why sex period drama” as he launched into a furious tirade on Monday.
He aired his thoughts on Twitter, revealing that he had finally “closed” the series, which “didn’t live up to its name”.
Nick’s criticism of Great Expectations comes after the Dickens Fellowship destroys a scene in which Mr. Pumblechook bare bottom sits over a bed that belongs to mrs. Gargery belongs, a dominatrix turned housewife.
Written by Peaky Blinders creator Stephen Knight, the series stars Fionn Whitehead as Pip and Olivia Colman as Miss Havisham.
Furious: Nick Knowles, 60, slammed the new BBC adaptation of Great Expectations on Monday, saying it was “unnecessarily outrageous” and a “car crash”.
Screen: Written by Peaky Blinders creator Stephen Knight, the series stars Fionn Whitehead as Pip and Olivia Colman as Miss Havisham (pictured)
Nick wrote: “Can someone explain to me why the BBC production of Great Expectations revised Uncle Pumblechook as a masochist and Mrs Joe as a dominatrix who runs a torture agency?
Beautifully filmed and directed drama, but it’s as if the writers of the TOWIE version of Dickens felt unnecessarily horny.
“I loved Taboo and Peaky Blinders, so I wonder why Great Expectations is such a flop? Why do we all have to have sex period dramas now?
“I see it as a slow-motion car crash in Episode 2.”
He concluded: “That’s it – hit Miss Havisham and Estella’s opium-crack scene and end it.” Unfortunately, Great Expectations did not live up to its name. Maybe Feble Liberties is a better name for this adaptation.”
His comments come after BBC1’s Great Expectations viewers were shocked to see Mr. Pumblechook of the housewife dominatrix, Mrs. Gargery, changed bare bottom over a bed.
And the “unnecessary” scene was slammed by the Dickens Fellowship, which said there was “not a hint of sexual deviance” about the character.
Screenwriter Steven peppered the story with nods to themes he felt the author alluded to but failed to explore in 19th-century Britain.
Rant: He expressed his thoughts on Twitter, revealing that he finally “turned off” the series that “didn’t live up to its name.”
Shocking: Nick’s criticism of Great Expectations comes after the Dickens Fellowship destroys a scene where dominatrix Mrs. Gargery’s Mr. Pumblechook is bare bottom
“Come on now,” waved mrs. Gargery, played by Hayley Squires, removes her wedding ring, grabs a whip and asks, “Are you ready?”
“You know what’s coming, right? Turn over,” she said before slapping a naked Matt Berry, who plays Pumblechook, 10 times as he bent over her bed.
Explaining the decision to embellish the story, Knight said he was trying to imagine “Dickens writing the story now and having the freedom to go into those dark places” and asked, “What would he do?”
But last night the Dickens Fellowship, a global coalition of people interested in the classic author’s life and work, accused Knight of being “disingenuous”.
Honorary General Secretary Paul Graham claimed that Knight had merely embellished the story to “generate viewers”, adding that Knight’s explanation was “a bit ridiculous”.
He said: “How can he put himself in Dickens’ shoes and say what he would have done? I think the scenes just seem unnecessary. I don’t know if Dickens would have included a beating scene! …Pumblechook is basically a comic character without a hint of sexual deviance…’
In Sunday night’s episode, Miss Havisham also set up a grown-up Pip, played by Fionn Whitehead, to lose his virginity on his 18th birthday.
The despised spinster, played by Olivia Colman, tells him: ‘On the occasion of your 18th birthday… you must be skilled in everything. Horse riding, dancing, boxing and sex.’
She then introduces him to Mrs. Gibbons from the local church and says, “Behave as you will with Mrs. Gibbons… have fun.”
Knight also added ‘opium addicts’ to Miss Havisham’s repertoire, with the character regularly smoking a pipe.
Thoughts: The ‘unnecessary’ scene was struck down by the Dickens Fellowship, which said there was ‘not a trace of sexually deviant behavior’ about the character Pumblechook (pictured).
Mr Graham said there was “no evidence in the text itself that she smoked opium”, adding that laudanum would have been a more likely addiction for her class at the time.
“Making her an opium addict goes a step further than it took to show she was addicted to something,” he said. Dickens could have included it, but he didn’t. This is clearly a radical interpretation.’
Knight, who previously adapted A Christmas Carol for the BBC, has expressed interest in tackling A Tale of Two Cities next. But Mr Graham shouted: ‘Leave him alone [Dickens] only! He does all the canon…if you try to play around with the classics you will be very happy if you improve him.
Written in 1860, Great Expectations follows orphan Pip who is hired as a companion to Miss Havisham and her adopted daughter Estella (played by Shalom Brune-Franklin) before moving to London after receiving money from a mysterious benefactor.
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Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
