Historical, Social and Cultural Contexts Typeit

There are several indicators that display that His Dark Materials is a contemporary piece of media, with S2 E1 'The City of Magpies' having been released in .

• There is an ethnically diverse cast. Lyra is played by , who is British and Spanish, and her co-star Amir Wilson is black British. In the ensemble cast, there are a variety of performers from different and ethnic backgrounds, something that the BBC aims to do to represent its diverse audience.
• The visual effects used are extensive and highly sophisticated. Modern texts such as His Dark Materials use visual effects and  imagery far more than in the past, as advances in digital technology have made them far cheaper than ever before.
• The opening credits are a  of imagery and symbolism that reflect key themes and moments from the series, something that is very conventional for prestige television series. 
• The criticism of religion and the portrayal of a religious institution in a negative light is something that the BBC would have been likely to avoid showing. In 1963, when 'An Unearthly Child' was , more of the British population would have been Christian, making the content of His Dark Materials much more controversial. 
• and torture are shown, although it is not very gory. Given that a large proportion of His Dark Materials viewers are likely to be , this is a more recent development as media producers would have historically completely avoided these darker elements.