His Dark Materials fans spot major easter egg from original books that hints at the show’s ending

Fantasy drama series is currently streaming on BBC One

WARNING: Spoilers for His Dark Materials ahead

Viewers think they may have spotted a major easter egg in the latest episode of His Dark Materials that teases the show’s ending. 

Fans of the series – a BBC One adaptation of Philip Pullman's books of the same name – were quick to note the significance of one particular scene in last night’s (15 November) episode.

The scene in question shows protagonists Lyra Bilacqua (Dafne Keen) and Will Parry (Amir Wilson) sitting together on a bench. While the moment may seem innocuous to most viewers, fans of the books have noted that the scene may hint at the eventual end of the pair’s relationship.  

Readers of Pullman’s original trilogy will recall how in the third and final novel, titled The Amber Spyglass, Lyra and Will agree to visit a Botanic Garden bench every year in their respective worlds before leaving each other for good.

“Was that the bench! Oh gosh my heart,” said one fan on Twitter.

16-year-old Amir Wilson and 15-year-old Dafne Keen as Will Parry and Lyra Bilacqua (BBC/Bad Wolf/HBO)

Another commented: “Just finished watching on Catch Up. Oh my. The bench. The botanic gardens. What are you doing to us?”

Other emotional viewers echoed the same sentiment, writing: “I’ve never been so anxious to see a bench.” A fourth added: “Excuse me, is this THE bench, as in… THE BENCH?” followed by a series of crying emojis.

The TV adaptation, starring Ruth Wilson and Andrew Scott, returned to screens this month after a very well-received first season in 2019.

You can read The Independent’s three-star review of its second series here.