His Dark Materials (TV series)
A television adaptation of Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy.
His Dark Materials is a fantasy drama television adaptation of Philip Pullman's novel trilogy. The show was created by Bad Wolf and New Line Productions, airing on BBC One in the United Kingdom and on HBO internationally, with HBO also managing global distribution. The story centres on Lyra Belacqua, an orphan who sets out to find a missing friend and stumbles upon a conspiracy involving kidnappings and a mysterious, invisible cosmic material known as Dust.
The first series, consisting of eight episodes, debuted on BBC One on 3 November 2019, followed by a US release on HBO the next day. A second series of seven episodes began on 8 November 2020 in the UK and 16 November 2020 in the US. The third and final series, also eight episodes, premiered first on HBO on 5 December 2022, then in the UK on 18 December 2022. Across all three series, critics responded positively, highlighting the cast, visual effects, production quality, musical score, and the show's fidelity to the original books.
The narrative unfolds across multiple worlds, beginning in an alternate reality where every human's soul takes the form of an animal companion called a daemon. Lyra, raised by scholars at Jordan College in Oxford, lives under the rule of the Magisterium, a powerful religious and political institution. She uncovers secrets involving Lord Asriel and Marisa Coulter, and a prophecy from witches declares she will reshape the world. While searching for her lost friend, Lyra finds a kidnapping ring and a link to Dust, a substance that leads her into other dimensions. The prophecy also ties her fate to Will Parry, a boy from our own world who is hunted by figures connected to his missing father.
The main cast includes Dafne Keen as Lyra Belacqua, Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulter, James McAvoy as Lord Asriel, and Amir Wilson as Will Parry, among many others. Voice actors provide the daemons, such as Kit Connor as Lyra's daemon Pantalaimon in series 1 and 2 (with Joe Tandberg taking over the role in series 3) and Helen McCrory (later Victoria Hamilton) as Lord Asriel's daemon Stelmaria.
- First aired
- 3 November 2019 (BBC One); 4 November 2019 (HBO)
- Final aired
- 18 December 2022 (BBC One); 5 December 2022 (HBO)
- Number of series
- 3
- Total episodes
- 23 (8+7+8)
- Network
- BBC One (UK); HBO (US and other markets)
- Based on
- His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman
- Production companies
- Bad Wolf, New Line Productions
Lore & Background
The series is set in a multi-world reality, opening in an alternative world where all humans' souls manifest as animal companions called daemons. It follows Lyra, an orphan living with scholars at Jordan College, Oxford, in a world governed by the Magisterium, a religious and political body. Lyra discovers a dangerous secret involving Lord Asriel and Marisa Coulter, and is the subject of a witches' prophecy that she will change the world. In her search for a missing friend, she uncovers a series of kidnappings and a link to Dust, leading her to other worlds. The prophecy also links Lyra's destiny to Will Parry, a teenager from the conventional world who is pursued by figures connected to his long-lost father.
Reader's Guide
The series was produced after the rights to the novels reverted to Philip Pullman, following a 2007 feature film adaptation that underperformed in North America. BBC One commissioned the television adaptation in November 2015, with an eight-part first series planned for 2017. The eight-episode first series premiered on 3 November 2019 on BBC One and on 4 November 2019 on HBO. The seven-episode second series premiered on 8 November 2020 in the UK and on 16 November 2020 in the US. The eight-episode third and final series premiered first on HBO on 5 December 2022 and on 18 December 2022 in the UK. All three series received generally positive reviews, with praise for its cast, visuals, production values, musical score, and faithfulness to the source material.
Did You Know?
- The series is based on Philip Pullman's trilogy of the same name, first published from 1995 to 2000.
- The first series consists of eight episodes, the second of seven, and the third of eight.
- The series was produced by Bad Wolf and New Line Productions.
- Kit Connor voiced Pantalaimon in series 1 and 2, but in series 3 the voice was provided by Joe Tandberg.
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