Ruth Wilson has confirmed an exciting return to the world of His Dark Materials.
The Luther and The Woman in the Wall actor previously starred in all three seasons of the His Dark Materials TV show as the enigmatic Marisa Coulter, for which she won a BAFTA Cymru Award.
While the TV adaptation of Philip Pullman's fantasy novels has ended, Ruth will be reuniting with the author to read Penguin audiobook versions of three books in the series.
Wilson will narrate Northern Lights (out on September 5 from Apple Books), followed by The Subtle Knife and The Amber Spyglass — the latter two of which will be released next year.
Northern Lights: His Dark Materials 1
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This new release of The Amber Spyglass will come with a special bonus feature with Philip Pullman and Ruth Wilson's conversation recorded at the Bodleian Library in 2021.
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"I fell in love with Philip’s world of His Dark Materials when I first read the books: they're so complex in their themes and playing Mrs. Coulter on screen allowed me to explore themes deeper than just her villainy: narcissism, freedom, motherhood, imagination," Wilson said.
"Having the opportunity to narrate this series of audiobooks and delve further into Philip’s profoundly intricate world was an honour and a pleasure.”
The Subtle Knife: His Dark Materials 2
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Pullman added: "I was delighted when I learned that Ruth Wilson was going to narrate the new audio edition of His Dark Materials. I enjoyed her TV performance so much, and I learned from that – and from talking to her separately – how much thought she puts into every characterisation.
"Her voice is naturally rich and attractive, and she can vary it with the tiniest possible intonation here or emphasis there and make the story live as vividly in the ear of the listener as I hoped it would have in the eye of the reader. I count myself very lucky that she was involved in both TV and audio."
Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy of novels tell the story of two gifted children, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, in their adventures through parallel universes and meetings with supernatural creatures.
The Amber Spyglass: His Dark Materials 3
The TV adaptation, which ran for three seasons on BBC One, won four British Academy Television Craft Awards as well as three Royal Television Society Craft & Design Awards.
Justin is a freelance entertainment journalist and writer. He first joined Digital Spy as a freelance entertainment reporter in 2010 and also worked as a sub-editor for the brand, serving as Night News Editor from 2016 to 2024. Over more than a decade, Justin has covered numerous major entertainment events from the US and has interviewed a wide-ranging group of public figures, from comedian Steve Coogan to icons from the Star Trek universe, cast members from the Marvel Cinematic Universe and reality stars from numerous Real Housewives cities and the Below Deck franchise. Justin has also been on the ground to cover major pop culture events like the Star Wars Celebration and the D23 Expo. He's written for titles across the Hearst network, plus the likes of CBR and Us Weekly.
