It is a parody of the works of Charles Dickens such as Bleak House and Great Expectations, from which it derives its name, including adventure, science fiction, and costume dramas set in the same period.

Bleak Expectations parodies several of their plot devices whilst simultaneously tending toward surreal humour along the lines of The Goon Show.

The series also demonstrated a fondness for allusions to parodies of the films of Alec Guinness, particularly the Edwardian satire Kind Hearts and Coronets.

Pip narrates it as an old man to the journalist (and his eventual son-in-law) Sourquill, who brings various useless inventions to assist in recording the events.

[5] The first of the six episodes of this fifth series, titled "A Pleasant Yet Dull Life Re-Evilled", was broadcast on BBC Radio 4 at 6.30 pm on 20 November 2012.