The long-awaited adaptation of Watership Down begins on BBC One this weekend.

But one person who has mixed feelings towards the revamp of Richard Adam's 1972 children's classic is his eldest daughter - who has accused scriptwriters of 'social engineering' in their portrayal of female characters.

The novel, about a group of rabbits escaping the destruction of their warren, is dedicated to Adams' two children who originally inspired the story of beleaguered bunnies Hazel and Fiver.

And speaking to the Daily Telegraph, Juliet Johnson, 60, and Rosamond Mahony, 58, bemoaned some of the changes in the latest film adaptation.

Referencing the BBC's gender pay gap scandal, Juliet said it was her understanding that female rabbits were given a feminist makeover 'at the BBC's insistence' - in response to the controversy surrounding ex-China editor Carrie Gracie's resignation in January.

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Richard Adams with his two daughters Juliet and Rosamond (pictured in London in 2014), who have shared their thoughts on the new film adaptation of their late father's 1972 children's classic Watership Down set to air on the BBC later this week

Fiver convinces Bigwig to follow his plan and head for Watership Down in the new version of the 1972 Richard Adam children's classic, set to air on BBC this weekend

'I have that only on third party assurance,' she admitted. 'But if you're going to start social engineering like that, make sure your own house is in order, don't you think?'

Executive producer Rory Aitken told the newspaper that the team 'felt it would be beneficial to have a greater balance of male and female characters'.

He said: 'The female characters were always an important part of the narrative and we've built and expanded on this in the adaptation.'

MailOnline has contacted the BBC for further comment.

The daughters explained that their father, who died in 2016 , had sold the rights to a Hollywood producer 'in perpetuity' leading to the 1978 film adaptation.

'It was very ill-advised,' said Juliet. 'In fact it wasn't advised at all – he just did it. We should probably have had a lawyer check it out.'

Warning: Watership Down producers warned parents earlier this month that two-part BBC adaptation is 'not a kids film' after the 1978 film traumatised a generation of children

Rosamond, from London and Juliet, from Oxford, believe violent scenes in the book were given undue prominence in the film adaptation.

Juliet added: 'A lot of the deaths in [the movie] don't happen in the book. I actually feel a bit cross about this. The violence in the original film was not sensitively done.'

The new two-part animation, co-produced by Netflix and the BBC, is voiced by a star-studded cast including Olivia Colman, Rosamund Pike, John Boyega and James McAvoy.

Being careful: Producer Rory Aitken has admitted that the new adaptation is 'not appropriate for younger children', with the show coming with a minimum age of eight

Age rating: The two-part drama, which will be broadcast in the 7pm slot on December 22 and 23, has a recommended minimum age rating of eight years old

The two sisters have described the new version as 'far darker' than the novel in their interview with the Telegraph today, referencing a scene which some viewers have said has echoes of Jewish concentration camps.

Juliet believes their father would have branded the comparison as 'inappropriate and wrong'.

The pair also brushed off suggestions of hidden social messages between the book's pages, with Rosamond adding: 'He always maintained it was just a story about rabbits. Nothing else.'

Watership Down: The Journey and the Raid airs on BBC One on Saturday 22 December at 7pm