His Dark materials - the city of magpies

genre: contemporary family drama, sci fi and fantasy

based on: The series is based on the trilogy of books of the same name by Philip Pullman. The second series is based on the book, The Subtle Knife.

when:The opening episode, The City of Magpies, was first broadcast in the UK on Sunday 8 November 2020 on BBC1 at 8.10pm. It was made available on iPlayer on the same day, and on DVD from 28 December 2020.

It is significant because it was co-commissioned for an international audience by the BBC and the American television network HBO, and was always intended to be distributed on a number of platforms: as a scheduled, broadcast programme (BBC1), on cable (HBO), as well as on demand (iPlayer) and on DVD. It was created for these platforms by an independent company, Bad Wolf.

The first episode of the first series of His Dark Materials series was watched by audiences of 7.2millon in the UK and 423,000 on HBO. The first broadcasts of the CSP episode had audiences of 4.4million on BBC1 and 227,000 on HBO.

The independent company Bad Wolf produced the series. This company had direct links with the BBC and with Doctor Who. The content of the series also raises issues of social significance, particularly through the representations of groups and individuals. The significance of historical context is highlighted by the invitation to study similarities and differences between this product and another television product: Doctor Who, An Unearthly Child (1963).

verbal codes

technical codes

symbolic codes

• Dramatic narrative, usually linear (with continuity across episodes.) This is called a narrative arc where the story goes across the series.

• The ensemble cast (characters with their own storylines). Sometimes an episode will focus more on one character or another.

• Specific technical codes e.g. realistic lighting and editing for social dramas to keep it gritty. A common use of flashback, point-of-view shots, dialogue and voice-over, enigma and action codes throughout.

• The use of stereotypical ‘stock’ characters gets storylines across quickly.

The story presented in His Dark Materials is based on John Milton's Paradise Lost, as well as William Blake's poems, and several fragments of the Bible. The intertextuality of Pullman's trilogy is an excellent material for researchers and it has already been the subject of many studies.There are also references of greek mythology e.g the word daemon

Media Representations:

the masculinity-patriarchial society that upholds the oppressive society and enacts cruelty and violence. The main characters don't have present father figures who are pursuing their personal goals. Will is a positive representation of masculinity through his sensitivity and caring demeanour

femininity- Mrs coulter is a negative representation of feminity who was corrupted by the culture and exploited her femininity to get what she wants

feminity-Lyra is bold and rough and subverts the stereotype

feminity- the witches are powerful,benevolent and connected to nature.

race/ethnicity- the characters were cast as mixed race actors even though they were white in the books (colour blind cast) e.g. Will Parry and lord Boreal Bonus Lin Manuel Miranda. This is a positive representation of race/ethnicity, which doesn’t portray any racism

Young: Strong, heroic resilient and independent: will and Lyra

old-flawed and evil

e.g scoresby acts as Lyra’s parental figure

media representations

class the daemons represent socio-economic class .seems that career or social mobility is not likely in Lyra's world.

Lyra's parents, although she does not know at the beginning of the book, are Lord Asriel, an explorer and "experimental theologist" at Jordan College, and her mother, Mrs Coulter, is head of the Obligation Board of the Magisterium- that is, the theocracy that leads the country. In other words, Lyra is the child of very powerful people. Mrs Coulter's daemon, a golden monkey, suggests her cunning and cruel nature, and perhaps also her seductive approach to relationships with powerful men- Shakespeare uses the monkey as an image of a licentious animal, for example in Othello. Lord Asriel's daemon is a snow leopard, linking him to the North, wbut also demonstrating his ruthlessness and cruelty. Lyra's daemon settles in the third book in the series, The Amber Spyglass, as a pine marten.

Related to stoats, regally called ermine when the white winter coat is used for state robes. This indicates not only Lyra's elevated status- linking her with the aristocracy but also with the North.

Returning to Harry Potter, at Hogwarts, pupils are permitted to bring pets, listed in The Philosopher's Stone as a Cat, or an Owl, or a Toad (1997, p.53), so Ron is in fact breaking the rules by bringing Scabbers, his pet rat, inherited from his older brothers. It is indicative of the very busy

religion: the magisterium is fascistic and violent

the religion teaches self-control and repression

place-filmed in wales Within the world of the show, Cittàgazze is a city in another world, which acts as something of a gateway to different parallel universes and becomes a major setting as Lyra and Will start to discover windows to other worlds.

And while the on-screen Cittàgazze might look like a nice trip to the sunny Mediterranean for the cast, the set for the town was actually built in Wales – and in a less-than-glamorous location.In Pullman’s original books, Cittàgazze is a city of thieves, full of trinkets assembled from around various universes – and the on-screen version is similarly full of secrets for any eagle-eyed (or perhaps magpie-eyed) viewer to spot.

