BBC has announced a year-long celebration of literature

A mass of new programming has been confirmed as part of a year-long celebration of literature from BBC Arts.

It’ll cover everything from classics to contemporary fiction, featuring celebrated authors alongside the less well-known.

The programming will appear on television, radio and online.

A festival in partnership with libraries and reading groups around the UK has also been announced.

Highlights on TV will include:

The Novels That Shaped Our World

BBC Two’s three-part series coincides with the 300th anniversary of Daniel Defoe’s Robinson Crusoe, widely acknowledged to be the birth of the popular English language novel.

The episodes will examine colonial and post-colonial attitudes, female equality and class struggle.

In Search Of Dracula

Sherlock co-writer Mark Gatiss, currently working on the BBC’s new Dracula series, explores the story of Bram Stoker’s iconic creation.

Lady Boss: The Jackie Collins Story

This documentary tells the untold true story of one of the world’s best-selling novelists whose turbulent, complex, and inspiring life rivalled the spicy plots she dreamed up for her novels.

A Bear Called Paddington & A Man Called Michael

The story Paddington Bear creator Michael Bond, who drew on his wartime memories of evacuee children, featuring interviews with Michael Bond’s family, friends and celebrity admirers.

Hilary Mantel

A look inside the imagination of Wolf Hall author Hilary Mantel.

Being Bridget

Nearly 25 years since Bridget Jones made her first appearance in a newspaper column, Helen Fielding looks back at how she launched the “chick lit” genre.

Kes: A Boys Life

Comedian, actor and former English teacher Greg Davies celebrates Barry Hines’ classic novel A Kestrel for a Knave, journeying to Barnsley to find out what today’s schoolkids make of the world depicted in the book.

The African Novel With David Olusoga

Nigerian-born presenter and historian David Olusoga travels to the USA, Uganda and to his home city of Lagos to reveal how African novels became a global phenomenon.

Richard E Grant Write Around the World

Book and travel lover Richard E Grant travels across France, Italy and Spain, visiting places that have inspired writers across the centuries.

Arena: Everything Is Connected – George Eliot’s Life

Contemporary artist Gillian Wearing examines the legacy of George Eliot, revealing the extraordinary woman behind the literary mask.