Last year, HBO and BBC combined forces to bring Philip Pullman's epic trilogy of fantasy novels, His Dark Materials, to life in spectacular fashion. Fans thought this might not be possible, but what we were treated to on our screens was every bit as intense and thrilling as the books - and season 2 is no different! So whether you've been counting down the days to the new season's release date or are completely new to the show, read on as we explain how to watch His Dark Materials season 2 online right now, including for free in some places!
In case you haven't seen the first season of His Dark Materials, we won't dwell on it too much, as we hate spoilers. Instead, we'll get straight to season 2, which is largely based on the second book in Pullman's His Darkest Materials series, The Subtle Knife.
His Dark Materials season 2 goes out on Sundays (from November 8) on BBC One at 8.10pm. Straight after that, they'll be released to the broadcaster's streaming service, iPlayer. This means anyone in the UK can watch His Dark Materials free on BBC iPlayer, with any license-fee paying Brits abroad simply needing a good VPN by their side to stream just like they would at home. In the US, HBO is airing new episodes from Monday, November 16, so audiences are roughly a week behind.
It follows directly on from the first novel, The Golden Compass (or Northern Lights to those in the UK), which was the basis of season one. However, as with any book-to-screen adaptation, don't be surprised if things differ slightly different on TV to what appears on the page as we continue to follow Lyra and Will on their adventures.
New episodes will be shown weekly on BBC One in the UK at 8.10pm. The show will keep the same slot for its seven week run on the Beeb, and immediately after airing, you'll be able to watch His Dark Materials season 2 episodes on iPlayer, a streaming service that's 100% free to use in the UK (provided you've got a valid TV license). Those in the US face a slightly longer wait, with HBO Max releasing new His Dark Material season 2 episodes weekly from Monday, November 16 at 9pm ET/PT.
Wherever you are, our guide below explains how to watch His Dark Materials season 2 online wherever you - stream every new episode of the show from anywhere, including for free.
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How to watch His Dark Materials online from outside your country
Out of the country but still want to watch all of the new His Dark Materials season 2 episodes as soon as they're released? Using a little handy trick, you can get around geo-blocks and digital borders by using a VPN - or Virtual Private Network in full.
It lets you watch all the same streaming services and content you normally enjoy (and pay for) at home, simply by changing your IP address. There are so many to choose from, but after hours of testing, we have a clear favorite we can recommend to you.
Use a VPN to watch His Darkest Materials season 2 from anywhere
How to watch His Dark Materials season 2 free online in the UK
How to watch His Dark Materials season 2 in the US: release date and more
How to watch His Dark Materials season 2 online
How to watch His Dark Materials season 2 in Canada
His Dark Materials season 2 cast: who's in His Dark Materials?
As well as starring Dafne Keen as Lyra and Amir Wilson as Will, His Dark Materials season 2 boasts a star-studded cast including Ruth Wilson as Mrs Coulter, James McAvoy as Lord Asriel, Lin-Manuel Miranda as Lee Scoresby, and Clarke Peters as Dr Carne. It will also feature a lot more of Andrew Scott (aka 'Hot Priest' or Moriarty) as John Parry, Will's dad, we're given to understand - and a stint from Phoebe Waller-Bridge herself as a mysterious daemon.