Tess Of The D'Urbervilles coming to BBC One

New Bond girl Gemma Arterton stars as Tess, the spirited heroine, in BBC One's new four-part adaptation of Thomas Hardy's Tess Of The D'Urbervilles.

Read our interview with Gemma Arterton.

Hans Matheson (The Virgin Queen, Dr Zhivago) plays her nemesis, the arrogant Alec D’Urberville, who seduces her and Eddie Redmayne (Elizabeth: The Golden Age, Savage Grace) is Angel Clare, with whom she falls in love and marries.

Read our interview with Eddie Redmayne.

Written by David Nicholls (Starter For Ten, Cold Feet, Much Ado About Nothing), this new adaptation of Hardy's complex, profound and heart-breaking novel, also features Jodie Whittaker (Venus) as her best friend Izzy, Ruth Jones (Gavin And Stacey, Little Dorrit) as her mother Joan, and Anna Massey (Oliver Twist, The Importance Of Being Earnest) as Mrs D'Urberville.

Take a look at our episode guide.

Kate Harwood, Executive Producer and Controller, Series and Serials for BBC Drama Productions, says: "Arguably Thomas Hardy is the most neglected of our great literary authors, so I'm delighted with the new BBC adaptation of his renowned classic tale of Tess Of The D'Urbervilles. Hardy's novel explores love, betrayal and the emotional burden of secrets locked away at the heart of a passionate, loving relationship which, when unlocked, implode with heart-breaking consequences. David Nicholls's adaptation brings Hardy's heroine, Tess, to life with verve, passion and sensitivity."

Originally titled Tess Of The D'Urbervilles: A Pure Woman Faithfully Presented, Hardy's novel was serialised in The Graphic during 1891 – albeit in censored form as its challenge to the sexual attitudes of the day was considered too overt for general consumption.

When Tess's drunken father discovers their family can trace their ancestry back to Norman nobility, Tess's unhappy fate is set in motion as a train of events is unleashed. Exceptionally beautiful, Tess is given a place with her supposed noble kinsmen and is seduced and raped by the son of the family, Alec D'Urberville.

She returns home and gives birth to a sickly boy who soon dies. Trying to rebuild her life, Tess is employed as a milkmaid and meets Angel Clare. They fall in love and Angel proposes. Scared of losing him, she can't face telling him about her past, but on their wedding night Angel confesses a previous affair, so Tess, convinced that he will now forgive her, owns up about her own relationship with Alec – with tragic consequences.

Tess Of The D'Urbervilles was filmed on location in Somerset, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire and Dorset in Spring 2008.