Watership Down: ‘It’s just a story about rabbits’
The bestselling novel by Richard Adams was famously adapted into a film in 1978.
Fans of Watership Down who think the book has a true meaning within its pages are wrong, the author’s daughters have said – It’s “just a story about rabbits”.
The bestselling novel by Richard Adams was famously adapted into a film in 1978 and is returning to the small screen over Christmas.
Adams died, aged 96, in 2016 and daughters Juliet, 60, and Rosamond, 58, who encouraged their father to write when they were children, look after his legacy.
And Rosamond told Radio Times magazine that “over the years the family has seen off theory after theory about the ‘true’ message of Watership Down”.
She said: “Honestly, the stuff we got through the post from fans about what they think the book is about – ‘Is Woundwort an allegory of Stalin?’
“‘Is Hazel Jesus Christ?’ It shows that people really connect with the story, they really think hard about it, but it cut no ice with Dad.
“‘Rubbish!’ he always said. ‘It’s just a story about rabbits.’”
The new BBC two-part adaptation features James McAvoy, John Boyega, Gemma Arterton, Olivia Colman and Nicholas Hoult among the voice cast.
“Daddy always said that rabbits in Watership Down don’t do anything real rabbits wouldn’t be able to do,” Rosamond said, but “the book clearly says that rabbits don’t have romantic relationships”.
Radio Times Christmas issue is on sale now.
