  In this paper we analyse the propagation of warps in protostellar
circumbinary discs. We use these systems as a test environment in which to
study warp propagation in the bending-wave regime, with the addition of an
external torque due to the binary gravitational potential. In particular, we
want to test the linear regime, for which an analytic theory has been
developed. In order to do so, we first compute analytically the steady state
shape of an inviscid disc subject to the binary torques. The steady state tilt
is a monotonically increasing function of radius. In the absence of viscosity,
the disc does not present any twist. Then, we compare the time-dependent
evolution of the warped disc calculated via the known linearised equations both
with the analytic solutions and with full 3D numerical simulations, which have
been performed with the PHANTOM SPH code using 2 million particles. We find a
good agreement both in the tilt and in the phase evolution for small
inclinations, even at very low viscosities. Moreover, we have verified that the
linearised equations are able to reproduce the diffusive behaviour when
{\alpha} > H/R, where {\alpha} is the disc viscosity parameter. Finally, we
have used the 3D simulations to explore the non-linear regime. We observe a
strongly non-linear behaviour, which leads to the breaking of the disc. Then,
the inner disc starts precessing with its own precessional frequency. This
behaviour has already been observed with numerical simulations in accretion
discs around spinning black holes. The evolution of circumstellar accretion
discs strongly depends on the warp evolution. Therefore the issue explored in
this paper could be of fundamental importance in order to understand the
evolution of accretion discs in crowded environments, when the gravitational
interaction with other stars is highly likely, and in multiple systems.
