WRITER, broadcaster and curator Dr Suzanne Fagence Cooper will give an introductory talk at the 3pm screening of Ralph Fiennes’s new film, The Invisible Woman, at City Screen, York, on February 22 at 3pm.

Based on Claire Tomalin’s award-winning book, the story traces the rocky relationship between writer Charles Dickens (played by director Fiennes) and Nelly Ternan (Felicity Jones), a woman all but erased from history.

The couple met when Ternan played a small role in one of Dickens’s plays. Despite the age gap – he was several decades her senior – and even though he was married, they started a secret love that would threaten to ruin them both.

Dr Cooper, an expert on Victorian art and society, acted as an historical consultant on The Invisible Woman, working closely with Fiennes, the producers and costume and set designers to create a sumptuous, historically accurate vision of Dickens and his world.

Dr Cooper spent 12 years researching the Victorian collections at the V&A Museum in London and has worked for the BBC and Channel 4.