Trivia / Bleak Expectations

• Acting for Two: Several instances.
  • Geoffrey Whitehead plays all the members of the families Hardthrasher, Sternbeater, Whackwallop, Harshsmacker, Grimpunch and Clampvulture, most of whom are Gently Benevolent's accomplices.
  • Series creator Mark Evans makes a number of cameo appearances in various minor roles, most of them one-shot characters.
  • Also, save for Sir Phillip, who functions as a Character Narrator, all the characters who appear in the framing story are played by actors who also have large roles in the main story:
    • Sarah Hadland plays Sir Phillip's daughter Lily in the framing story, and from season two and onwards also plays Lily's mother Ripely Fecund, who was Pip's third wife, in the main story.
    • Anthony Head plays the journalist Jeremy Sourquill in the framing story, while in the main story he is the main villain Mr. Gently Benevolent, who proves to have been Sourquill's grandfather.
    • James Bachman plays Sir Phillip's servant Servewell in the framing story, and also plays Pip's best friend Harry Biscuit in the main story.
• Corpsing: You can hear some of the actors doing their best not to laugh through their lines from time to time.
• Dawson Casting: Done very blatantly, with Tom Allen, Suzie Kane, James Bachman, Sarah Hadland and Anthony Head all playing teenagers at one point or another. Taken to extremes in Head's case, when he plays Mr. Benevolent as a child as well.
• Real Song Theme Tune: The theme music is 'Mazurka' from 'Three Pieces' by Edward Elgar.

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