His Dark Materials writer reveals whether he could return to adapt Philip Pullman's The Book of Dust

Writer Jack Thorne has taken on a number of high-profile adaptations over the years, with one of the most prominent being the BBC's three-season take on Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials.

Of course, Pullman's story doesn't end there – there's also the additional trilogy he wrote after completing those books, The Book of Dust, which expand upon the lore and the world he had already established.

However, in spite of the material being ripe for adaptation – and the popularity of Thorne's previous work in Pullman's universe – the writer has now confirmed he has no plans to adapt The Book of Dust.

Speaking with us exclusively for our video interview series The Radio Times Writers' Room, in which we get to know what makes screenwriters tick, Thorne was asked whether he could return to adapt The Book of Dust, to which he said: "No, I think that's for another writer now".

"I think that I've done all I can in that world, and I think that it needs a different energy than the energy I've got," he said.

When asked whether he was daunted taking on the His Dark Materials adaptation, he said: "I’d just done [Harry] Potter [and the Cursed Child]. So yes, it was. It was daunting for two reasons. One, I thought, 'I'm not sure it's a good idea to do this straight after doing Harry Potter on stage', but I love those books so much.

"And it wasn't like I campaigned. I had a conversation with Julie [Gardner], who works at Bad Wolf, and Julie was like, 'I think you should talk to Jane [Tranter, executive producer]'. And it was literally that conversation of, 'I love these books, and these are the reasons why I love these books'. And then she said, 'We should do it together'.

"And it was one of those sorts of dreamy things that you don't really think about too much at the time - and Potter was exactly the same for me and [director] John Tiffany - where it was like, 'Oh, OK'. And then suddenly you're doing it, and you haven't had time to sort of have that question, 'Am I daunted by this?', because you're doing it with people you trust."

Thorne's latest adaptation, a four-part TV version of Lord of the Flies, is set to air from Sunday 8th February on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.

He discussed the series in his chat for The Radio Times Writers' Room, in which he also delved into his work on the three This Is England miniseries, Adolescence, the upcoming Beatles movies and more.

Jack Thorne's interview for The Radio Times Writers' Room will available to watch in full from Friday 6th February.

His Dark Materials is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer. Lord of the Flies will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from Sunday 8th February 2026.

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