His Dark Materials fans who visit Oxford’s Botanic Garden can now enjoy an audio guide from author Phillip Pullman. The Garden has special importance to fans of the series due its role in the heartbreaking conclusion of The Amber Spyglass. As a result, Pullman has been asked to record part of a voice guide for the garden, in which he talks about its significance to Will and Lyra, in particular a bench which plays a key role in the young couple’s story. Pullman told the Oxford Mail that he thought the audio guide was a great idea, and that he was particularly keen to contribute due to ‘the bench’, as it is known to fans: “It’s a nice bench in a very nice place – the Botanic Garden is such a lovely thing to have in Oxford.”

Pullman also offered a brief update on the much-anticipated His Dark Materials companion work The Book of Dust, insisting that it was proceeding well and would be finished just as soon as: “I write the words: ‘the end’”.