Daniel Radcliffe to return to the world of Harry Potter

Daniel Radcliffe will return to the world of Harry Potter to narrate the first chapter of The Philosopher’s Stone.

The 30-year-old actor, who played the boy wizard in the film series, has recorded a video of himself reading Chapter One: The Boy Who Lived.

It will feature on JK Rowling’s Harry Potter At Home online hub, launched for children, parents, carers and teachers during the Covid-19 outbreak.

David Beckham, whose eight-year-old daughter Harper is a fan of the series, is also among the cast of narrators, and will be joined by Dakota Fanning and Eddie Redmayne.

Redmayne stars in Rowling’s Fantastic Beasts films, which are set before the events of the Harry Potter books.

Stephen Fry, who narrated the original UK Harry Potter audiobooks, Claudia Kim, who appeared as Nagini in the Fantastic Beasts film series, and Noma Dumezweni, who starred as Hermione Granger in the original theatre run of Harry Potter And The Cursed Child, are also taking part.

Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, originally published in 1997, introduced the character of Harry Potter and the world of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

In the UK, the book is known by the title Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, while in the US it is published under the title Harry Potter And The Sorcerer’s Stone.

All 17 chapters will be released between Tuesday May 5 and the middle of summer, with Radcliffe kicking of the series.

Videos will be posted weekly on the Harry Potter At Home website, with an audio-only version available for free on Spotify.

Rowling launched Harry Potter At Home, a digital hub hosted on WizardingWorld.com, in April, giving families access to free audiobooks and eBooks of Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone during the coronavirus lockdown.

Full details of all the Harry Potter At Home initiatives are at www.harrypotterathome.com.