Coming Show: His Dark Materials

If you are a fan of Philip Pullman's fantasy series, and I am, you will be happy to hear that BBC One has committed to bringing the story to television.  You may remember the so-so film The Golden Compass, which covered the first book in the series.  I think BBC can do better by sharing the story of Lyra and Will over multiple episodes rather than a two-hour film.  Mr. Pullman's rich material needed more time than Hollywood could provide.  

I also do not know why the US market needs different names, such as The Golden Compass rather than the original Northern Lights.  The same thing happened with the first Harry Potter book, going from the British title Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone to the American title Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  What do we have against philosophers?  Did it sound too intellectual?  To British? And I read the third book in Pullman's trilogy, The Amber Spyglass, was censored for the US market because it dared to show Lyra experiencing puberty.  I expect the BBC to be more faithful to Mr. Pullman's vision since it will be made for a British audience that has no fear of sexuality (nor philosophers).

Speaking about the new series in an interview, Mr. Pullman noted:

In recent years we’ve seen the way that long stories on television, whether adaptations (‘Game of Thrones’) or original (‘The Sopranos, The Wire), can reach depths of characterisation and heights of suspense by taking the time for events to make their proper impact and for consequences to unravel.

I agree.  Mr. Pullman's trilogy deserves the full treatment, and I am confident BBC One can do it right.  Let's just hope US viewers do not get a censored version of the original again.