麻豆社

Charles Dickens presents a topical chat show about workhouses in Victorian times. In 1861, 35,000 children under 12 lived and worked in workhouses in Britain. A workhouse boy, very like Charles Dickens's famous character Oliver Twist, reports on the living conditions there, including work picking out old ropes, harsh discipline and punishment by whipping. We move on to meet a workhouse cook and find out about the typical diet of a workhouse child. Finally, we meet the activist Thomas Barnado. He tells us about his work to improve life for poor children, including opening the first children's homes.