Written by Sarah Phelps (Oliver Twist, EastEnders), the adaptation is currently in production and will form the centrepiece of the BBC’s celebration of Charles Dickens ahead of the bicentenary of his birth in 2012.

With Anderson playing Miss Havisham and Suchet playing Jaggers, the cast also includes Frances Barber (Doctor Who‘s Madame Kovarian) as Mrs Brandley, Ray Winstone (Sexy Beast) as Abel Magwitch, Douglas Booth (Christopher And His Kind) as Pip, Mark Addy (Game Of Thrones) as Pumblechook, Claire Rushbrook (Ashes To Ashes) as Mrs Joe Gargery, Vanessa Kirby (The Hour) as Estella, Paul Rhys (Being Human) as Compeyson and Harry Lloyd (Game Of Thrones) as Herbert Pocket.