BBC orders J.K. Rowling documentary without her input

The BBC has commissioned a two-part documentary series about J.K. Rowling. The series will trace her rise as the creator of Harry Potter and her later role as a political voice, and the author is not taking part in it. The series, working title J.K. Rowling, was announced Tuesday by BBC Factual and BBC Scotland. Rogan Scotland is making it for BBC Two, BBC Scotland and iPlayer, and BBC Studios will handle global distribution.deadline+2

The BBC's press material says the series follows Rowling's "dramatic rise, cultural influence and contested legacy," using her life "as a lens" to look at three decades of social, political and technological change.variety+1

What the episodes will cover

The first of the two 60-minute episodes follows Rowling from a bookish childhood and writing in Edinburgh cafés to the success of Harry Potter. The second follows her as she "steps out from behind her creation and becomes an increasingly powerful political voice." It will cover her interventions on Scottish independence, feminism, free speech and gender identity, which the BBC says "place her at the centre of increasingly bitter online exchanges".them+3

"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.upi+1

Instead of interviewing Rowling, the series will use rare archive material, her own words and interviews with people who have worked with her. Deadline reported that Rowling is aware the documentary is being made. The Telegraph also reported that the series is being made without her input.deadline+1

Timing and reaction

According to Deadline, the series is being shopped at the MIPCOM television market and will premiere on the BBC next year. That means it will air after HBO's Harry Potter series, which debuts on HBO Max on Dec. 25.radiotimes+1

"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," said Simon Young, the BBC's head of commissioning for history. Executive producer James Rogan said the series looks at how Rowling's "unflinching personal beliefs have sparked a fraught and divisive dialogue that continues to this day".forbes+2

GB News reported that the BBC "has come under fire from pro-trans activists" over the commission. Deadline noted that Rowling's relationship with the BBC is mixed: the broadcaster has adapted her Strike novels, but she has criticised its reporting on trans rights.deadline+1

The project arrives as debate over Rowling's views continues. Harry Potter film stars including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson have distanced themselves from her positions. Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and others have defended her. In September, filmmaker Lilly Wachowski told Variety that supporting Harry Potter amounts to "supporting trans genocide," a claim Rowling called "clearly fabricated".thepinknews+2