A Discovery of Witches, with lesbians
A Discovery of Witches is a new TV show making its debut in UK that will also feature a lesbian witch couple.
Because of this, we’re eagerly anticipating the new show. After all, it’s been 16 years since there was an iconic lesbian witch duo with Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
A Discovery of Witches: The Plot
Based on the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness, A Discovery of Witches follows witch and historian Diana Bishop (played by Teresa Palmer) as she seeks to unravel the secrets of the magical world.
The show is set in the real world, except that humans exist together with the declining species of witches, vampires and daemons.
Diana, as the protagonist, was raised by her aunt Sarah Bishop (Alex Kingston) and her long-time partner, Emily Mather (Valarie Pettiford).
The couple are both witches who taught Diana how to use her powers to fight in a centuries-old struggle between supernatural beings.
Diana’s path collides with the mysterious vampire Matthew Clairmont (Matthew Goode) when a manuscript in Oxford’s Bodleian Library is discovered and she’s inadvertently thrown into the heart of a dangerous mystery.
And yes, there’s a romance between the characters of Palmer and Goode. But really, we’re more interested in the lesbian couple in this story.
As Sarah tells Diana in the book, “Em and I were star-crossed lovers, after all. In upstate New York in the 1970s, nothing was more star-crossed than two women falling in love.”
A Discovery of Witches: The lesbians
Diana’s aunt, Sarah, is descended from the first witch executed at Salem. Sarah enjoys a respected place among witches because of her name and blood lineage.
On the other hand, Sarah’s partner, Emily or Em, has a talent for scrying and visions, and is often the peace broker in the household.
Notably, Harkness has included a lot of LGBT characters in her stories. Aside from the lesbian couple who are witches, there’s a gay demon and a gay vampire as well.
Harkness said in an interview that: “what makes me happiest is when people who think they are invisible– because they are different in some way, or LGBT, or anxious– find that the books have provided them with a way to talk about their situation with friends and loved ones.”
Kingston, who plays Sarah, once starred in Doctor Who, Arrow, and ER. Meanwhile, Pettiford was in Glitter and Stomp the Yard.
The cast also includes Lindsay Duncan as Ysabeau de Clermont, Tanya Moodie as Agatha Wilson, Louise Brealey as Gillian Chamberlain, Owen Teale as Peter Knox, and Trevor Eve as Gerbert D’Aurillac.
The first episode is set to premiere in the UK on Sky One on September 14, with weekly episodes on Friday until November 2.
The international distribution rights for A Discovery of Witches will are being handled by Sky Vision. For more about the series, check out the trailer below: