His dark materials

Thank you so much WOODMOUSe . I should have known that quotation as I did Paradise Lost in my degree studies. A long time ago though.
We are really enjoying this dramatization, and are glad to see there will be another. Just downloaded War of the Worlds to my kindle. I read that as a young adult. The tv program is not at all like the book.

Thank you mcem if you were one that voted for 'His Dark Materials'. I think that was the programme I saw that introduced the books to me. I immediately went out and bought them and have been hooked ever since, as has the rest of my family. After I had read them I reread the whole series as I think many who are watching now might need to do. I have now started reading yet again.
The film I saw a while ago was rubbish but I am enjoying this series. Well done BBC. I love the Gyptians but think Mrs Coulter is extremely well cast. Sometimes we need to open our minds to other possibilities,

BBbevan

This won't give you the answers you ask but :

The title of the series, His Dark Materials, comes from seventeenth century poet John Milton's Paradise Lost, Book 2:

Into this wilde Abyss,
The Womb of nature and perhaps her Grave,
Of neither Sea, nor Shore, nor Air, nor Fire,
But all these in their pregnant causes mixt
Confus'dly, and which thus must ever fight,
Unless th' Almighty Maker them ordain
His dark materials to create more Worlds,
Into this wilde Abyss the warie fiend
Stood on the brink of Hell and look'd a while,
Pondering his Voyage; for no narrow frith
He had to cross.
— Book 2, lines 910–920

Yes, well done the BBC . Wonderful casting. Lyra is so feisty. Glad to hear they are going to do the next two DM books. (I hope to get the second new Dust book for Christmas.)

Several of my friends and family are raving about this series so i thought, i will have to try it again. So i have binge watched the episodes on Iplayer and am throughly enjoying it. Sometimes waiting until you can watch several episodes makes it easier to understand the plot. When i watched the first episode initially i couldn't work it out at all now i get it and can't wait for the next episode on Sunday.

It's a great dramatisation of a gripping read. The casting is brilliant. Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter does make my blood run cold! I love James Cosmo as Farder Coram.

I am so enjoying this. Keeping pretty close to the actual book, lovely to see an 'armoured bear'. Always think of Lee as Dark Materials version of Hans Solo.
LulyDully, I understand that this is just Northern Lights, but filming ha already commence on Book 2.
So good to see a wonderful story spring to life on the little screen, shame the same cannot be said for War of the Worlds!!!

LullyDully, I think 8 pm on Sunday is a good choice of timing. It's one of those series that families can watch together, after the smaller children have gone to bed.

It's faithful to the books and maybe will encourage some new readers.

I am enjoying it so much, especially now the gang are more or less together. It reminds me of the books. Very exciting. They however can't possibly do all 3 Dark Materials books, maybe just The Northern Lights.

I like than Lyra's daemon has turned to an arctic fox, very wise.

However maybe 8.00 on Sunday BBC is an odd choice of timing.

DH wants to know
1) Who's dark materials ?
2) and what sort of material are we talking about?
Can't answer any of those, so we will just have to wait and see !

Didn't have clue what tonight's episode was about, but I loved it, especially the bear. I want Lyra and the bear to win and for the horrid woman to be given her just desserts.

Media types straight from university who think that H G Wells' book wasn't exciting enough so they change things.

So boring.

And now the War of the Worlds.

Who dreams these schedules up?

Great episode this evening. Enter the Armoured Bear and Lee the flier - brilliant characters. Also, the witches daemon. Great books and such a good series. I'm relieved the BBC is making good drama because its news coverage this week has been shameful . (ie removing the booing when Mr Johnson spoke and I read, the clapping when Mr Corbyn spoke. I expect they did this to make it balanced don't you)

Not into it myself... all fantasy stuff leaves me cold. But I have a permanent reminder that my son-in-law definitely is! Hence my granddaughter Lyra. And she has a ‘ silvertongue’

BlueSapphire, I have meditated seriously on what my own daemon would be. I thought possibly a dung beetle as I like cleanliness and order.

NotSpaghetti wrote:For those of us brought up as Christians I think the religious and theological parallels are impossible to ignore as they challenge and question, but I’d expect the first trilogy to read well irrespective of religion, as they can be taken simply at face value."

Pullman addressed a Sea of Faith meeting in the East Midlands. He does disapprove of authoritarianism in religion and approves of exploring faith as a human endeavour, and he reveals the seamy side of life ,besides Lyra's humanity and courage.

Planete mentioned Rowan Williams who had real life experiences and has mellow faith and compassion.

I am sure the established authority of religions is not Pullaman's main or only target.Lyra has been compared with Greta Thunsberg.

Thanks Iam64

Terribull

I'm sure the books would have been banned at my catholic convent school, which would have made them an absolute reading must

Callistemon, if you rather like the idea of a bear daemon, keep watching. Not for bear daemons but for the armoured bear, who is a hero of mine after reading the trilogy.

Eight o'clock seems the ideal time to me, the little children should all be in bed by then and the older one's can watch with their parents. I read the books years ago, on the recommendation of a 14 year old boy - loved them, as did my own teenage children. Pullman's views on religion are interesting. The books led to lots of discussions amongst our family and friends.

Great to see a series like this on BBC Sunday evening, good family viewing. Beautiful to watch, enthralling and the ongoing debate about good - v evil, light and dark, power and its abuses, what's not to like.

I can’t even understand this world no room in my brain to try and understand one that doesn’t even exist Good job we re all different eh

I think it will sell well, but not in America...

His Dark Materials is aimed at tweenish age children - not young children, just as well given the 9pm time slot. I read the books a long time ago and recall not being interested enough to give them a second read. What is bothering me is the fact that BBC have spent fifty million on what is a fairly niche market - and they apparently cannot afford to pay for TV licences for ALL over 75s!

Lxrl. I don’t like horror films, and abandoned watching ‘The Shining’ because it was so frightening. Then I read the book, which was even worse. It scared the living daylights out of me!
I enjoyed reading the Pullman books, though. Very thought-provoking.

LullyDully I didn’t like The Golden Compass-either. I recorded the first episode of Sunday’s production, but haven’t got around to watching it yet. I was wondering whether to bother with it, but your recommendation has encouraged me to give it a go, when I get time. I don’t watch a lot of tv.