Ruth Wilson to narrate new audiobooks of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials

Penguin Audio has announced that actor Ruth Wilson will narrate a new audiobook edition of Philip Pullmans His Dark Materials series.

Tony award winner Wilson starred in the BBC adaptation of the books as Mrs Coulter, and is now lending her voice to the audiobooks. The new editions will be published on 5th September.

These new editions have been produced and published by Penguin Audio, and the new edition of The Amber Spyglass will also feature a conversation between Pullman and Wilson, recorded at Oxford’s Bodleian Library in 2021. The original recordings of the novels, narrated by Pullman and featuring a full cast, will continue to be available, alongside the new editions.

Wilson said: "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. 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 novels follow the coming of age of two children, Lyra Belacqua and Will Parry, as they adventure through a series of parallel universes, encountering armoured bears and witches, aeronauts, spectres and each other. Pullman has won numerous awards: most notably The Amber Spyglass won the 2001 Whitbread Book of the Year prize, and Northern Lights won the Carnegie Medal for children’s fiction in 1995. 

Pullman said, “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."

Head of audio production at Penguin Audio Chris Thompson directed Ruth through the series. He said: "It’s been a wonderful experience to produce the audiobook editions of such globally beloved novels, and to work with Ruth and Philip who are masters of their craft. Ruth’s dedication to understanding each character, each line of dialogue, and every shift in her vocal performance is a testament to her passion for the series and her work. These audiobooks will be a truly memorable way for listeners to rediscover the series, or step into Philip’s world for the first time.”