Imagine – Philip Pullman: Angels and Daemons
BBC ONE, 10.45PM; NI, 11.40PM
“I felt that I’d been preparing for something, that I’d been serving a long apprenticeship,” says children’s author Philip Pullman of his most famous works, the His Dark Materials trilogy, a statement which helps explain why these particular books have enthralled readers since the publication of Northern Lights, the first in the series, in 1995.
The dry, delightful Pullman makes for the best possible subject for Imagine. He’s informed, opinionated, both realistic and romantic, and endlessly curious about the world. Here we hear about his early years in Wales with his clergyman grandfather who gave him “the sense that the world was full of stories”. We also hear about Pullman’s time as a teacher, which was when he honed his craft by teaching his pupils Greek mythology. His atheism is touched on – “human beings themselves are quite sufficient to explain both good and evil” – although sensibly not allowed to overwhelm the film. Instead, Pullman discusses the influence of John Milton on him before coming down on the side of another great visionary: “I wouldn’t be the writer I am without William Blake,” he says with a smile. This is an altogether magical documentary.