BBC to adapt War & Peace for 2015


Having made the journey north to Fab Four Land getting geared up to work extremely hard on your behalf, just a brief update before we begin the 2013 BBC Showcase in Liverpool.

First up were several announcements coming from the BBC with regards to upcoming drama commissioning one, in particular, of great interest. Andrew Davies, known to telly viewers on both sides of the pond for his brilliant writing of House Of Cards, Pride And Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Bleak House and Brideshead Revisited, has signed on to write a six-part serialized version of Leo Tolstoy’s epic War And Peace set to air on BBC One in 2015.

War and Peace tells the story of five aristocratic families set against the backdrop of the reign of Alexander I beginning in 1805 Russia. Davies called the book, “…a thrilling, funny and heartbreaking story of love, war and family life. The characters are so natural and human and easy to identify with and Natasha Rostova just beats Lizzy Bennet as the most lovable heroine in literature.” Word on the street is that Davies is hoping to cast an unknown in the lead role of Natasha with two more established actors as the male leads Pierre and Andrei. ITV1 viewers are currently enjoying Davies’ work on the Jeremy Piven series Mr. Selfridge. PBS viewers in the States will get a chance to see Davies’ current handiwork when the period drama based on the book Shopping, Seduction And Mr Selfridge premieres Sunday, March 31 at 8:00pm CT / 9:00pm ET as part of the Masterpiece series.

More tomorrow with a few announcements before we begin our 10-hour a day screening fest of the best television on television. One series that ‘must be reviewed’ after seeing clips is Father Brown. If you’re in the UK and have seen, would love to know what you think.


In: Drama