Hard Times - Author Charles Dickens

Mr Thomas Gradgrind is a retired hardware merchant and an aspiring MP. An intimidating figure, he has just one principle, which he clings to through thick and thin, 'In this life, we want nothing but Facts sir, nothing but Facts'...

As if to back up his belief, Gradgrind sponsors and school in Coketown that espouses his own personal philosophy of hard facts over and above all else. Despite having a rigid mindset and a name that conjures up images of harshness and oppression, Gradgrind is not a bad man - he is merely misguided.....