It stars Dev Patel as the title character, along with Aneurin Barnard, Peter Capaldi, Morfydd Clark, Daisy May Cooper, Rosalind Eleazar, Hugh Laurie, Tilda Swinton, Ben Whishaw and Paul Whitehouse.

[6][7] David Copperfield is born to his widowed mother, Clara, and begins saving noteworthy quotes from his life on scraps of paper.

When David returns home, he discovers Clara has married Edward Murdstone, a strict and callous factory owner.

Informed of his mother's death only after her funeral, David wreaks havoc in the factory and departs for Dover to find his wealthy aunt Betsey Trotwood, his only living relative.

At a farewell party at school, David meets Steerforth's mother, ignores his future employer, and falls in love with a somewhat ditsy girl named Dora Spenlow.

Betsey arrives in London with Mr. Dick, having lost her fortune and home, and David is forced to decamp with them to a slum dwelling offered by Uriah, who has been keeping Mr. Wickfield drunk and persuaded him to make him a partner.

They confront Uriah, who has been embezzling funds — including Betsey’s missing fortune — by forging Mr. Wickfield's signature, presenting the letter as proof.

His new career as a writer allows him to buy back Betsey’s home for her and Mr. Dick and continue to support the Micawbers, and he and Agnes marry and have a daughter.

[9] In April, the supporting cast was added, which included Tilda Swinton, Hugh Laurie, Aneurin Barnard, Ben Whishaw and Morfydd Clark.

[11] Filming began in June 2018 in Norfolk and Suffolk, with Gwendoline Christie, Benedict Wong, Paul Whitehouse and Daisy May Cooper joining the cast.

[28] Although it received critical acclaim, The Personal History of David Copperfield underperformed at the box office, as its North American release came during the COVID-19 pandemic, when many cinemas were restricted from opening.

The website's critics consensus reads: "The Personal History of David Copperfield puts a fresh, funny, and utterly charming spin on Dickens' classic, proving some stories truly are timeless.