He penned A Christmas Carol, A Tale of Two Cities, Oliver Twist, and many, many other classics – but what many don’t know about Charles Dickens is that he was a lowkey action hero in his own right.

According to one story, Dickens was on a train that derailed over a bridge but fortunately, he was in the only first-class carriage that didn’t fall to the river below. As well as finding the key that freed his friends from their carriage, he went to the carriages below and gave water to those in need.

Next, Charles “The Rock” Dickens climbed back into the dangling carriage and grabbed his coat, where he was storing the instalment of ‘Our Mutual Friend’ that he had been carrying to take to his publishers.

But perhaps the most badass thing about Dickens was his contribution to social reform. Oliver Twist in particular highlighted the plight of children in workhouses up and down Britain and brought these injustices into the public conversation. He also did plenty of charity work to directly support those children.