Harry Potter author JK Rowling will be the focus of a new BBC Scotland documentary charting “her rise to fame, cultural influence and contested legacy”.
The two-parter will follow her journey from a struggling single mother in Edinburgh to the creator of the best-selling book series of all time.
The documentary will also use Rowling’s life as a lens “to explore three decades of profound social, political and technological change,” from the success of Harry Potter to being described as “one of Britain’s most polarising public figures”.
JK Rowling is the subject of a new two-part documentary (Andrew Milligan/PA)
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The first episode will chart Rowling’s journey from childhood to her unprecedented literary success, with her having had the idea for Harry Potter while on a delayed train to London King’s Cross in 1990.
The magical franchise became a global phenomenon and spawned multiple sequels, as well as a theatre production and a blockbuster film series starring Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint.
The 61-year-old author, whose real name is Joanne Rowling, also wrote Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them, which inspired a separate film series, while her original Potter books are being adapted into a new HBO TV show.
Rowling also writes contemporary crime fiction under the male pseudonym Robert Galbraith, which she originally used to separate her other work from Harry Potter’s success, and she is known for the Cormoran Strike series.
Across two hour-long instalments, the documentary will follow the impact of the series’ success amid the emerging internet and the rise of social media, as well as how Rowling stepped out from behind her creation to voice her political opinions.
JK Rowling has faced controversy in recent years over her views on gender issues (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
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Rowling has faced controversy in recent years over her views on gender issues, and has previously stated she believes biological sex is “real” and “immutable”.
The author has also been critical of self-declared gender identity, calling it “quasi-religious” and “anti-science”, but has denied being transphobic and previously said she respects “every trans person’s right to live any way that feels authentic and comfortable to them”.
Made by Rogan Scotland, the series will examine the impact of Rowling’s increasingly vocal views on political issues such as Scottish independence, feminism, free speech and gender identity “amid the rise of social media and intensifying culture wars”.
Emma Watson is among the stars who have publicly disagreed with Rowling’s views on gender identity (Dominic Lipinski/PA)
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It will also examine the impact her views have had on the legacy of her work, and how this has sparked a divide between “some of the actors and fans who once championed her work”.
Several main cast members and contributors from the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts film series have publicly disagreed with her views, including Radcliffe, Watson and Grint, as well as Eddie Redmayne.
The series will draw on rare archive footage, as well as Rowling’s own words and interviews from people who have previously worked with her, as it explores “the rise and impact of the prolific author”.
Simon Young, head of commissioning, history, said: “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.
“No cultural history of Britain in the 21st century would be complete without the story of the boy wizard that JK Rowling created, the publishing and film-making phenomenon that she spawned, or the polarising public figure she has become.”
David Harron, commissioning editor for BBC Scotland, called Rowling “arguably one of the most influential figures in the literary and wider media worlds”.
He added: “Through the extraordinary story of her life and work, this series explores not only the creation of a global phenomenon, but also how Britain’s culture has been shaped by significant social and technological changes in recent years.”