BBC-Produced ‘Watership Down’ Remake to Air Next Year

Back in March, we reported that the BBC would produce a CG retelling of the classic children’s book (and 1978 film) Watership Down. Now, we bring an update that gives us a little more information on when and where we can expect to see this retelling.

Radio Times confirmed that the new CG version of the Watership Down story will come in the form of a four-part TV miniseries that will air on BBC One sometime next year.

Like the book and the film, the remake centers on a band of rabbits who venture on a perilous journey in search of a new home.

BBC controller of drama commissioning Ben Stephenson told Radio Times, “I’m really excited. I love the way the BBC can do family in a way nobody else does.”

Stephenson describes the animation as “incredibly detailed” and says that the violent nature of the story will also be maintained, saying here: “Our new version will have the charm and the brutality of that story which can be about many things… leaving home, finding your own community.”

Both the book and the film are famous (or infamous, depending on one’s view) for their dark subject matter. In essence, it’s quite a surprise to hear that this aspect of the story will also carry over to the remake. Now, it’s all a matter of how a new audience will react to this dark material.

Watership Down (the 1978 film) is available for DVD /Blu-ray and on all digital platforms. Read our writer Jed Johnson’s review of the film on our website here. Be sure to also check out this episode of the Animation Addicts podcast, in which Chelsea, Morgan, and Mason discuss the film.

Do you have any thoughts on this news? Do these details make you look forward to the Watership Down remake?

Edited by: Hannah Wilkes