His Dark Materials, Season 3

Available on: BBC iPlayer

At one time, it was envisaged that this big-budget adaptation of Philip Pulman’s cherished novels would run for as long as eight seasons. But here we are, bidding adieu to Dafne Keen’s Lyra Belacqua and her cohorts at the third-season mark.

In honesty, it’s probably for the best. Judging by fan reaction, His Dark Materials has done a far better job at adapting its source material than the ill-fated film version of 2007 did, but this final outing mostly meanders towards its conclusion. And, like much other fantasy genre fare, it tends to explain away some of its more puzzling elements with convenient nonsense that sounds just about clever enough to be acceptable.

That being said, the show is a fine vessel for Keen and co-star Amir Wilson, who both show themselves to be young actors of considerable pedigree. Opposite them, James McAvoy and Ruth Wilson bring the sort of panache that is befitting of their elder statesmen roles on the show, demonstrating conviction even when events around them take a turn for the nonsensical.

It’s a shame that this ambitious, quasi-spiritual show did not end on a higher note, but that appears to be a by-product of the scheduling delays caused by COVID-19. Still, there’s probably enough here to satisfy Pulman fans, including a late tease of a potential spin-off.