BBC Factual and BBC Scotland have commissioned J.K. Rowling (working title), a two-part documentary series being produced by Rogan Scotland that will examine the British author’s rise to international fame, her cultural influence and her contested legacy. The project will be broadcast on BBC Two and BBC Scotland, and made available on iPlayer, with BBC Studios handling global distribution.

With no director attached as yet, the production is being staged by Rogan Scotland, whose previous credits include Becoming Frida Kahlo, The Secret of Me and Becoming Victoria Wood. Combining rare archive material, Rowling’s own words and interviews with people who have worked alongside her, the series will use the writer’s personal and professional trajectory to explore the profound changes that have shaped British society over the past 30 years.

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The first episode will chart Rowling’s journey from her childhood and early writing years in Edinburgh to the unprecedented commercial and cultural success of the Harry Potter saga. Beyond transforming children’s publishing and generating a multimedia franchise worth billions, the series will examine how the novels helped revitalise reading among younger generations, fostered new online communities and became closely associated with Britain’s international cultural identity.

The second instalment will shift its attention towards Rowling’s emergence as an increasingly outspoken political figure. It will explore her interventions in debates surrounding Scottish independence, feminism, freedom of speech and gender identity, examining how the rise of social media and intensifying culture wars have contributed to her polarisation of public opinion. The documentary will also address the divisions between Rowling and sections of the Harry Potter cast and fanbase, contrasting the support she receives from defenders of her positions on women’s rights with criticism from advocates of transgender equality.

“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,” commented Simon Young, the BBC’s head of Commissioning, History. He added that any examination of British culture in the 21st century would need to address both the phenomenon created by Rowling and her subsequent emergence as a polarising public figure.

David Harron, commissioning editor at BBC Scotland, emphasised the project’s broader historical perspective, explaining that the author's life and work would serve as a means of examining how British culture has been reshaped by major social and technological developments.

Meanwhile, James Rogan, executive producer of the documentary, highlighted the contrast between Rowling’s achievements and the controversies surrounding her public statements. According to Rogan, her personal beliefs have sparked “a fraught and divisive dialogue that continues to this day”.

The 2x60-minute documentary was commissioned by Jack Bootle, head of Commissioning, Specialist Factual, and Louise Thornton, head of Multi-Platform Commissioning at BBC Scotland. Rogan himself and Mark Hedgecoe serve as executive producers, whilst Young and Harron are the commissioning editors.

A premiere date has yet to be announced.