Literature looms large in BBC arts programming

The BBC will focus on literature in a number of television shows as part of its arts programming, with several authors lined up to participate.

Bestselling novelist Sebastian Faulks will focus on the history of the novel as shown through archetypal characters such as the hero, the villain, the lover and the snob.

In Faulks On Fiction, the Birdsong author will examine some of the most famous British literary characters, including Jane Austen's Emma, Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe and Martin Amis' John Self, to show how they demonstrate the changing nature of the novel.

In addition, a Culture Show special entitled The Books We Really Read will examine what ingredients turn a piece of writing into a bestseller. In the programme, Man Booker Prize judge Sue Perkins will meet a number of authors, including Colin Dexter, Anthony Horowitz and Ian Rankin.

Another show, In Their Own Words - British Novelists, will feature footage of some of Britain's finest authors talking about their lives and works. Insights from late Victorian writers such as G.K. Chesterton and E.M. Forster will sit alongside those from modern authors like Salman Rushdie and Amis.