David Copperfield is a British six-part television serial of the 1850 novel by Charles Dickens adapted by Hugh Whitemore, directed by Joan Craft and first shown on BBC 1 in weekly parts from 1 December 1974 to 5 January 1975.^[1] It was a co-production with Time-Life Television Productions.^[2] It is the earliest BBC adaptation to exist in its entirety. The 1956 adaptation is completely lost, whilst only four of the 1966 adaptation's episodes are known to exist.

Cast

• Jonathan Kahn as David Copperfield (child)
• David Yelland as David Copperfield (adult)
• Martin Jarvis as Uriah Heep
• Arthur Lowe as Wilkins Micawber.
• David Troughton as Ham Peggotty
• Ian Hogg as Dan Peggotty
• Timothy Bateson as Mr. Dick
• Patience Collier as Betsey Trotwood
• Anthony Andrews as Steerforth
• Patricia Routledge as Mrs. Micawber
• Pat Keen as Peggotty

Critical reception

This version was generally well received.^[3] In Clive James review for The Observer he wrote: "David Copperfield is as good as everybody says. Steerforth's flaw is well conveyed by Anthony Andrews, and Uriah Heep, played by Martin Jarvis, is a miracle of unction: to hear him talk is like stepping on a toad long dead. But Arthur Lowe's Micawber is better than anything. He follows W. C. Fields in certain respects, but is graciously spoken; and his gestures are as delicate as Oliver Hardy's. Not that his performance is eclectic - it is a subtle unity like everything he attempts."^[4]