Since 2010, James has created and performed ten different shows based on the works of Charles Dickens. These performances have graced London's West End as well as Dickens's historic homes, receiving coverage from the BBC, The Telegraph and, most recently, The New York Times. His work has also been praised by leading Dickensian actors Simon Callow and Miriam Margolyes.
James's current repertoire consists of three one-man plays: A Christmas Carol, The Haunted Man and The Signal-Man & The Trial for Murder. James's rendition of A Christmas Carol has become a seasonal fixture at the Charles Dickens Museum - the author's only surviving London home - where it traditionally sells out its entire run and garners five-star reviews. The Haunted Man led Roger Clarke, author of A Natural History of Ghosts, to call James 'the best interpreter of Charles Dickens's ghost stories alive'. And The Signal-Man & The Trial for Murder was heralded by legendary horror writer Ramsey Campbell as 'an unforgettable experience' and James as 'a prodigious and extraordinary talent'.
Amongst James's previous work, Sikes & Nancy was described by Simon Callow as 'a startling and enthralling contribution to the art of the theatre.' Sikes & Nancy ran at the West End's Trafalgar Studios, toured extensively across the UK and crossed the sea for a sell-out engagement at Jersey Opera House. At every step, the show was highly acclaimed. James also holds the unique record of having performed all five of Dickens's Christmas Books in a single day; Miriam Margolyes declared that 'it couldn't have been more vivid!'
James's other Dickensian adventures include making a one-man feature film of The Haunted Man, shot entirely on location at Dickens's London home, and materialising as Marley's Ghost in Scrooge & Marley (Waterloo East Theatre). He has also contributed a video interview to the Dickens Museum's exhibition Showtime!, led a postgraduate seminar for the University of Buckingham and performed The Signal-Man within the UK prison system. And he has twice marked the anniversary of Dickens's death: in 2025, he created the bespoke show Killing Dickens for the Charles Dickens Museum; and in 2022, he acted The Chimes at Gad's Hill, the country house where the great author breathed his last.
James's current repertoire consists of three one-man plays: A Christmas Carol, The Haunted Man and The Signal-Man & The Trial for Murder. James's rendition of A Christmas Carol has become a seasonal fixture at the Charles Dickens Museum - the author's only surviving London home - where it traditionally sells out its entire run and garners five-star reviews. The Haunted Man led Roger Clarke, author of A Natural History of Ghosts, to call James 'the best interpreter of Charles Dickens's ghost stories alive'. And The Signal-Man & The Trial for Murder was heralded by legendary horror writer Ramsey Campbell as 'an unforgettable experience' and James as 'a prodigious and extraordinary talent'.
Amongst James's previous work, Sikes & Nancy was described by Simon Callow as 'a startling and enthralling contribution to the art of the theatre.' Sikes & Nancy ran at the West End's Trafalgar Studios, toured extensively across the UK and crossed the sea for a sell-out engagement at Jersey Opera House. At every step, the show was highly acclaimed. James also holds the unique record of having performed all five of Dickens's Christmas Books in a single day; Miriam Margolyes declared that 'it couldn't have been more vivid!'
James's other Dickensian adventures include making a one-man feature film of The Haunted Man, shot entirely on location at Dickens's London home, and materialising as Marley's Ghost in Scrooge & Marley (Waterloo East Theatre). He has also contributed a video interview to the Dickens Museum's exhibition Showtime!, led a postgraduate seminar for the University of Buckingham and performed The Signal-Man within the UK prison system. And he has twice marked the anniversary of Dickens's death: in 2025, he created the bespoke show Killing Dickens for the Charles Dickens Museum; and in 2022, he acted The Chimes at Gad's Hill, the country house where the great author breathed his last.