First look: Dominic West, Lily Collins and David Oyelowo in the BBC's Les Miserables

The first images from the BBC's lavish new adaptation of Les Misérables have been released, showing some of Britain's best acting talent adopt the style of French revolutionaries.

Dominic West as Jean Valjean, David Oyelowo as crooked policeman Javert and Lily Collins in costume as Fantine are the first stars and characters to be revealed by the corporation ahead of the arrival of the drama's first trailer during this evening's World Cup final. 

The BBC has previously promised to return Les Misérables back to the “vibrant” story of Victor Hugo’s original novel in a new retelling produced by Andrew Davies, who has written previous BBC adaptations War and Peace and Pride and Prejudice in 1995. 

Oyelowo, best-known for his star turns in Selma and the BBC’s Spooks, has previously said that playing the “iconic” role “goes beyond my wildest dreams”.

The trio will be joined by Adeel Akhtar and Olivia Colman as innkeepers Monsieur and Madame Thénardier, and Erin Kellyman as Eponine.

Lily Collins, the actress daughter of musician Phil Collins, said: “I’m so thrilled to be playing Fantine. She is a legendary character whose tragic story feels as relevant to tell today as when Les Misérables was first published.

“Andrew’s wonderful dramatisation opens up the character in fresh ways that I’ve never seen before in previous adaptations.

“And with this amazing cast coming together it really feels like it could be something very special indeed.”

The epic production will consist of six hour-long episodes, which were shot in Belgium and Northern France.