His Dark Materials (TV series) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids His Dark Materials
Genre	Adventure Fantasy drama Mystery
Written by	Jack Thorne
Starring	Dafne Keen Ruth Wilson Anne-Marie Duff Clarke Peters James Cosmo Ariyon Bakare Will Keen Lucian Msamati Gary Lewis Lewin Lloyd Daniel Frogson James McAvoy Lin-Manuel Miranda Ruta Gedmintas Amir Wilson Nina Sosanya Jade Anouka Sean Gilder Simone Kirby Andrew Scott
Composer(s)	Lorne Balfe
Country of origin	United Kingdom United States
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	2
No. of episodes	15 (list of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s)	Jane Tranter Dan McCulloch Otto Bathurst Carolyn Blackwood Joel Collins Toby Emmerich Deborah Forte Julie Gardner Tom Hooper Ben Irving Philip Pullman Ryan Rasmussen Jack Thorne
Producer(s)	Laurie Borg
Cinematography	Justin Brown
Editor(s)	Niven Howie Nick Arthurs Dan Roberts Chris Gill David Fisher
Production company(s)	Bad Wolf New Line Productions Scholastic
Distributor	BBC Studios (United Kingdom) HBO (international)
Release
Original network	BBC One (United Kingdom) HBO (United States)
Picture format	UHD
Original release	3 November 2019 (2019-11-03) – present (present)

His Dark Materials is an exciting fantasy television series. It is based on the popular book series by Philip Pullman. The show was made by Bad Wolf and New Line Productions. It aired on BBC One in the United Kingdom and HBO in the United States. HBO also shared the show with other countries.

The first series had eight episodes. It started on November 3, 2019, in the UK. It began on November 4 in the US. The second series had seven episodes. It premiered on November 8, 2020, in the UK. It started on November 16, 2020, in the US. In December 2020, the show was renewed for a third and final series. This last series will have eight episodes.

About the Story

His Dark Materials takes place in many different worlds. The characters can travel between these worlds. The story comes from Philip Pullman's book series.

Worlds and Daemons

In one of these worlds, every human's soul lives outside their body. It appears as an animal companion called a daemon. These daemons are always with their human. They show what kind of person someone is.

Lyra's Adventure Begins

The series follows a young orphan girl named Lyra. She lives at Jordan College, Oxford. Her world is controlled by the Magisterium. This is a powerful religious and political group.

Lyra finds out a big secret. It involves Lord Asriel and Marisa Coulter. A witches' prophecy says Lyra will change the world. She searches for a missing friend. Along the way, she discovers kidnappings. These are linked to a mysterious substance called Dust. This leads her on a huge journey. She even travels to other worlds.

Will's Journey and Destiny

Lyra's future is also connected to Will. He is a teenager from our world. Mysterious people are looking for him. They are linked to his father, who disappeared years ago.

Main Characters

• Dafne Keen plays Lyra Belacqua. She is also known as Lyra Silvertongue. Lyra grew up at Jordan College.
• Ruth Wilson plays Marisa Coulter. She is a strong leader in the Magisterium. She is also Lyra's mother.
• Anne-Marie Duff plays Maggie 'Ma' Costa. She is a Gyptian woman who cared for Lyra as a baby. (series 1)
• Clarke Peters plays The Master of Jordan College. (series 1)
• James Cosmo plays Farder Coram van Texel. He is an older Gyptian. (series 1)
• Ariyon Bakare plays Lord Carlo Boreal. He is a powerful person in the Magisterium. He can travel between worlds. (series 1–2)
• Will Keen plays Father Hugh MacPhail. He is a Magisterium official.
• Lucian Msamati plays Lord John Faa. He is a leader of the Western Gyptians. (series 1)
• Gary Lewis plays Thorold. He is Lord Asriel's helper. (series 1–2)
• Lewin Lloyd plays Roger Parslow. He is a kitchen boy and Lyra's best friend. (series 1; guest series 2)
• Daniel Frogson plays Tony Costa. He is Ma Costa's older son. (series 1)
• James McAvoy plays Lord Asriel Belacqua. He is a smart explorer and Lyra's father. (series 1, 3; guest series 2)
• Lin-Manuel Miranda plays Lee Scoresby. He is an air balloon pilot. (series 1–2)
• Ruta Gedmintas plays Serafina Pekkala. She is the Queen of the Lake Enara witches.
• Amir Wilson plays Will Parry. He is a student from Oxford. His father disappeared many years ago.
• Nina Sosanya plays Elaine Parry. She is Will's sick mother. (series 1–2)
• Jade Anouka plays Ruta Skadi. She is a Latvian witch queen. (series 2–present)
• Sean Gilder plays Father Graves. He is part of the Magisterium. (series 2)
• Simone Kirby plays Dr Mary Malone. She is a scientist from Will's world. (series 2–present)
• Andrew Scott plays Colonel John Parry. He is a soldier and explorer. He is Will's father. (series 2; guest series 1)

