His dark materials

Such diverse views but some are so dismissive.
Pullman can't be written off as 'just sci-fi' - a genre that normally doesn't appeal to me.
Neither is it 'for children' and it certainly won't appeal to the prosaic who'd rather watch a factual historical account than stretch their imagination!!

OK, so my daemon is a grizzly bear. What is yours?

Personally I don't watch or read sci-fi, but Philip Pullman creates magical worlds, which are complex, but aren't really similar to Harry Potter. I thought it was perfectly placed at 8pm for parental watching with older children, and generating discussion. In eight parts, it's not going to be clear after one hour, and I'd encourage some posters to hang in next week.
My moans were that I didn't like the lengthy trailer, and thought Lyra was a bit too old. But I loved it, no surprise as I love the trilogy. My DD, not having read the books, enjoyed it too. It was nice to have something on TV that I actually had to stop what I was doing and concentrate on. I assume BBC and HBO will be selling it round the world.

Well I thought it was only me couldn’t get into it and couldn’t get my head around it! Hubby liked it but I think even he had a job keeping up!

Lilyflower - very patronising review of Dark Materials, accusing the BBC of being woke, kidult, diverse in comparison with a French detective thing.

I prefer Not Spaghetti's take on Dark Materials, I would because it chimes with my own. Love the books and this series made a good start. The animation of the daemons especially.

Williams!

I watched it and was a bit baffled but my OH who has read the books gave me some helpful explanations and, after I had watched the BBC4 programme I found myself quite interested in following the story and the thinking behind it. I will be watching the series as I was very impressed by the interview with Pullman. It was unexpected to see Rowan Williamson' s sympathetic view of Pullman's standpoint and put into perspective the slightly rabid reactions of some Catholic organisations.

Although I didn't really take to the books I've always loved the idea of daemons and often wonder, when I meet people, what their daemon would be. And, in this post truth age perhaps we really do need a golden compass! There's something of Gormenghast in HDM's which I quite like. I agree; the Imagine programme on BBC4 was excellent.

I really really hope HBO does agree to part fund a third series to adapt The Amber Spyglass.

Not my cup of tea. Managed to read the books but with someone else's imagination calling the shots....no. Just not worth the effort and I prefer a more fun type of escapism. To the Chateau.....?

The DH and I watched 'His Dark Materials' when it was broadcast on Sunday night and, afterwards, as it was only nine o'clock, the French detective series, 'Spiral' on catch up.

What stood out is that the BBC is treating the population to PC, 'woke', kidult, 'diverse', dramatised fiction and the French are treating their audience as grownups.

All my children read the Pullman HDM trilogy and the discussions around them in our house were wide and varied. The links with Paradise Lost and Blake were not “lost” on us and led to one of our daughters seeking out Milton (we are already Blake “fans”).

I don’t think we really read them as total fantasy in our house. Maybe they are, but they strike me as on the edge of fantasy, where worlds collide. There is a distinct blurring of lines, but in my mind, so much is possible that I feel they are real!

Unlike the Potter books (which I confess I found tedious and not well written), Pullman writes with a depth and richness rarely found in novels suitable for children. He does not patronise them as HP does, with limited vocabulary, instead he encourages the reader to grow by choosing his words so carefully that they have enough to conjure a world in their own imagination even if some words are more difficult than others.

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.

We found, and it’s safe to say all seven of us loved these books and returned to them, they satisfied the thirst for adventure by total immersion, and they remain today amongst our favourite novels.

So please don’t dismiss His Dark Materials based on other media. They are so wonderfully crafted that they are a joy to read.

PS - have seen the trailer but not the TV drama. I was SO put off by the trailer that I couldn’t watch it. Today I had a message from one of my daughters. She hadn’t watched it either, because of the trailer.

I enjoyed it. It's something different to watch and the animation is superb.

I thought it was well done: deeper than H Potter, although they were good.

I have all read all the books in the HDM trilogy and thoroughly enjoyed them. I’ve recorded the BBC1 drama, but not watched the first episode yet - am looking forward to it. I agree LulluDully - Golden Compass film was a disappointment.

I did not like the book - and am not into this sort of fantasy stuff - so I did not watch. I know my OH was glued to it in his NH. Right up his street.

Nodded off?

Lxrl, I went to see Dr Sleep too and did enjoy it but the suspense of The Shining which terrified me was missing for me.
I haven't watched HDM but will probably watch it when it is a box set. It's not that I mind waiting a week for the next instalment, I just get driven demented by the DH asking questions because he can't remember what happened last week. Long live box sets!

Loved the books. Books always so much better than TV/films.
I thought they did a good job of it though although they will have to miss our so much or it would go on for months.
Read the books.

Sunday nights on BBC 1 are such a feast for me now: Countryfile; Seven Worlds, One Plant; Strictly; and His Dark Materials. And not an advert in sight! Bliss.

MawB I am sorry so many grans don't appreciate good stories, but there is little I can do about it
What a nasty superior comment I don’t like fantasy stories, in fact I can’t bear them but that doesn’t make me inferior in my reading or viewing than you

Liked it better than the film, but I've read the books so that helps. I would say - stick with it and put up with feeling slightly mystified; it all becomes clearer later on (especially about what's happening to the missing children). Personally, I wish they'd have cast an actress with a bit more screen presence as Lyra (as with the film, this one seems a bit ordinary considering her character is pivotal to the whole story). Even little Roger lit up the screen more. A pity.

Gosh Grans! Liberate your inner curiosity! Pullman is a famous author and his works are layered and fascinating, they are not to everyone’s taste I think is true and they are complicated and require investment, they are not “for” children but for any age, timeless, and they are worth persisting with. I am delighted the BBC have invested in filming a classic which (if it is done well) be watched for years to come. If you really want to have an easy way into HDM, Philip Pullman does an audiobook reading the compete trilogy, which is brilliant.

Well said Alexa. I like Philip Pullman's writing very much - so superior to J K Rowling's efforts. For those new to Pullman I would recommend (as previously mentioned) the 'Imagine' programme which was on BBC4 last night. It's illuminating on Pullman's underlying beliefs (or should I say non-beliefs?) and he comes across as a likeable and honest man.

I gave up with ‘His Dark Materials’ after the first few minutes. Not my thing at all. The best progs for me at the moment are ‘Guilt’ and ‘Spiral’. Oh, and of course ‘Autumnwatch’. Never miss it.