Young David Copperfield's (Ciaran McMenamin) life is not a happy one. To begin with, after the death of his father, he sees his mother marry the villainous Edward Murdstone (Trevor Eve). Then, when his mother sadly also dies, he moves to live with Mr Micawber (Bob Hoskins) and encounters the scoundrel Uriah Heep (Nicholas Lyndhurst). Is there no end to the young lad's misfortune? This BBC production of Charles Dickens' semi-autobiographical novel formed the mainstay of their Christmas 1999 programming.