Need a New Year project? How about getting stuck into War And Peace - from the comfort of your sofa, of course.

Very few novels offer the same sense of achievement to the reader as finishing Leo Tolstoy's epic tome, War And Peace.

So long is the 1869 book that recently more than 1,300 Russian competitors spent four days working their way through it in a televised reading marathon.

And while there's certainly self-satisfaction to be had in wading through the famous novel, which also includes historical essays and stands at nearly 1500 pages, there is an easier way to enjoy the story.

Because, starting on January 3, BBC One will be showing their starry adaptation.

Written by Andrew Davies, who previously adapted Pride And Prejudice for the mid-Nineties mini-series and more recently Little Dorrit, it shows the epic story of love, war, life and death over six episodes.

"I was absolutely surprised to find out how fresh and lively and modern it felt," recalls Davies, of getting his teeth into the iconic tale.

"I thought it was going to be this great solemn tome, but there's a lot of humour and affection in it. Once you've cut out the bits where Tolstoy is arguing with himself about theories of history, it's such a vibrant, fun and very moving story, with really, really interesting characters."

As well as Happy Valley's James Norton as Andrei Bolkonsky, Downton Abbey's Lily James as Natasha Rostova and Paul Dano as Pierre Bezukhov, the cast also boasts Jim Broadbent, Gillian Anderson, Adrian Edmondson, Rebecca Front and Tuppence Middleton in hefty supporting roles.

"They are universal characters," adds Norton, who is also known for Grantchester and Life In Squares. "They are set in this period but the journeys and emotions they go through are timeless. Tolstoy wrote this incredible soap opera that is so relevant for today."

THE STORY

A timeless novel spanning eight years, War And Peace tells the story of three young people: kind-hearted Natasha, brooding Andrei, and outcast Pierre - who all live in Russia during the period the country was at war with Napoleon. Although an illegitimate heir, Pierre inherits his wealthy father's fortune and consequently finds himself thrust into Russian society. Cynical prince Andrei seeks solace in his best friend Pierre's good nature, feeling stifled by his marriage and longing for glory in the battlefields. Both their fates are bound to teenager Natasha, who is desperate to experience the world.

"When I'm reading the novel, I'm looking for whose story is it really, who we go on the journey with and on War And Peace, it's very much Pierre, Andrei and Natasha," says Davies. "I try to make everything a scene with them in it or a scene that relates to them, so that we never lose touch with them."