Who wrote Little Women, when was the book first published and what movie and TV adaptations have there been?
THE BBC is airing a new adaption of American civil war classic Little Women.
It's not the first time the epic novel - following the lives of four very different sisters and their mum - has been transported to the screen.
Who wrote Little Women?
Louisa May Alcott wrote Little Women over the course of a few short months.
The epic novel follows the lives of four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy, and is loosely based on Louisa's own life and that of her sisters.
She was pushed to write the book by her publisher and did not enjoy the experience.
Louisa wrote in her diary: "I plod away although I don't enjoy this sort of things."
Her publisher also thought that the book was dull, but girls loved it, prompting Louisa to concede "they are the best critics, so I should definitely be satisfied."
When was Little Women published?
Little Women was originally published in two separate volumes in 1868 and 1869.
The novel was seen as groundbreaking as it addressed three major themes that affected girls of that time, "domesticity, work, and true love, all of them interdependent and each necessary to the achievement of its heroine's individual identity."
What do we know about the new Little Women adaptation and when will it air?
Little Women started on BBC One on Boxing Day at 8pm and will be aired on three consecutive nights.
The novel has been brought to the small screen by Call The Midwife creator Heidi Thomas.
It will be directed by My Mad Fat Diary’s Vanessa Caswill and produced by Playground, the company behind TV shows Wolf Hall and The Missing.
Little Women began filming in July in Ireland and will be a three-part series.
What TV and movie adaptations have there been of Little Women?
Little Women has been adapted for cinema six times, twice in the silent film era, and four times with sound in 1933, 1949, 1978 and 1994.
The BBC's new series is the third British TV adaption after two during the 1950s.
It has also been performed as a musical and an opera in the States.
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What is Little Women about?
Little Women is a novel by American author Louisa May Alcott that was originally published in two volumes in 1868 and 1869.
Taking place during the Civil War, the books follow four sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March – during their journey from childhood to womanhood.
With the help of their mother Marmee while their father is away at war, the sisters navigate their way through growing up and what it means to be a woman, from gender roles to sibling rivalry, love, marriage and loss.
It became a huge success instantly and has been adapted for film six times over the years, as well as being made into four TV series.
Mostly famously it was adapted in 1994 for the big screen, staring Winona Ryder, Kirsten Dunst and Claire Danes.
It received huge critical acclaim and helped land Winona - who played Jo - a best actress nomination at the Academy Awards.