His Dark Materials (TV series)

His Dark Materials (TV series)

His Dark Materials is a fantasy drama television series based on the novel series of the same name by Philip Pullman. It is produced by Bad Wolf and New Line Productions, for BBC One and HBO, with the latter handling international distribution. The eight-episode first series premiered on 3 November 2019 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on 4 November on HBO in the U.S.

About His Dark Materials (TV series) in brief

Summary His Dark Materials (TV series)His Dark Materials is a fantasy drama television series based on the novel series of the same name by Philip Pullman. It is produced by Bad Wolf and New Line Productions, for BBC One and HBO, with the latter handling international distribution. The eight-episode first series premiered on 3 November 2019 on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on 4 November on HBO in the U.S. Before the series premiered, it was renewed for a second series of eight episodes, which is primarily adapting the second book in the trilogy, The Subtle Knife. The three His Dark Materials novels achieved critical and commercial success and were adapted into a 2007 feature film, The Golden Compass. The film was criticised by fans of the trilogy for the dilution of elements of the story that were critical of religion, as well as from some religious organisations for the source material’s perceived anti-religious themes. The series follows the life of a young girl named Lyra who is an orphan living with the scholars at Jordan College, Oxford.

As in Pullman’s novel, Lyra discovers a dangerous secret that involves Lord Asriel and Marisa Coulter. The story begins in an alternative world where all humans have animal companions called daemons, which are manifestations of the human soul. A witches’ prophecy links Lyra’s destiny to Will, a teenager from our world, who is himself being pursued by mysterious figures connected to his father. The following actors are credited in the opening titles, but only appear in up to two episodes. Lead puppeteer Brian Fisher provides the uncredited vocalisations for Mrs Coulter’s monkey daemon. The first series was completed before the premiere of the first season, which was considered a necessary move considering the age of the show’s young star. While filming for series 2 was mostly completed before COVID-19 pandemic, a standalone episode focusing on Lord As Ariel was left unfinished.