Back from the dead

Andrew Scott and Amir Wilson reveal all about Will’s missing dad in His Dark Materials

- CAREN CLARK, ALISON SLADE

FANTASY DRAMA

His Dark Materials

Sunday, BBC1 HD, 8.10pm

From his compelling turn as villainous Professor Moriarty in Sherlock to his captivating roles as the ‘hot priest’ in Fleabag and rogue agent C in Bond film Spectre, few actors command the screen quite like Andrew Scott.

This week, he adds yet another enigmatic character to his illustrious CV as he makes his long-awaited appearance as Colonel John Parry in BBC1’s acclaimed fantasy drama series His Dark Materials.

The mysterious explorer, the father of troubled teenager Will (Amir Wilson), has been presumed dead for years after disappearing during an expedition. But as Will and his friend Lyra (Dafne Keen) come into danger when they try to locate the elusive subtle knife, aeronaut Lee Scoresby (LinManuel Miranda), who’s on his own mission to find the weapon, finally tracks down John...

Here, Scott, 44, and Wilson, 16, tell us more…

What appealed to you about joining the cast of His Dark Materials, Andrew?

Scott It’s one of the great literary works of the past century. I like the brutality of it. It’s not saccharine and it shows children that life is tough. I love the fact that children are the heroes and the adults are flawed. It’s psychologically sophisticated and that’s why adults enjoy it, too.

How do the two of you see your characters?