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From the BBC:

From its glittering heights to its very lowest depths; a skilfully crafted thriller; an epic feast of characters and storylines; and a passionate indictment of the legal system that is as searingly relevant today as it was in the mid 19th century.

It was first published in 19 monthly installments between March 1852 and September 1853. The TV adaptation, written by the award-winning Andrew Davies, comprised a one-hour opening episode followed by 14 half-hour episodes.

It was shown twice weekly, using the pace, multiple storylines and cliff-hanger endings more usually associated with popular drama. The aim was to return Dickens to the broad audience he originally wrote for.

It tells the story of the icily beautiful Lady Dedlock (Gillian Anderson), who nurses a dark secret in her past, and the merciless lawyer Tulkinghorn (Charles Dance), who seeks to uncover it.

Then there's the generous John Jarndyce (Denis Lawson), struggling with his own past, and his two attractive young wards Richard (Patrick Kennedy) and Ada (Carey Mulligan).

Like Lady Dedlock, they're all caught up in the infamous case of Jarndyce vs Jarndyce, which will make one of them rich beyond imagination - if it can ever be brought to a conclusion.

The story is told through Esther Summerson (Anna Maxwell Martin), a girl without a past. Jarndyce takes Esther under his wing as a companion for Ada, but then falls in love with her. Meanwhile, Esther's mysterious connection with Lady Dedlock may bring ruin to them both.

The cast of characters also contains some of Dickens' most famous creations - Smallweed (Phil Davis), the gleefully malignant moneylender; Miss Flite (Pauline Collins) with her tragic/comic mix of eccentricity and insight; the eccentric, and often drunk Krook (Johnny Vegas); Nemo (John Lynch), the mysterious law writer; Guppy (Burn Gorman), the ambitious young clerk, infatuated with Esther; Bucket (Alun Armstrong) the coolly amoral police inspector, at the centre of fiction's first ever whodunit; and Jo the young crossing sweeper, whose story almost brought Victorian England to a standstill.

A BBC Production in association with Deep Indigo, Bleak House is the third collaboration between Andrew Davies and producer Nigel Stafford-Clark, following the acclaimed Trollope adaptations The Way We Live Now and He Knew He Was Right.

It's directed by Justin Chadwick (EastEnders and Spooks) and Susanna White (Teachers and Mr Harvey Lights A Candle).

Filming took place in Hertfordshire, Bedfordshire and Kent between February and July 2005.

Bleak House In Numbers:
Episodes: 15
Speaking roles: 80
Principal cast members: 40
Weeks of shooting: 21
Extras (in total): 2,000
Extras (in any one scene): 75
First day of shooting: 7th Feb [Charles Dickens' birthday]

A BBC biographical animation of the life of Charles Dickens.

An online reviewer:

Having read and thoroughly enjoyed the Dickens novel, I was very excited to see the newest adaptation. I was not at all disappointed. It must be very difficult to be able to convert such a massive novel into film without leaving anything vital out, but somehow Davies has done it again! As far as the acting goes, there wasn't a single weak link, even in the more secondary roles. Some of my favorite portrayals included Lady Deadlock (whose tragic story made me cry multiple times), Esther Summerson, Mr. George (one of my favorite characters in the book), Mr. Tulkinghorn, Harold Skimpole and Mr. Woodcourt, who I have now developed a bit of a fangirl-ish crush on. However, there were many others that I might mention. The only thing that I didn't entirely like was the abrupt transitions, but I eventually got used to them.

In sum, I would STRONGLY recommend this adaptation to all Dickens fans. It truly captures the spirit of the novel.

Another online reviewer:

I caught the first two hours of this adaptation of Dickens Bleak House on Masterpiece Theatre on Sunday night and I was immediately hooked. If you love dark Victorian mysteries this is a must see. I remember hearing promos for the show stating its starring Gillian Anderson but I thought it was some English actress with the same name as Scully from the X-files. What a shock when I realized I watched Scully for I did not realize it at the time it was her. Ms. Anderson becomes Lady Dedlock replacing her FBI professional pant suits outfits for a Victorian frock. Although common elements to both characters are repressed emotions and icy personalities. I have not read the novel but the show is emphasizing the mystery aspects of the story with Lady Dedlock trying to hide a secret from her past, how everybody's fate is somehow bound into the Jarndyce case over disputed wills and what role if any Esther plays in all of this.

Also, the series focuses a sharp eye on the byzantine legal world of Victorian England that makes the US legal system seem the epitome of efficiency. Charles Dance is great as the ruthless barrister Tulkinghorn who sets his sights on uncovering Lady Dedlock's secret. Anne Maxwell Martin is great as the innocent and virtuous Esther Summerson. Besides Ms. Anderson some might recognize Mr. Dance who has seen roles in various movies and TV series including the villain in the Eddie Murphy Buddhist action-adventure movie The Golden Child, and Denis Lawson, who plays the benevolent John Jarndyce, was Wedge Antilles in the original Star Wars movies. Like any Dickens novel this TV series is filled with interesting often eccentric secondary characters from the young law clerk Mr. Guppy to Miss Flite.

The atmosphere is dark with lots of mist, fog and rain as one would expect in a Victorian novel. You have the contrast of the romantic elegant world of Lady Dedlock's estate and the cozy feeling of Bleak House estate with the grim, mud and muck that the lower classes lived in. The period costumes and sets are top notch. The series for me captures the essence of the Victorian period. Can't wait for the series to play itself out.

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