His Dark Materials is a fantasy drama television series based on the trilogy of novels 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 show follows the orphan Lyra Belacqua as she searches for a missing friend and discovers a kidnapping plot related to an invisible cosmic substance called Dust.

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 United States and other markets. 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 going towards its cast, visuals, production values, musical score and its faithfulness to the source material.

Premise His Dark Materials is set in a multi-world reality, with the action moving from one world to another. The series is based on Philip Pullman's trilogy of the same name, and opens in an alternative world where all humans' souls manifest as animal companions called daemons. It follows the life of a young girl named Lyra, an orphan living with the scholars at Jordan College, Oxford, in a world governed by the Magisterium, a religious and political body. Lyra discovers a dangerous secret that involves 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, Lyra also uncovers a series of kidnappings and a link to a mysterious substance called Dust, which leads her on a journey of epic proportions and ultimately to other worlds. The witches' prophecy also links Lyra's destiny to Will Parry, a teenager from the conventional world, who is himself being pursued by figures connected to his long-lost father.

Cast

Main cast Dafne Keen as Lyra Belacqua (later known as Lyra Silvertongue), a girl who was raised at Jordan College Ruth Wilson as Marisa Coulter, a powerful figure at the Magisterium who is Lyra's mother Anne-Marie Duff as Maggie "Ma" Costa, a Gyptian woman who previously nursed Lyra (series 1) Clarke Peters as The Master of Jordan College (series 1) James Cosmo as Farder Coram van Texel, an elderly Gyptian and Serafina's former lover (series 1) Ariyon Bakare as Lord Carlo Boreal, an authoritative figure at the Magisterium who crosses between two worlds; in Will's world, he is known as Sir Charles Latrom (series 1–2) Will Keen as Father Hugh MacPhail (later Cardinal and Father President), a Magisterium official Lucian Msamati as Lord John Faa, of the Western Gyptians (series 1) Gary Lewis as Thorold, Asriel's assistant (series 1–2) Lewin Lloyd as Roger Parslow, a kitchen boy who is Lyra's best friend (series 1 and 3; guest series 2) Daniel Frogson as Tony Costa, Ma Costa's elder son (series 1) James McAvoy as Lord Asriel Belacqua, a scholar and explorer who is Lyra's father, and leads the resistance against the Authority (series 1 and 3; guest series 2) Georgina Campbell as Adele Starminster, a reporter (series 1) Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby, an aeronaut Ruta Gedmintas as Serafina Pekkala, a witch who is the Queen of the Lake Enara witches, and Coram's former lover Lia Williams as Dr Cooper, a Magisterium scientist operating at Bolvangar, and later in Geneva (series 1 and 3) Amir Wilson as Will Parry, a secondary school student from Oxford, whose father disappeared 13 years previously Nina Sosanya as Elaine Parry, Will's sick mother (series 1–2; guest series 3) Jade Anouka as Ruta Skadi, a witch queen and a former lover of Lord Asriel (series 2–3) Sean Gilder as Father Graves, a member of the Magisterium (series 2) Simone Kirby as Dr Mary Malone, a physicist from Will's world (series 2–3) Andrew Scott as Colonel John Parry, a marine and explorer who is Will's father; in Lyra's world, he is known as a shaman named Stanislaus Grumman (series 2–3; guest series 1) Terence Stamp as Giacomo Paradisi, the bearer of the subtle knife residing in Cittàgazze (series 2) Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Ogunwe, a resistance fighter recruited by Lord Asriel (series 3) Jonathan Aris as Commander Roke, an inches-tall Gallivespian who works as Lord Asriel's spy (series 3) Chipo Chung (series 3) and Sophie Okonedo (voice cast series 2) as Xaphania, an angel allied with Lord Asriel Simon Harrison as Baruch, an angel who seeks Will to recruit him to Lord Asriel's cause (series 3) Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Balthamos, Baruch's companion (series 3) Jamie Ward as Father Gomez, a member of the Magisterium (series 3) Amber Fitzgerald-Woolfe as Ama, a deaf girl who brings supplies to Mrs Coulter while she is in hiding (series 3) Sian Clifford as Agent Salmakia, a Gallivespian spy (series 3) Alex Hassell as Metatron, the Authority's regent (series 3)

Voice cast

Helen McCrory (series 1–2) and Victoria Hamilton (series 3) as Stelmaria, Asriel's snow leopard daemon Kit Connor as Pantalaimon, or Pan, Lyra's daemon. When Lyra was a child, Pan had the ability to shape-shift into different animals, although his most common form was a white ermine. In season 3, Pan eventually settled in the form of a pine marten. Eloise Little as Salcilia, Roger's daemon (series 1) Phoebe Scholfield as Alicia, the Master's raven daemon (series 1) Libby Rodliffe as Lyuba, Tony Costa's daemon (series 1) Cristela Alonzo as Hester, Lee Scoresby's jackrabbit daemon (series 1–2) David Suchet as Kaisa, Serafina Pekkala's gyrfalcon daemon, (as opposed to the book's snow goose) Joe Tandberg as Iorek Byrnison (voice and motion capture), an armoured polar bear. Peter Serafinowicz (voice) and Joi Johannsson (motion capture) as the ice bear, Iofur Raknison (series 1) Sope Dirisu as Sergi, Ruta Skadi's raptor daemon (series 2–3), (as opposed to the book's bluethroat) Lindsay Duncan as Octavia, Father MacPhail's lizard daemon (series 2–3) Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Sayan Kötör, John Parry's osprey daemon (series 2) Kate Ashfield as Atal, a Mulefa (series 3) Emma Tate as Gracious Wings and her fellow harpies who guard the Land of the Dead (series 3) Patricia Allison as Kirjava, Will's cat daemon (series 3) Tuppence Middleton as Father Gomez's spider daemon (series 3)

Additionally, lead puppeteer Brian Fisher provides the uncredited vocalisations for Mrs Coulter's golden snub-nosed monkey daemon.

