BBC announces two-part J.K. Rowling documentary

The BBC has announced a two-part documentary series examining J.K. Rowling’s career, the success of Harry Potter and her public interventions, including on gender identity. The programme will also consider the author’s wider cultural influence and her contested public profile. The first episode will focus on the creation of the Harry Potter books and their prolonged success. The second will examine Rowling’s interventions on Scottish independence, feminism, free speech and gender identity, according to the programme description. The series is planned to use archival material, Rowling’s own words and interviews with people who have worked with her. Simon Young, the BBC’s head of commissioning for history, said the series would explore Rowling as both a major literary figure and a polarising public figure. BBC Scotland commissioning editor David Harron described it as a look at the creation of a global phenomenon and the social and technological changes shaping Britain. The programme announcement does not establish whether Rowling will take part or be interviewed. One report said she would not participate, while other reports described her involvement as unclear.