In 1836 Charles Dickens married Catherine Hogarth. They remained together for 22 years, but the marriage was not destined to succeed. Following a painful separation in 1858, Dickens accused Catherine of being a poor mother, mentally unstable and a generally unfit wife.

This view has been challenged by modern scholars, while new acquisitions by the Charles Dickens Museum also highlight Catherine's warmth, kindness and affection for her children.

So who was the real Catherine Dickens? What happened in the Dickens marriage to drive Charles and Catherine apart? And why has history remembered Catherine so badly?

In this two part episode, we spoke to Lillian Nayder, author of 'The Other Dickens,' to try and discover the real Catherine Dickens.

Part Two explores the breakdown of the Dickens marriage and Catherine's life after her separation.

In 1836 Charles Dickens married Catherine Hogarth. They remained together for 22 years, but the marriage was not destined to succeed. Following a painful separation in 1858, Dickens accused Catherine of being a poor mother, mentally unstable and a generally unfit wife.

This view has been challenged by modern scholars, while new acquisitions by the Charles Dickens Museum also highlight Catherine's warmth, kindness and affection for her children.

So who was the real Catherine Dickens? What happened in the Dickens marriage to drive Charles and Catherine apart? And why has history remembered Catherine so badly?

In this two part episode, we spoke to Lillian Nayder, author of 'The Other Dickens,' to try and discover the real Catherine Dickens.

Part One explores the early life and marriage of Catherine.

It's a novel set in early 20th century America, in a community of Russian immigrant miners. Yet Mary Kay Zuravleff's new novel is resplendent with Dickensian influences. In this novel, Mary Kay explores class, identity and eternal optimism in a challenging world. How does Dickens continue to inspire the modern author?

We're delighted to announce that Season Two is coming soon. Listen to this beautiful reading by Simon Callow to see if you can guess what the theme will be.

In 1858 Charles Dickens separated from his wife, Catherine. Catherine moved out of the family home, but her sister remained living with Charles.

Spurious gossip soon followed, accusing Dickens of having an affair with his own sister-in-law, and even that she had been forced to give birth to three illegitimate children.

So what was happening in the Dickens household? Who was this enigmatic sister-in-law? And what role did she play in the break down of the Dickenses marriage.

For this episode, Jordan Evans-Hill was joined by Christine Skelton, author of 'Charles Dickens and Georgina Hogarth: A Curious and Enduring Relationship.'

On 12th March 1851 Charles Dickens was introduced to a man who would become one of the most significant figures in his life and career; Wilkie Collins.

To celebrate the current exhibition 'Mutual Friends: The Adventures of Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins,' Jordan Evans-Hill chats to Emma Harper about this dynamic, fruitful and at times challenging friendship.

With special thanks to Simon Callow and Mark Gatiss.

Charles Dickens loved to write about food, which features heavily in all of his stories. A Christmas Carol is no different, and is resplendent with descriptions of roast goose, mince pies, smoking bishop and an enormous, festive turkey.

So why was food so important to Dickens? How did he use food in his writing to tell us about his characters? What does his descriptions tell us about Charles Dickens himself?

Inimitable is produced and presented by Jordan Evans-Hill. Speakers include Dr Cindy Sughrue, Director of the Charles Dickens Museum, Dr Frankie Kubicki, deputy director and Emma Harper, curator. Guest speakers include Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, Dr Lee Jackson, Pen Vogler, Simon Callow and Miriam Margolyes.

Dickens was so keen to use his Christmas tales to effect change, that he described A Christmas Carol as 'striking a blow,' for the poor.

So how political was A Christmas Carol? Was Dickens trying to agitate for political change? And what were Dickens's perceptions of the political system of the day?

Inimitable is produced and presented by Jordan Evans-Hill. Speakers include Dr Cindy Sughrue, Director of the Charles Dickens Museum, Dr Frankie Kubicki, deputy director and Emma Harper, curator. Guest speakers include Lucinda Dickens Hawksley, Dr Lee Jackson, Pen Vogler, Simon Callow and Miriam Margolyes.