(Image: Alamy)
BBC Factual and BBC Scotland have announced a two-part documentary series on Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling.
Produced by Rogan Scotland (Becoming Frida Kahlo; The Secret of Me; Becoming Victoria Wood) for BBC Two, BBC Scotland and iPlayer, the docuseries traces Rowling’s dramatic rise, cultural influence and contested legacy, using her life as a lens through which to explore three decades of profound social, political and technological change.
Episode one charts Rowling’s path from a bookish childhood and time spent writing in Edinburgh cafés to unprecedented literary success with Harry Potter, which transformed children’s publishing and created a universe with an economic legacy worth billions.
Episode two follows Rowling as she becomes an increasingly powerful political voice, with her interventions on Scottish independence, feminism, free speech and gender identity placing her at the centre of increasingly bitter online exchanges.
"Admired by supporters as a fearless defender of women’s rights and condemned by critics who call her an opponent of trans equality, she finds herself divided from some of the actors and fans who once championed her work", the release says.
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The docuseries will draw on archive material, Rowling’s own words, and interviews from people who worked with her along the way.
Simon Young, Head of Commissioning, History, said: “Thirty years after the publication of the first Harry Potter book, there feels like no better time for the BBC to explore one of the towering figures of British literature. No cultural history of Britain in the 21st century would be complete without the story of the boy wizard that J.K. Rowling created, the publishing and film-making phenomenon that she spawned, or the polarising public figure she has become.”
David Harron, Commissioning Editor, BBC Scotland, said: “J.K. Rowling is arguably one of the most influential figures in the literary and wider media worlds. Through the extraordinary story of her life and work, this series explores not only the creation of a global phenomenon, but also how Britain's culture has been shaped by significant social and technological changes in recent years.”
James Rogan, Executive Producer, said: "J.K. Rowling has achieved extraordinary literary success, with her influence spanning a generation of fans, crossing into cinema and the online world. Rogan Scotland explores her unique story from her early days as a writer to the present moment and how her unflinching personal beliefs have sparked a fraught and divisive dialogue that continues to this day."