And now, RadioTimes.com<\/a><\/strong> can exclusively reveal two of the new cast members joining the series when it returns in autumn 2022 \u2013 Fleabag star Sian Clifford and Sherlock\u2019s Jonathan Aris, both of whom will play diminutive Gallivespian spies allied with Lord Asriel (James McAvoy).<\/p>\n \u201cI was thrilled when I got the part \u2013 I\u2019m just so fascinated by the whole Gallivespian phenomenon,\u201d Aris told RadioTimes.com<\/strong>.<\/p> \u201cI\u2019m very, very delighted to be here, and my 12-year-old tells me it\u2019s the coolest thing I\u2019ve ever done.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always a real pleasure to join something you\u2019re excited about, and I couldn\u2019t be more excited about this.\u201d<\/p>\n In the books, Gallivespians are insect-sized humanoids with a well-developed society and a haughty sense of pride, which makes them a little difficult to get along with. However, their value as spies is incalculable, as is the power of the deadly sting they\u2019re capable of delivering from their heels.<\/p>\n A passage from the book describing them reads: \u201cHe was striking to look at: he was no taller than Lord Asriel\u2019s hand span, and as slender as a dragonfly, but the rest of Lord Asriel\u2019s captains treated him with profound respect, for he was armed with a poisonous sting in the spurs on his heels.<\/p>\n \u201cHe and his kind, the Gallivespians, had few of the qualities of good spies except, of course, their exceptional smallness: they were so proud and touchy that they would never have remained inconspicuous if they had been of Lord Asriel\u2019s size.\u201d<\/p>\n Clifford will play Agent Salmakia in the series while Aris will play Commander Roke, two characters who appear in the original text<\/a> (albeit under the slightly different titles of Lady Salmakia and Lord Roke). Meanwhile, a third Gallivespian character from the books named Chevalier Tialys appears to have been cut from the screen adaptation, with elements of his character presumably merged with Salmakia\u2019s.<\/p>\n Clifford is best known for her role in acclaimed comedy-drama Fleabag, where she plays older sister Claire, though she has also recently starred in Vanity Fair, Quiz, Liar and Inside No. 9<\/a>. Aris, meanwhile, drew international fame for his performance as forensic scientist Anderson in Sherlock, and has also racked up roles in Dracula, The Game, Star Wars: Rogue One, Good Omens and The End of the F***ing World.<\/p>\n Coincidentally, both have been co-stars of actor Andrew Scott in Fleabag<\/a> and Sherlock respectively. Scott previously played the role of Jopari in seasons one and two of His Dark Materials, though following the character\u2019s death in season two it seems unlikely he\u2019ll reprise the role for the new series.<\/p>\n Other castings and characters from the book are yet to be confirmed, though it\u2019s probable that more will be announced in the coming months. And in the meantime, fans can take some comfort in the fact that two of Pullman\u2019s more unusual characters are soon to fly onto TV screens around the country. Now, all we have to do is wait\u2026<\/p>\n His Dark Materials season three will air on BBC One in 2022. For more, check out our dedicated Fantasy<\/a> page or our full TV Guide<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n Sian Clifford and Jonathan Aris will play Gallivespian spies in the Philip Pullman adaptation. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":24,"featured_media":4646,"template":"","categories":[1],"acf":[],"uagb_featured_image_src":{"full":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/fleabag-and-sherlock-stars-join-cast-of-his-dark-materials-series-3.jpg",620,413,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/fleabag-and-sherlock-stars-join-cast-of-his-dark-materials-series-3-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/fleabag-and-sherlock-stars-join-cast-of-his-dark-materials-series-3-300x200.jpg",300,200,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/fleabag-and-sherlock-stars-join-cast-of-his-dark-materials-series-3.jpg",620,413,false],"large":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/fleabag-and-sherlock-stars-join-cast-of-his-dark-materials-series-3.jpg",620,413,false],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/fleabag-and-sherlock-stars-join-cast-of-his-dark-materials-series-3.jpg",620,413,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/uploads\/sites\/56\/2021\/09\/fleabag-and-sherlock-stars-join-cast-of-his-dark-materials-series-3.jpg",620,413,false]},"uagb_author_info":{"display_name":"importmanagerhub@sprylab.com","author_link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/author\/importmanagerhubsprylab-com\/"},"uagb_comment_info":0,"uagb_excerpt":"Sian Clifford and Jonathan Aris will play Gallivespian spies in the Philip Pullman adaptation.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed\/4645"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/rss_feed"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/rss_feed"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/24"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4646"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4645"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/radiotimes\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4645"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\""His\"](\""https:\/\/images.immediate.co.uk\/production\/volatile\/sites\/3\/2021\/06\/Dafne-Keen-Amir-Wilson-5953f64.jpg?quality=90&resize=620%2C413"\" "\\"\"Dafne\\"")
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