THE difficult home life of the Brontes will be brought to life in a BBC1 drama about the literary sisters, written and directed by Last Tango In Halifax author Sally Wainwright and filmed in Yorkshire.

The one-off, two-hour drama will follow Charlotte, Emily and Anne Bronte's relationship with each other and their brother Branwell, who in the last three years of his life was plagued by alcoholism and drug addiction.

To Walk Invisible: The Bronte Sisters will be filmed in and around Yorkshire.

Casting is yet to be announced for the drama, described as "an original perspective on the Bronte sisters".

BBC1 controller Charlotte Moore said: "The Bronte sisters have always been enigmatic but Sally Wainwright's brilliantly authentic new BBC1 drama brings the women behind some of our greatest literary masterpieces to life.

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"It's an extraordinary tale of family tragedy and their passion and determination, against the odds, to have their genius recognised in a male 19th century world."

Bafta-winning writer Ms Wainwright, whose other credits include TV series Happy Valley, said of the drama: "I am thrilled beyond measure that I've been asked by the BBC to bring to life these three fascinating, talented, ingenious Yorkshire women."

The drama explores the siblings' relationship with each other and their self-educated father Patrick, who grew up in an impoverished home in rural Ireland and encouraged his children - irrespective of their gender - to become passionate about literature.

It also portrays their "increasingly difficult relationship with their brother Branwell, who in the last three years of his life - following a tragically misguided love affair - sank into alcoholism, drug addiction and appalling behaviour".

The most famous sisters of English literature were born in Thornton, Bradford, where their father Patrick was curate and the family moved to Haworth when he was appointed perpetual curate there.

Charlotte, arguably the most talented of the three sisters, published her most famous novel, Jane Eyre, in 1847 and it was an instant success.

Branwell died of tuberculosis in September 1848.

Emily died of the same disease on December 1848 and Anne in May 1849.

Left alone with her father, Charlotte continued to write.

She was by now a well-known author and visited London a number of times.

'Shirley' was published in 1849 and 'Villette' in 1853.

In 1854, Charlotte married her father's curate, Arthur Nicholls. She died of tuberculosis in March 1855 at the age of 38.