BBC One and Playground announce Little Women cast

Angela Lansbury and Michael Gambon star, with Bafta award-winner Emily Watson playing beloved Marmee Maya Hawke; Willa Fitzgerald, Annes Elwy and Kathryn Newton as the iconic March sisters and Jonah Hauer-King as Laurie Laurence.

BBC One and Golden Globe/Bafta-winning drama producer Playground announce the cast for the upcoming adaptation of Little Women.

Based on the classic novel by Louisa May Alcott, this three-part adaptation from the award-winning creator of Call The Midwife Heidi Thomas (Cranford, Upstairs Downstairs) will be directed by Vanessa Caswill (Thirteen, My Mad Fat Diary) and starts principal photography this month in Ireland. The series is a co-production with Masterpiece on PBS.

Bafta award-winner Emily Watson (Apple Tree Yard, The Theory Of Everything, Genius) is set to play Marmee, the iconic matriarch of the March family. The March sisters will be played by an ensemble of four exciting young actresses: newcomer Maya Hawke takes the role of willful and adventurous Jo, Willa Fitzgerald (Scream: The TV Series, Misfortune) will play the eldest daughter Meg, Annes Elwy (Philip K. Dick's Electric Dreams) will play Beth, and Kathryn Newton (Big Little Lies, Halt and Catch Fire) takes the role of the youngest sister Amy.

Academy award-winner Dame Angela Lansbury (Murder, She Wrote, The Manchurian Candidate) will play the girls' wealthy relative - the cantankerous Aunt March. Bafta-winner Michael Gambon (Harry Potter, Churchill's Secret) takes the role of their benevolent neighbour Mr. Laurence, and Jonah Hauer-King (Howards End, The Last Photograph) will play his grandson Laurie Laurence, the charming boy next door.

Loved by generations worldwide, Little Women is a truly universal coming-of-age story, as relevant and engaging today as it was when originally published in 1868. Set against the backdrop of a country divided, the story follows the four sisters Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March on their journey from childhood to adulthood. With the help of their mother Marmee, while their father is away at war the girls navigate what it means to be a young woman - from gender roles to sibling rivalry, first love, loss and marriage.

Little Women has been commissioned by Piers Wenger and Charlotte Moore at the BBC, and will be produced by Playground (Wolf Hall, Howards End) for BBC One. The producer is Susie Liggat. Executive producers are Colin Callender and Sophie Gardiner for Playground, Heidi Thomas, Lucy Richer for the BBC and Rebecca Eaton for Masterpiece.