Masterpiece Classic

On a cold winter's day, an escaped convict accosts a young orphan, Pip, in the marshes, ordering the terrified boy to steal a file from his brother-in-law's forge so that he can remove his shackles. When Pip returns, he brings a piece of pie as well as the file: an innocent act of kindness that touches the filthy, battered man, who nevertheless is soon recaptured. Pip learned such kindness from his brother-in-law Joe, the only person who has ever treated him with tenderness, as his sister Mrs. Joe constantly abuses him and Joe's assistant, Orlick, menaces Pip for sport. But when Pip is summoned to the grand but dilapidated Satis House by its reclusive owner Miss Havisham, he is subjected to fresh abuse in the form of humiliation by Miss Havisham's cold-hearted but beautiful adopted daughter, Estella. Pip desperately yearns for a match with Estella, in spite of Miss Havisham's inscrutable manipulations, but it's not until an anonymous benefactor bestows great expectations of status and wealth upon Pip that he dares to hope that Estella can be his. From the warmth of the forge, Pip journeys to London to pursue the life of a gentleman. But how far will he go for love?

Pip arrives in London where his guardian Jaggers installs him in rooms with a young gentleman cut off from his wealthy family, Herbert Pocket. In Herbert, Pip finds a friend and an introduction into London society. But Pip's eagerness to learn the ways of a gentleman is matched by his eagerness to spend money to that end, and his debts pile up in spite of Jaggers' cold counsel. He is called upon by Miss Havisham and reunited with Estella, but spurns Joe, who knows that Pip is ashamed. Accompanying Estella through London society, Pip moves toward the day he will learn the identity of his benefactor and finally marry his beloved Estella.

By all appearances, respected choirmaster John Jasper (Matthew Rhys, Brothers & Sisters) should have a quiet life in the small village of Cloisterham. But the serenity is pierced by Jasper's opium-fueled dreams and surreal fantasies. At Jasper's despairing epicenter is his obsession with his nephew Edwin Drood's fiancé, Rosa Bud. When the handsome and cheerful Drood arrives for a visit with Rosa Bud, Jasper's previously hidden longings are slowly and unnervingly revealed. Simultaneously, orphan twins Neville and Helena Landless arrive from Ceylon to receive the charity of the community. But what could their connection to Cloisterham be and why would Jasper seem so shaken by their presence? And, when someone goes missing, is it all just a dark dream or are there very real sinister secrets yet buried in Cloisterham? From the Primetime Emmy Award™ winning producers of Little Dorrit, The Mystery of Edwin Drood also stars Freddie Fox, Julia McKenzie (Miss Marple) and Tamzin Merchant in a new adaptation of Charles Dickens's unfinished tale of passion and betrayal.

France, 1910, and Englishman Stephen Wraysford arrives to work at the textile factory of the Azaire family, only to fall desperately in love with his host's wife Isabelle. Before long, the pair begin an illicit and all-consuming affair, with huge consequences for them both. UK original air date: 2012-01-22

As Stephen recovers from his injuries, he continues to be haunted by memories of his affair with Isabelle - and while he and his men prepare for a major offensive at the Somme, he unexpectedly meets his former lover again. However, she is unable to explain why she left him, throwing him into a state of turmoil before the battle. UK original air date: 2012-01-29