His dark materials

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

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’

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)

So boring.

And now the War of the Worlds.

Who dreams these schedules up?

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

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.

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 !

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.

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 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!!!

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.

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.

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.)

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

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,

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.

What a brilliant episode this evening. The cast, the settings, the story all top notch

Great and now we have Will too. It is very strong and unsettling.

Even having read the book and knowing what is going to happen, the suspense is skilfully maintained by excellent acting and direction. This series should be destined for a BAFTA award.

So agree annodomini, I have read these books several times in the past and, currently, am reading the prequel series. So enjoying this - highpoint of my weekends. Brilliantly done and acted - cannot praise it highly enough.

Love the music; very Game of Thrones'ish; always think a good theme tune sets the tone...

Starting to get bored with this now, just want to get to the end.

Well it's finished. I did read the book a long time ago and must have understood it then. But it didn't inspire me to read the next book. I found it very sad and depressing for young people to watch and quite honestly didn't understand any of it. Maybe it made more sense in the book.

Totally confused but my concentration was wavering throughout the last episode maybe I should watch it again. Or maybe not ?

I read the books and have a vision in my head of the characters, so watching the series wasn't a good idea. The special effects are brilliant, but to me the casting was appalling. I couldn't believe in any of the characters - particularly Ma Costa - I somehow never visualised her as resembling a dishevelled Twiggy