The BBC is set to air a two-part documentary series about “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling.
Produced by Rogan Scotland (“Becoming Frida Kahlo”), it will trace her “spectacular 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,” according to the press release.
Rowling wrote “Harry Potter” as a struggling single mother in an Edinburgh cafe, never imagining that the seven-part book series, first published in 1997, would turn into one of the world’s most successful stories, encompassing theme parks, films, TV series, video games and a vast business empire.
In recent years, the author has also delved into some of society’s most controversial political topics. The press release for the documentary series says it will explore how she became what it calls “one of Britain’s most polarizing public figures”. In episode 2, the documentary will follow Rowling “as she moves away from her creation and becomes an increasingly powerful political voice.”
“Admired by her supporters as a fearless advocate for women’s rights and condemned by critics who characterize her as an opponent of trans equality, she finds herself divided by some of the actors and fans who once championed her work,” the statement said.
Rowling is not participating in the documentary, which will instead use archival materials, her writings and interviews with some of those who worked with her.
“Thirty years after the publication of the first Harry Potter book, there seems no better time for the BBC to explore one of the defining figures of British literature,” said Simon Young, head of history commissioning at the BBC. “No cultural history of Britain in the 21st century would be complete without the story of the young wizard JK Rowling created, the publishing and film phenomenon she spawned, or the polarizing public figure she became.”
The docuseries, provisionally titled ‘JK Rowling’, will air on BBC Two, BBC Scotland and iPlayer. BBC Studios handles worldwide distribution.
News of the docuseries comes ahead of HBO’s upcoming reboot of “Harry Potter” as a TV series, scheduled to debut this Christmas.
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