Dominic West and David Oyelowo lead the cast of beeb’s Les Misérables

The cast of Andrew Davies’ six-part drama adaptation of Victor Hugo’s 19th century classic will be led by Dominic West and David Oyelowo.

“Jean Valjean is one of the great characters in world literature. His epic journey of redemption is one of the extraordinary roles an actor can take on, and I can’t wait to get stuck in to bringing Andrew’s brilliant adaptation to the screen.” – Dominic West

Dominic West will star as Jean Valjean, and David Oyelowo as Javert, in BBC One’s landmark drama adaptation of Les Misérables. Both additionally take up roles as Executive Producers. They are joined in the epic new event drama by Lily Collins in the role of Fantine.

“To play an iconic role like Javert is any actor’s dream, but to play it as written by Andrew Davies goes beyond my wildest dreams.” – David Oyelowo

The distinguished British cast also includes Adeel Akhtar and Olivia Colman as Monsieur and Madame Thénardier, Ellie Bamber as Cosette, Josh O’Connor as Marius and Erin Kellyman as Éponine.

Screenwriter Andrew Davies will go back to the original novel and delve deep into the many layers of Hugo’s story, revelling in Jean Valjean and Javert’s cat-and-mouse relationship, against the epic backdrop of France at a time of civil unrest.

With a striking intensity and relevance to the world today, the novel is testimony to the struggles of France’s underclass and how far they must go to survive. The six part television adaptation of the renowned book will vividly and faithfully bring to life the vibrant and engaging characters, the spectacular and authentic imagery and, above all, the incredible yet accessible story that was Hugo’s lifework.

“This impressive line-up of world-class actors clearly signals the huge ambition behind the retelling of this epic masterpiece for BBC One.” – Charlotte Moore, Director of BBC Content