Dodger will return to CBBC and iPlayer for three new specials.
The trio of new stand alone episodes follows the comedy drama’s first series on CBBC, BBC iPlayer and BBC One earlier this year.
Following the exploits of the infamous pickpocket Dodger, inspired by the character in Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist, each 45-minute episode will focus on a self-contained plot.
Picking up from series one, which ended with Dodger being deported to Australia in a ship filled with convicts, the first episode shows Dodger’s ingenious escape back to London to reunite with Fagin and the gang and pull off their very own great train robbery.
The second special will take viewers on a festive adventure, as Dodger embarks on a secret rescue mission and the gang organise a festive hijack of 200 turkeys while the final special will see some of the gang being rehabilitated through the power of education, after they’re caught red handed and sent to a very smart British public school.
Billy Jenkins (Peaky Blinders, The Crown) returns as Dodger, alongside Fagin played by Christopher Eccleston (The A Word, The Leftovers) with Ellie-May Sheridan (Call The Midwife), Aabay Ali, Connor Curren and Mila Lieu also reprising their roles in the gang.
Joining the cast for the specials are David Threlfall (Shameless, Housewife), Alex Kingston (Doctor Who), Rhys Thomas (The Fast Show, Brian Pern), Javone Prince (No Time To Die, Horrible Histories), Lucy Montgomery (Disenchantment), Saira Choudhry (Life, No Offence), James Fleet (Vicar of Dibley), Lenny Rush (A Christmas Carol, The Dumping Ground) and Sam C Wilson (Hanna).
The new episodes will also see a number of guest stars including Anita Dobson (EastEnders, Casualty), Robert Lindsay (My Family), Mark Benton (Waterloo Road), Rufus Jones (Home), Matthew Holness (Garth Marenghi’s Darkplace) and Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous).
The show is produced by Universal International Studios, a division of Universal Studio Group, with the specials written by Rhys Thomas and Lucy Montgomery, with Thomas also directing all three.
Rhys Thomas and Lucy Montgomery said: “We are thrilled to be back for three exciting specials and even more thrilled to assemble such an amazing cast. We had great fun taking these characters on more adventures and we thank the BBC for giving us the platform to do so.”
The first series of Dodger is available on the iPlayer here.
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