Harriet Popham McDougal Rigney is a book editor and the widow of Robert Jordan. She is a consultant producer for the upcoming television series The Wheel of Time.
General overview[]
McDougal worked as her husband's editor for many years, though her role became less involved with the later novels. After Robert Jordan was diagnosed with amyloidosis, she and Jordan's cousin Wilson Grooms informed readers about updates about his health and the status of the final novel.
Shortly before his death, Jordan realized that he would not be able to finish the series, and asked his wife to find another author who would complete the series based on his drafts and extensive notes. McDougal asked Brandon Sanderson to finish the series after finding his eulogy for her husband and reading some of his novels. She is also the editor and co-writer of Jordan's posthumous Wheel of Time Companion 
(book spoilers!), published in 2015.
McDougal has expressed her support and interest for the upcoming television series, for which she serves as a consultant producer. Showrunner Rafe Judkins has repeatedly praised McDougal's helpful involvement in the series, saying that she's been a "hugely helpful support".[1] On her involvement in the series, Judkins said:[2]
She's a consulting producer so she's been out to Prague to the sets and reads all the scripts and sends me her notes on them. She and Maria are hugely helpful for maintaining the truth of the series and always keep me honest when it comes to things that change too much
Quotes[]
I've lived in the pages of these books from the very beginning, but to see it in reality is amazing.
Harriet McDougal on The Wheel of Time set in Fall 2019.[3]
My feeling is that television is a different medium from the written word, and what happens on the screen is as different from what happens in the book as swimming is from walking. They're very different. And for that reason, I don't think about anything that I want to see translated directly and literally to the television medium.
Harriet McDougal in a livestream, April 21, 2023.[4]
Gallery[]
[]
| Crew |
|---|
 Rafe Judkins Showrunner  Lorne Balfe Composer  Sarah Nakamura Consultant  Harriet McDougal Consulting producer  Brandon Sanderson Consulting producer Season 1 cast and crew • Season 2 cast and crew • Season 3 cast and crew • Writers • Directors • Musicians • browse all crew |
External links[]
Harriet McDougal on Wikipedia- Harriet McDougal (book spoilers!) on the Wheel of Time book series Wiki (book spoilers!).
References[]
- ↑ Instagram Q&A, December 23, 2020. Link.
- ↑ Instagram Q&A, March 22, 2020. Link of screenshot.
- ↑ Twitter: Happy Birthday Robert Jordan from your Wheel of Time TV family. #TheWheelOfTime. October 17, 2021.
- ↑ From a Twitch livestream with CaptainPopcornTwitch: ÉVÉNEMENT ! La Roue du Temps : BRANDON SANDERSON et HARRIET McDOUGAL en LIVE ! Interview avec La Pierre de Tear et Bragelonne (French). April 21, 2023.