Christos Tsiolkas' The Slap receives TV adaptation

A TV adaptation of Christos Tsiolkas' Man Booker Prize-longlisted novel The Slap is set to hit UK TV screens later this year, it has been confirmed.

BBC Four will be showing the adaptation in a series of eight one-hour episodes, which will star Hotel Rwanda actress Sophie Okonedo, Jonathan LaPaglia and Melissa George.

The channel, which will air the programmes in October, has described the novel as a 'very well made tale of our times'.

Despite not making last year's Man Booker Prize shortlist, The Slap, which follows the repercussions of a summer barbecue, where a man slaps a child that is not his own, was one of the bestselling titles on the longlist, racking up sales of over 268,000 copies.

Sue Deeks, head of BBC programme acquisition, said: 'The Slap is a phenomenon, one of those books which everyone seems to be reading.'

She explained that the novel is brought to life on screen with tremendous performances that provide a 'truly powerful, compelling and thought-provoking watch'.