Sky Arte explores the dark side of Peter Pan and J.M. Barrie

A new episode of the series 'In compagnia del lupo. Il cuore nero delle fiabe', hosted by Carlo Lucarelli, airs on Sky Arte on Monday, March 15. The episode delves into the unsettling aspects of Peter Pan and his creator, James Matthew Barrie. Barrie was dissatisfied with the statue of Peter Pan unveiled in Kensington Gardens on May 1, 1912, claiming it failed to show the devil within the character. The story traces Barrie's childhood trauma: at age seven, his older brother David died, leading Barrie to try to replace him and, like Peter Pan, refuse to grow up. Years later, Barrie met the Davies brothers in Kensington Gardens and became their playmate, inspiring the Peter Pan stories. Barrie described Peter as a sweet but heartless child who ferries lost children to Neverland, a 'little angel of death,' explaining the diabolical and strange qualities shared by character and author.