Kathy Lette says that during lockdown she has been reading Dickens. Her choice illustrates the enduring appeal of Charles Dickens (1812-1870). At the Sydney Theatre Company in 1982-3, we staged David Edgar’s monumental adaptation of Nicholas Nickleby; it ran for 8 hours and 40 minutes. The power of Dickens’ story-telling had a tremendous impact on audiences; he is such a spellbinder.