You’d be hard-pressed to find someone who has not heard of Fagin, one of the most famous villains of English literature. The Fagin we see on stage today is considerably different to the miserly old fence who Charles Dickens first scribbled to life in what was to become his best-loved novel, Oliver Twist.

When Dicken’s first conceived Fagin in the 1830s, the character was a caricature of Judaism, an anti-semetic parody of the stereotypical ‘covetous jew’. After actually meeting a Jewish moneylender, Dickens began to remove the more anti-semetic portions of Oliver Twist from the later editions printed during his lifetime.

Soon, Rowan Atkinson will take to the stage in Cameron MacKintosh’s staging of Oliver!, the musical, alongside Jodie Prenger as Nancy. Atkinson will join the ranks of talented actors who have played the villainous Fagin.

Ron Moody was the first man to take Fagin as we know him to the stage. Moody portrayed the character in Lionel Bart’s staging of Oliver! in the 1960s. He transformed Fagin from sinister underworld figure to an unscrupulous but ultimately comedic character.

Moody’s slightly sterilised portrayal went down well with audiences, he went on to reprise the role on Broadway and in the film adaptation of the show, let’s take a look shall we?

As you can see, Fagin has become far more pantomime baddy than heartless villain. The pressing question is, which direction will Rowan Atkinson take when he becomes the old miser in the upcoming staging of Oliver! at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in December?

Considering Atkinson’s background as a comedian above all else, it seems likely that he will choose to portray a comedy Fagin as opposed to the darker, more sinister incarnation we see in Polanski’s film adaptation of Oliver! and Dickens’ original novel, Oliver Twist.

Whatever Atkinson chooses to do with the role he is certain to pull it off with panache. In my opinion almost everything Atkinson touches turns to gold, the man can do no wrong and I’m intrigued to see him pick a pocket or two. Even I’ll have to be quick though, tickets are selling like the hottest of hot cakes. Mmmm, hot cakes.