His Dark Materials is back with mystery!

“People are afraid of things they don’t understand,” says a character in the trailer for the eagerly awaited second series of His Dark Materials.

No doubt there are going to be a lot of folk frightened half to death, then, when it makes its debut on our screens, because mystery is at the heart of the tale.

It’s a year since we met Lyra, the main protagonist in this adaptation of Philip Pullman’s much-loved trilogy of fantasy novels. A lot has happened in the 12 months since then, so it probably feels like much longer. But not for Lyra herself – time is probably moving far too quickly for her liking as she’s drawn into situations beyond her control.

“Lyra is a very curious, cunning, and adventurous girl,” says Dafne Keen, who plays her. “She’s very intelligent, street smart, and she’s brilliant. I love her. She’s a tomboy, definitely. The thing that most describes Lyra for me is a line that Ma Costa says in the books. When Lyra says something about her wanting to be a Gyptian she says: ‘You’re not a Gyptian Lyra. Gyptians are water people and you’re marsh fire.’ That’s the thing that described Lyra for me the most.”

Keen – whose actor father Will also appears in the series as Father MacPhail – was previously best known for her role as Laura, the child clone of Wolverine in Logan. But playing Lyra has introduced her to a wider audience, and she loves the series so much, you get the impression she’d be tuning in with the rest of us if she wasn’t its star.

“For me, the stand-out thing is that the main character is a young girl,” she explains. “It’s also dark and it goes very deep. If a nine-year-old watches it, he’s only going to see the adventure part, but then if an adult sees it, they’re going to see all the layers and everything that it has.”

Pullman’s novels have been praised for tackling a wide range of potentially difficult subjects in an accessible fashion. The man tasked with carrying those over into the series is acclaimed screenwriter Jack Thorne, of The Fades, This is England ’88 and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

“It is such an honour and a privilege to be given this opportunity to delve into Philip Pullman’s world,” he claims. “What I always loved about this project was the notion of sounding every note. The His Dark Materials trilogy are vast and glorious books full of beautiful characters.”

There are some new ones to get to know this time around too, including John Parry, played by Andrew Scott, whose Fleabag co-star Phoebe Waller-Bridge will provide the voice of his daemon. Sixties icon Terence Stamp is also joining the cast as Parry’s friend, Giacomo Paradisi.

The previous series ended as Lord Asriel opened a bridge to a new world, and was followed into it by Lyra.

Now, in a strange city known as Cittagazze, she meets Will, who is running away from his troubled past. Lyra realises their destinies are entwined, but their efforts to reunite Will with his father are constantly thwarted by an impending conflict. Meanwhile, back in Lyra’s old world, Mrs Coulter is more determined than ever to find her and bring her home – by fair means or foul…

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