Museum of London Docklands launches the Dodger family trail, based on BAFTA-winning BBC TV series, Dodger

The Museum of London Docklands is set to launch a brand new family trail based on the hair-raising, funny and rip-roaring adventures of Dodger, Fagin and the gang as seen in the BAFTA-winning BBC series Dodger.

Created in collaboration with Universal International Studios and the BBC, the free trail map will be available from Saturday 11 February. Written by Rhys Thomas (Creator & Director) and Lucy Montgomery, Dodger is unlike anything you have seen before. Taking place before the events of Charles Dickens’ classic, Dodger is set in a whole world of its own through reimagined familiar characters and a whole host of new ones. Fans can also catch up on the complete Dodger series and specials on BBC iPlayer now.

On a journey around the Museum of London Docklands’ galleries, visitors must help Dodger stay one step ahead of the police, who is on the run for a crime he didn’t commit and help Fagin and the gang make a living on the mean streets of London.

Occupying a converted 19th century sugar warehouse on West India Quay, the Museum of London Docklands provides an atmospheric backdrop for the adventure, giving visitors a chance to learn more about London and its history as a port city.

The trail map runs through the museum’s immersive Sailortown gallery, a recreation of a ramshackle London district from around the time Dickens’ novel was published. The gallery recreates the atmosphere of the maze of lanes and alleys around Ratcliffe Highway and the riverside, an area which had everything sailors alighting at the docks would need. See a life-sized ship’s chandler, curio seller and alehouse, as well as a mysterious animal emporium.

Other intriguing items on display from the Victorian era include rare ‘Billy and Charley’ forgeries made by East End mudlarkers William Smith and Charles Eaton; and scrimshaw or carved whalebone made by sailor Alexander Munro, probably as a love token. Visitors can also learn how London became the centre of world trade, as one of the biggest ports transporting materials and finished goods around the globe. Visitors will have a chance to interact with preserved commodities from the Victorian era including genuine samples of herbs, spices, loose leaves and teas.

Douglas Gilmore, Managing Director, Museum of London Docklands, said: “We’re delighted to be working with Universal International Studios and the BBC on this new trail as we celebrate our 20th anniversary at the Museum of London Docklands. Dodger is a fantastically fun series offering families and young visitors a brilliant new way to explore our galleries and learn more about Victorian London.”

Trail maps for Dodger are available free at the Museum of London Docklands from Saturday 11 February.