Sir David Suchet Narrates New Charles Dickens Ghost Stories Podcast | Noiser Launch December 2025
When winter arrives and the evenings grow darker, stories take on a different kind of power—especially ghost stories. And few authors understood this better than Charles Dickens, the Victorian master of atmosphere, suspense, and the supernatural. Now, in a remarkable new production, Sir David Suchet, famed for his iconic portrayal of Hercule Poirot, steps into Dickens’ world to narrate an immersive new nine-episode audio drama series that promises to reawaken Victorian spectral fiction for a modern audience.
Launching 1 December, Charles Dickens’ Ghost Stories is the latest series from the award-winning UK podcast network Noiser, known for cinematic audio storytelling and high-calibre historical productions.
Sir David Suchet has long been celebrated for his precision, warmth, and vocal command. His portrayal of Agatha Christie’s Hercule Poirot remains one of the most beloved literary adaptations of all time. Now, Suchet turns his talents toward Dickens’ lesser-known supernatural works, bringing depth and emotional nuance to stories that once kept Victorian audiences spellbound.
Suchet’s performance, according to early commentary from production insiders, is “rich, atmospheric, and steeped in a storyteller’s sensitivity to mood.” His vocal style—by turns velvet-soft and quietly chilling—makes him an ideal guide through Dickens’ world of shadows, apparitions, and moral reckoning.
Inside the Series: Revisiting Dickens’ Most Haunting Stories
A Modern Audio Drama Rooted in Victorian Atmosphere
Noiser’s new series breathes new life into seven of Dickens’ most evocative ghost tales. Each episode adheres closely to the original text, with minimal alteration—an artistic decision meant to preserve Dickens’ rhythm, voice, and distinctive Victorian cadence.
The series unfolds over nine richly produced episodes, beginning with one of the most influential ghost stories ever written: A Christmas Carol.
Episode Highlights: Ghosts, Guilt, Redemption, and Mystery
1. A Christmas Carol – A Story That Defined the Season
The opening two episodes of the series centre on Dickens’ timeless classic. Suchet narrates using the very script Dickens himself performed from during his public reading on 21 December 1853—a detail that adds historical authenticity and emotional gravity.
Why This Version Matters
It follows Dickens’ own abridged performance script
It captures the pace, cadence, and emphases Dickens chose
It reflects the author’s desire to make the story accessible
It reintroduces the tale as a dramatic reading, not just a narrative
Dickens, during his lifetime, insisted his readings be affordable to working-class audiences. Tickets were priced at roughly a quarter of the usual theatre cost, demonstrating his commitment to literary accessibility long before public libraries became widespread.
Suchet’s retelling preserves that original spirit of generosity, connection, and the moral message at the heart of the story—redemption is for everyone.
2. The Signal-Man – A Ghost Inspired by Reality
One of Dickens’ most unsettling supernatural tales, The Signal-Man, was born from a real-life railway accident that deeply disturbed him. First published in 1866 during a period when industrial expansion reshaped daily life, the story examines:
Prophetic visions
Industrial anxiety
Mortality and fate
The psychological toll of isolation
In Suchet’s hands, the story gains new resonance for modern listeners accustomed to a fast-paced, technology-driven world. As the tale unfolds in a desolate railway cutting, the ghostly warnings blur the line between hallucination and haunting. Suchet’s interpretation heightens the slow, creeping dread Dickens intended.
3. The Trial for Murder – Justice From Beyond the Grave
Another standout episode, The Trial for Murder, blends courtroom drama with spectral interference. A murdered man’s ghost appears not as a frightening spectre, but as a persistent force demanding justice. Dickens uses the supernatural not merely for scares, but to critique:
Corruption in the judicial system
The ease with which truth can be suppressed
The moral responsibility of witnesses
As Suchet narrates, listeners are drawn into a world where earthly institutions are fallible—but the dead refuse to be silenced.
4. The Ghost in the Bride’s Chamber – A Tale of Secrets and Shadows
This lesser-known Dickens story explores the fragility of love and the haunting echoes of wrongdoings never confessed. It delves into themes such as:
Unspoken betrayal
The psychological burden of guilt
Hidden histories within families
Suchet’s voice brings emotional weight to the fragile relationships at the story’s centre, capturing both tenderness and foreboding.
5. A Madman’s Manuscript – Madness, Memory, and the Macabre
In A Madman’s Manuscript, Dickens pushes into psychological horror. The protagonist—confined to a Victorian asylum—claims he is tormented by the ghost of his deceased wife. But is she truly haunting him, or is this the manifestation of violent guilt?
The story examines:
Mental illness in Victorian society
The tension between perception and reality
How grief twists memory
The Gothic tradition of unreliable narrators
Suchet’s interpretation intensifies the claustrophobia and torment embedded in Dickens’ prose.
Noiser’s Production Vision: Cinema for the Ears
A New Era of Audio Storytelling
Noiser has built a reputation for crafting immersive, high-production-value audio experiences. Charles Dickens’ Ghost Stories follows this tradition with:
Layered soundscapes
Cinematic music
Authentic Victorian ambience
Precision editing
The creative team aimed to evoke the atmosphere of Dickensian London—fog-drenched streets, creaking floors, candlelit rooms—while keeping the focus firmly on Suchet’s performance.
Why Dickens’ Ghost Stories Still Matter Today
A Literary Legacy That Shaped Modern Horror
Dickens didn’t invent the ghost story, but he helped define its modern form. His supernatural tales were moral, emotional, and deeply human. They used ghosts not simply as frightening figures, but as mirrors reflecting society’s flaws.
Key reasons Dickens’ ghost stories endure:
They confront fears still relevant today (isolation, regret, injustice).
They offer moral lessons disguised as supernatural entertainment.
They balance eeriness with empathy, humour, and social critique.
They are atmospheric yet accessible to broad audiences.
Suchet’s new recordings aim to revive this tradition for listeners who may have never encountered Dickens outside a classroom.
Historical Context: Ghost Stories at Christmastime
Many people associate ghost tales with Halloween, but in Dickens’ era, ghost stories were a Christmas tradition, shared late at night around fireside gatherings.
This Noiser series reconnects modern audiences to that seasonal ritual—one that blends warmth, reflection, and an appreciation of the unknown.
Availability: Where and How to Listen
Beginning 1 December, the full series will be available on:
Apple Podcasts
Spotify
BBC Sounds (ad-free)
All major podcast platforms
Listeners who subscribe to Noiser+ will unlock:
Early access to two exclusive additional episodes
More than 500+ premium episodes across Noiser’s catalogue
This includes fan favourites in history, true crime, and dramatic retellings—a significant value for devoted audio storytelling fans.
A New Seasonal Classic in the Making
With its December release, Sir David Suchet’s Charles Dickens’ Ghost Stories is poised to become a new seasonal listening ritual. It offers:
Comfort for longtime Dickens fans
Surprise and discovery for new listeners
A masterclass in narration from one of Britain’s most respected actors
A high-quality homage to Dickens’ literary brilliance
A bridge between Victorian storytelling and modern audio drama
Whether listened to beside a crackling fire, on a winter walk, or on a dark evening commute, the series promises to transport audiences into a world of spectral warnings, emotional reckonings, and timeless narrative magic.