Voice Actors

• Helen McCrory is the voice of Stelmaria, Asriel's daemon.
• Kit Connor is the voice of Pantalaimon, Lyra's daemon.
• Eloise Little is the voice of Salcilia, Roger's daemon (series 1).
• Cristela Alonzo is the voice of Hester, Lee Scoresby's daemon (series 1–2).
• David Suchet is the voice of Kaisa, Serafina Pekkala's daemon.
• Joe Tandberg is the voice of Iorek Byrnison, an armored bear.
• Peter Serafinowicz is the voice of Iofur Raknison (series 1).
• Sope Dirisu is the voice of Sergi, Ruta Skadi's daemon (series 2–present).
• Sophie Okonedo is the voice of Xaphania, an angel (series 2–present).
• Lindsay Duncan is the voice of Octavia, Father MacPhail's daemon (series 2–present).
• Phoebe Waller-Bridge is the voice of Sayan Kötör, John Parry's daemon (series 2).

Episodes Overview

The show has two main series.

Series 1 (2019)

The first series of His Dark Materials had 8 episodes. It aired in late 2019.

Series 2 (2020)

The second series had 7 episodes. It aired in late 2020.

How the Show Was Made

Casting the Characters

Promotional image showing lead characters and locations

On March 8, 2018, it was announced that Dafne Keen would play Lyra. Tom Hooper was chosen to direct. Lin-Manuel Miranda joined as Lee Scoresby. Later, on June 8, 2018, James McAvoy, Clarke Peters, and Ruth Wilson also joined the cast.

On July 27, 2018, the BBC and Bad Wolf shared the full list of actors and crew. In July 2020, Bella Ramsey was cast as Angelica for the second series.

The Music of the Show

On August 14, 2019, it was announced that Lorne Balfe would create the music for the series. Balfe said he wanted the music to be like a "musical letter" to the show's creators. He also mentioned it was a huge project for him.

The music was mostly recorded in St David's Hall in Cardiff, Wales. The BBC National Orchestra of Wales played the music. A Bulgarian choir also sang for the score. Other musicians like cellist Tina Guo and drummer Chad Smith also helped. Two albums with the show's music were released in late 2019.

Lorne Balfe's music for His Dark Materials was nominated for two awards. These included Best Original Score for a Television Series.

When the Show Was Released

On July 24, 2019, it was announced that the series would start in late 2019. On September 12, 2019, it was confirmed that the show would premiere on November 3, 2019, on BBC One. It would then air on HBO the next night.

In New Zealand, the show is broadcast by Sky TV. It is also available on their streaming service, Neon. It began there on November 5, 2019. In Australia, Foxtel distributes the series.

The second series started on November 8, 2020, in the UK. It began on November 16, 2020, in the US.

Awards and Recognition

His Dark Materials has won several awards for its amazing visuals and effects.

• His Dark Materials (TV series) at BBC Programmes

See also

In Spanish: La materia oscura (serie de televisión) para niños