Part one of Philip Pullman's masterpiece comes alive in this BBC Radio 4 full-cast dramatisation. The award-winning "His Dark Materials" trilogy is a breathtaking epic adventure spanning a multitude of worlds. "Northern Lights", the opening instalment, sees Lyra and her shape-changing daemon embark on a dangerous quest. In Oxford, Lyra learns that children are being kidnapped by the mysterious Gobblers. When her friend Roger vanishes she determines to find him, and is given a powerful alethiometer which can reveal the truth in all things. After discovering that the adults around her are not what they seem, Lyra and Pantalaimon join forces with a band of gyptians. Travelling north they encounter witch-queens and armoured bears, before being captured and taken to Bolvangar - where children are being used in terrible and secret experiments. The three novels in Philip Pullman's "His Dark Materials" sequence are bestsellers around the world and were dramatised for a sell-out play at the National Theatre. "Northern Lights" has won the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Award, the Children's Book of the Year, and was made into "The Golden Compass" motion picture starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig. "Northern Lights" has an all-star cast including Terence Stamp, Emma Fielding, Bill Paterson, Kenneth Cranham and Ray Fearon.