By John Smith • Published: 06 May 2020 • 11:44
THE Harry Potter franchise took the world by storm and made author J K Rowling a multi-millionaire and she has now invited various actors to read chapters from the iconic books to entertain children and parents during the lockdown.
The first chapter of Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is being read by Harry Potter himself, actor Daniel Radcliffe online at the ‘Harry Potter at Home’ website.
Other narrators, include Eddie Redmayne, from the spin-off films Fantastic Beasts, which are set before the books as well as Claudia Kim from the same film and Noma Dumezweni, who took on Emma Watson’s role as Hermione Granger in the stage show Harry Potter and The Cursed Child.
Stephen Fry who narrated the Harry Potter audiobooks, David Beckham’s eight-year-old Potter-mad daughter Harper and actress Dakota Fanning have also recorded parts of the story.
As well as being available via harrypotterathome.com, the audio clips will be published on Spotify for free and more chapters will be added each week until the end of June.
Rowling said on Twitter: “Today’s the 22nd anniversary of the Battle of Hogwarts, but I’m going to be honest and say that it feels inappropriate to talk about fictional deaths today. Too many people are losing loved ones in the real world.
“So, on this anniversary of a great wizarding victory, I’m thinking of the people who’re out there doing their jobs to protect us and our way of life. I have three key workers in my immediate family, and like all such relatives, I’m torn between pride and anxiety.
“As ever in a crisis of this sort, the poorest and most vulnerable are hit hardest, so in honour of the Battle of Hogwarts, I’ll be making a donation of £1 million, half of which will go to https://crisis.org.uk, who’re helping the homeless during the pandemic and half of which will go to https://refuge.org.uk, because we know that domestic abuse has, sadly, increased hugely during the lockdown.”
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Married to Ophelia in Gibraltar in 1978, John has spent much of his life travelling on security print and minting business and visited every continent except Antarctica. Having retired several years ago, the couple moved to their house in Estepona and John became a regular news writer for the EWN Media Group taking particular interest in Finance, Gibraltar and Costa del Sol Social Scene. Currently he is acting as Editorial Consultant for the paper helping to shape its future development. Share your story with us by emailing newsdesk@euroweeklynews.com, by calling +34 951 38 61 61 or by messaging our Facebook page www.facebook.com/EuroWeeklyNews
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