Recurring cast Simon Manyonda as Benjamin de Ruyter, a Gyptian who aids Tony Costa (series 1) Geoff Bell as Jack Verhoeven (series 1) Tyler Howitt as Billy Costa, a Gyptian boy captured by the Gobblers and Ma Costa's younger son (series 1) Mat Fraser as Raymond van Gerrit, a Gyptian who disagrees with John Faa (series 1) Ian Peck as Cardinal Sturrock, the head of the Magisterium (series 1–2) David Langham as Father Garret Robert Emms as Thomas, an agent working for Boreal who spies on Will's family (series 1) Morfydd Clark as Sister Clara (series 1) Frank Bourke as Fra Pavel Rasek, a representative and alethiometrist of the Consistorial Court of Discipline Jamie Wilkes as Inspector Walters, "the pale-faced man" and an associate of Boreal and Thomas (series 1–2) Ray Fearon as Mr Hanway, Will's school boxing coach (series 1; guest series 2) Remmie Milner as Lena Feldt, a witch who accompanies Serafina in finding Lyra (series 2) Bella Ramsey as Angelica, a girl living in Cittàgazze (series 2) Ella Schrey-Yeats as Paola, Angelica's sister (series 2) Sasha Frost as Reina Miti, a witch who accompanies Serafina in finding Lyra (series 2) Lewis MacDougall as Tullio, a boy living in Cittàgazze who stole the Subtle Knife and is the brother of Angelica and Paola (series 2) Lauren Grace as Joseph, a young woman in Ogunwe's army who remains in his world and encounters Mary (series 3) Sorcha Groundsell as Maddy, Joseph's sister who remains with her in Ogunwe's world (series 3) Wade Briggs as Alarbus, an archangel who is captured by Asriel (series 3) Peter Wight as the boatman who takes Lyra and Will to the Land of the Dead (series 3)

Episodes

Series 1 (2019)

Series 2 (2020)

Series 3 (2022)

Production Development The three His Dark Materials novels, written by Philip Pullman from 1995 to 2000, achieved critical and commercial success and were adapted into a 2007 feature film, The Golden Compass. The film was criticised by religious organisations, who objected to the story's anti-religious elements, as well as by fans of the trilogy who disliked the dilution of these elements. Despite earning $372 million worldwide, the film underperformed at the box office in North America, making any sequels unlikely.

After several years, the rights reverted to Pullman. In November 2015, BBC One announced that it had commissioned a television adaptation of the trilogy, to be produced by Bad Wolf and New Line Cinema. The eight-part adaptation had a planned premiere date in 2017. In April 2017 writer Jack Thorne told Radio Times that the series was still in pre-production. He said, "It's at an exciting point where we're just throwing things at the page and trying to work out what works and what doesn't", and that he wanted to ensure that they were being loyal to the books. Director Otto Bathurst explained that some elements of the book and film had been changed to give the series a more modern feel, compared to the original's Victoriana fantasy.

On 12 September 2018, HBO was announced as the co-producer and international distributor of the series. On 10 October 2018, Miranda reported that he had wrapped up filming for his role. On 14 December 2018, it was announced that filming for the first series was complete.

Before the series premiered, it was renewed for a second series of eight episodes, primarily adapting the second book in the trilogy, The Subtle Knife. Filming of the second series began before the premiere of the first, which was considered "a necessary move considering the age of the show's young star". While filming for series 2 was mostly completed before the COVID-19 pandemic, a standalone episode focusing on Lord Asriel was left unfinished. As a consequence the series ultimately only consisted of seven episodes. Although McAvoy completed a small amount of filming before production was shut down, his appearance in the second series's final episode was filmed during the pandemic, repurposed from material written for the abandoned episode.

By November 2020, work had begun on six of eight scripts for a third series adapting The Amber Spyglass. The commission was confirmed in December 2020, for a series of eight episodes, and production began in early 2021. Filming for the third series took place between 24 May and 31 October 2021.

Casting

On 8 March 2018, it was announced that Dafne Keen had signed on to star in the series to play Lyra with director Tom Hooper signed on to direct. Lin-Manuel Miranda would star as Lee Scoresby. On 8 June 2018, it was reported that James McAvoy, Clarke Peters, and Ruth Wilson had joined the cast.

On 27 July 2018, the BBC and Bad Wolf revealed the cast and crew for the series.

On 1 July 2020, it was revealed that Bella Ramsey had been cast in the role of Angelica in series 2. Casting Director Kahleen Crawford said, "Ella and Bella were so strong in their performances. If I’m remembering correctly, it was essentially decided that their parts should be made bigger – and there would be more for them to do onscreen."

Additional casting for the third series was announced on 22 June 2021, including Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje as Commander Ogunwe, Jamie Ward as Father Gomez, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Balthamos, Simon Harrison as Baruch, and Amber Fitzgerald-Woolfe as Ama. Chipo Chung was also reported as playing the angel Xaphania, who was voiced by Sophie Okonedo in series 2.