BBC orders War and Peace adaptation

UK public broadcaster the BBC has ordered a new adaptation of Tolstoy classic War and Peace from Andrew Davies, the writer of TV series including Pride and Prejudice and Mr Selfridge.

Davies’ film credits include the Bridget Jones movies.

The BBC made a highly regarded adaptation of the novel starring Anthony Hopkins in the early 1970s.

The new 6x1hr version will be made BBC Cymru Wales Drama and air on BBC One in 2015.

The series was commissioned by Ben Stephenson, controller, BBC Drama Commissioning and Danny Cohen, controller, BBC One.

Cohen said: “War And Peace is truly epic in scale and builds on BBC One’s commitment to bringing audiences drama of the highest quality and impact. Told over six episodes, Andrew Davies will bring his exceptional powers of adaptation to this literary masterpiece.”