All around Cittàgazze within the brickwork, cloth patterns and designs of the set Collins and his team have hidden magpies, angels and even the coiled shape of The Subtle Knife itself (which has an ancient connection with the city).

“The whole town is made up of these angel wings and knives and magpies,” Collins told us. “We designed a lot of our own patterns, of interlocking connections of demons and angels, animals eating animals, the knife and angel wings. Basically trying to create our own language and history of detail as well, hidden all over the town.

“The town is a bit like a puzzle, really. Everywhere you look is a different piece of the puzzle to unravel.”

As His Dark Materials airs this autumn, fans had better keep their eyes peeled – clearly, Cittàgazze still has some secrets to reveal.

education….

The second series of His Dark Materials has been welcomed by critics, but many have said it is weaker than the first.

The launch episode of the second season, titled The City of Magpies, was watched by an average of 4.4 million viewers on Sunday evening.

The Independent's Ed Cumming said: "It looks great, it's robustly made, and there are great actors everywhere, occupying well-built universes.

"But it doesn't inspire as much wonder as it ought to."

In a three-star review, he added: "Viewers who've invested in the series won't stop now. For a series about magical worlds, aimed at younger viewers, however, there's not quite enough magic."

Cumming said that some elements of the books had been lost while being adapted for the BBC One drama.

"The daemons never quite replicate the humour and self-doubt they convey in the books. It's a missed opportunity: what better device could there be for representing the novelistic inner voice on screen?"

Set in an alternative reality - the deserted city of Cittagazze - the drama is based on The Subtle Knife, the second book in Pullman's trilogy.

In the version of Britain depicted in the series, every character is accompanied by a daemon - a physical manifestation of their soul that takes the form of an animal.

The second series of His Dark Materials was filmed at the same time as the first, and was therefore unaffected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

The new series stars Dafne Keen and Amir Wilson as Lyra and Will, alongside Ruth Wilson, Andrew Scott and Clarke Peters.

The first of series two's seven episodes was awarded just two stars by The Telegraph's Anita Singh.

"If you are a newcomer looking for lockdown solace in an autumn drama, give this one a miss," she wrote. "It is aimed squarely at those who are familiar with the story from Philip Pullman's bestselling books, and who remember well the details of series one.

"For avid Pullman fans, the series might be a treat. The problem for the rest of us is that it lacks both the novelty of series one and the exciting narrative - it now feels very dense, which works well in a novel but less so in a TV series."

She concluded: "Perhaps it will pick up in future episodes. It is a fine children's drama, albeit one in a prime-time Sunday night slot and with scenes too frightening for younger kids. But what was once event TV is now a middling fantasy."

The Guardian's Stuart Jeffries was much more enthusiastic, awarding the episode four stars.

Thomas Barrie of GQ was also positive about the second series, commenting that it "continues to tread a really good, really fine line between the adult and the child-friendly".

"There's often a sense of genuine peril, but His Dark Materials never leans too far into the potentially very violent moments of Pullman's books," he continued.

"This isn't the sort of easy series you can write without thinking about it in great depth (The Golden Compass film tried to do that by turning it into an action-adventure film, which it isn't really). That the Beeb has managed to even bring it to the screen is an achievement; that it's so sensitively done and true to the original material is a towering success."

overall:good but could’ve been better if more closely tied to the representation in the books

bbfg rated 12+

those interested in exploring questions of religion, morality, and human nature may also be drawn to the series.

aims to target a diverse audience through the
mainstream audience that would have read the book or are interested in the sci fi genre

family audience nd older children

Continuation of the Story: The episode picks up where the previous season left off, making it appealing to viewers who have followed the series from the beginning

Introduction of New Characters and Plotlines: While continuing established story arcs, the episode also introduces new characters and plotlines, which can attract new viewers who may not have watched Season 1.

Visual Spectacle and Special Effects: The episode likely features impressive visual effects and production design, characteristic of high-quality fantasy television

1. Informing the Public: The BBC provides comprehensive news coverage across various platforms, including television, radio, and online. It aims to provide accurate, impartial, and timely information to the public, helping to fulfill its role as a trusted source of news.

2. Educating and Entertaining: In addition to news programming, the BBC produces a wide range of educational and entertainment content. This includes documentaries, dramas, comedies, and children's programs that inform, educate, and entertain audiences of all ages.

3. Promoting Cultural Diversity: The BBC plays a significant role in promoting cultural diversity and representing the varied interests and perspectives of the UK's diverse population. It produces content that reflects different cultures, languages, and communities, contributing to social cohesion and understanding.

funded by the bbc which is a governemnt owned conglomerate

office of communications

streamed on sunday nights at 8:10

the bbc does not need money from adverts

created by bad wolf an independant television company

mention how technology progressed through the years and the unique shots types they were able to use because of thsi