His Dark Materials pays touching tribute to late star

His Dark Materials paid a touching tribute to its late star Helen McCrory.

The actress, who voiced the character of Stelmaria on the BBC fantasy show, passed away in 2021 after a battle with cancer.

At the end of tonight’s (December 18) series opener, producers paid tribute to the late actress in the end credits, writing: “In memory of Helen McCrory, OBE”

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Fans of the show reacted to the heartfelt message on Twitter, with one user writing: “Absolutely fitting tribute. The first episode of the third season of #HisDarkMaterials was dedicated to the memory of Helen McCrory, who voiced Stelmaria, Asriel's dæmon. Helen sadly died last year before it ever aired.”

“Lovely tribute to Helen McCrory tonight. Go well in the next world Helen. #HisDarkMaterials” wrote one user, whilst another said: “The dedication to Helen McCrory at the end of the His Dark Materials was just a perfect way to top off a great episode full of inclusion!"

The role of Stelmaria was recast ahead of the third and final series of the show, with Victoria Hamilton (The Crown) voicing the character for the final eight episodes.

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The final series, which is adapted from Phillip Pullman’s The Amber Spyglass, sees Lyra (Dafne Keen) attempt to escape from the clutches of her mother, Mrs Coulter (Ruth Wilson), all whilst Lord Asriel (James McAvoy) wages war against the Authority.

Actor Amir Wilson, who plays Will Parry in the show, recently spoke exclusively with Digital Spy about the final episodes, teasing that they would be “emotional.”

“The last episode is heavy. It's emotional,” he said. “I think there'll be a lot of tears and stuff. There certainly was on my part and Dafne's part when we were filming it. I think it's a beautiful, beautiful episode. A really, really beautiful episode. And I think people are going to like it.”

His Dark Materials airs on BBC One in the UK and HBO in the US.