"The Cricket on the Hearth" (Excerpt): Read by Tom Bennett

Charles Dickens: A Brain on Fire! 🔥

Happy 5th Day of Christmas!

The fantastic actor Tom Bennett reads an excerpt from Dickens’ third Christmas book The Cricket on the Hearth …
Caleb Plummer and his daughter Bertha are poor toymakers in the service of the cruel, miserly Tackleton. As the scene unfolds we learn that Caleb’s daughter Bertha is blind, and that her father is constantly trying to shield her from the hardship and poverty of their lives … meanwhile even their poor hearth is visited by a cricket that may yet bring good fortune for them.

Tom’s screen credits include his critically acclaimed portrayal of Sir James Martin opposite Kate Beckinsale in Love and Friendship, the HBO series Family Tree, Netlfix’s After Life and coming soon in 2024 House of the Dragons. He also starred as Del Boy in the London’s West End hit Only Fools and Horses …

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Thank you so much!
Host: Dominic Gerrard
Series Artwork: Léna Gibert
Original Music: Dominic Gerrard
Thank you for listening!

Chapters

1. "The Cricket on the Hearth" (Excerpt): Read by Tom Bennett (00:00:00)

2. Caleb and His Blind Daughter's Life (00:00:16)

3. Father's Love for Blind Daughter (00:11:22)