Old Curiosity Shop, The (television) Four-hour Disney Channel Premiere film; first aired on March 19 and 20, 1995. In nineteenth-century England, Nell’s secure and innocent childhood is threatened when the family’s curio shop, owned by her compulsive gambling grandfather, is repossessed by the evil moneylender Daniel Quilp. Nell and her grandfather must take to the road in search of safety and happiness. On their travels, they encounter bizarre and fascinating characters who make the world itself seem like a curiosity shop. Directed by Kevin Connor. Stars Peter Ustinov (Grandfather), Tom Courtenay (Quilp), Sally Walsh (Nell), James Fox (Single Gentleman), William Mannering (Kit). Filming took place at various locales throughout Ireland, with the majority of the film being shot at Ardmore Studios in Dublin. The streets of Dickensian London, as well as Quilp’s wharf and dockland, were built entirely for the production and then burned to the ground as part of the film’s dramatic conclusion.
