It's a timeless classic of children's literature and the third most-quoted book in English after the Bible and Shakespeare. But what lies behind the extraordinary appeal of Alice's Adventures in Wonderland to generations of adults and children alike? To mark the 150th anniversary of its publication, this film explores the life and imagination of its author, the Reverend Charles Dodgson, better known as Lewis Carroll. Journalist Martha Kearney delves into the biographies of both Carroll himself and of the young girl, Alice Liddell, who inspired his most famous creation. She discusses the book with a range of experts, biographers and distinguished cultural figures - from actor Richard E Grant to children's author Philip Pullman - and explores with them the mystery of how a retiring, buttoned-up and meticulous mathematics don, who spent almost his entire life within the cloistered confines of Christ Church Oxford, was able to capture the world of childhood in such a captivating way.
Directed by Clare Beavan
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TrailerOfficialThe Secret World of Lewis Carroll: trailer
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Cast
Martha Kearney
Narrator
David Anley
Himself - Forensic Imagery Analyst
Jane Atkinson
Herself - Croft Rectory
Peter Atkinson
Himself - Croft Rectory
Nicholas Burnett
Himself - Photographic Conservation Specialist
Ian Clayton
Himself - Ditchling Players
Morton N. Cohen
Himself - Author, Lewis Carroll: A Biography
Mark Davies
Himself - Local Historian
Robert Douglas-Fairhurst
Himself - Author, The Story of Alice
Richard E. Grant
Himself - Actor
Hugh Haughton
Himself - University of York
Peter Howell
Himself - Ditchling Players
Alice Liddell
Herself (archive footage)
Caroline Luke
Herself - Great Great Grandniece of Lewis Carroll
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