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Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint are reuniting for a Harry Potter TV special
'Return to Hogwarts' will be released on 1 January 2022.
It’s been 20 years since the first instalment of the Harry Potter film franchise was released to the world – and now, the cast are set to reunite in celebration.
The original cast of the Harry Potter series, including its three star leads – Daniel Radcliffe, who played the title character, Emma Watson, who played Hermione Granger, and Rupert Grint, who played Ron Weasley – are set to reunite for a one-off TV special that will air on HBO Max on New Year’s Day.
The trio will join American filmmaker Chris Columbus to discuss the film franchise, and explore their creation in depth.
The special was announced yesterday exactly 20 years on from the US release of the first film, Harry Potter And The Philosopher’s Stone, on 16 November 2001, and HBO Max said that Potterheads will be invited “on a magical first-person journey through one of the most beloved film franchises of all time”.
A 52-second trailer was also released yesterday, featuring clips from several Harry Potter films and promising that “the legendary cast” would return “to where the magic started”.
The trailer understandably set social media alight, and has been racking up millions of views.
As well as the franchise’s three lead stars, the TV special will also include Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Ralph Fiennes, Jason Isaacs, Gary Oldman, Imelda Staunton and Tom Felton – who all played key characters in the series – and “many more” stars too.
Speaking ahead of the reunion, Executive Producer Casey Patterson said: “There’s magic in the air here with this incredible cast, as they all return home to the original sets of Hogwarts, where they began 20 years ago.
“The excitement is palpable as they prepare to take their fans on a very special and personal journey, through the making of these incredible films.”
Several of the franchise’s stars have also shared their excitement about the announcement of the reunion on social media, including Tom Felton and Matthew Lewis – who played Draco Malfoy and Neville Longbottom, respectively.
But the biggest tribute to the film’s 20-year anniversary came from Emma Watson, who shared a lengthy Instagram post to promote the special.
She said Hermione Granger is her “favourite fictional character of all time”.
“I am proud not just of what we as group contributed as actors to the franchise but also as the children that became young adults that walked that path. I look at my fellow cast members now and I am just so proud of who everyone has become as people. I am proud we were kind to each other that we supported one another and that we held up something meaningful,” Watson added.
Return to Hogwarts will be released on 1 January 2022.
Featured Image – Warner Bros.
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The cheapest Christmas Markets in the world for mulled wine have been revealed
Daisy Jackson
The most affordable Christmas Markets for drinking mulled wine have been revealed – and Manchester is nowhere in sight.
With Christmas markets across Europe preparing to welcome millions of visitors, festive fans looking to enjoy a warming cup of glühwein without breaking the bank might want to take note of the latest findings.
Festive experts at Christmas Tree World have analysed mulled wine prices at Christmas markets around the world to discover where visitors can enjoy the seasonal favourite for less.
Topping the rankings is Brussels’ Winter Wonders, where mulled wine is available for as little as £2.14 – about a third of the price of a mulled wine at the Manchester Christmas Markets.
Cologne Cathedral Christmas Markets and Strasbourg’s Christkindelsmärik share second place, with starting prices of just £2.56.
Other European favourites also feature prominently in the rankings. Budapest’s Christmas Market at the Basilica takes fourth place, with mulled wine costing £3.19, while Prague’s Old Town Square Christmas Market comes in sixth at £3.55.
Germany makes another strong appearance, with Dresden’s Striezelmarkt and Nuremberg’s Christkindlesmarkt (which handily just launched new direct flights from Manchester) both offering mulled wine for £3.85.
Meanwhile, Vienna’s Christmas World rounds off the European entries in ninth place, with prices starting at £4.28.
For those planning a festive adventure further afield, Tokyo’s Christmas Market also makes the top five, with mulled wine costing £3.22.
However, not every destination offers such a bargain. Across the Atlantic, New York City’s Winter Village takes the title of the most expensive market in the study, with mulled wine costing a rather less festive £11.74. Chicago’s Christkindlmarket isn’t far behind, charging £8.80.
Manchester Christmas Markets start on Friday 6 November – we’ll see how our prices stack up then.
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Featured image: The Manc Group
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Sir Ian McKellen pays emotional tribute to long-time friend and fellow northern actor Sir Patrick Stewart
Emily Sergeant
Sir Ian McKellen has paid an emotional tribute to his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Patrick Stewart, following his death.
Sir Patrick Stewart – who was born and bred in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, and is best-known for his theatre work alongside an illustrious 60-year screen career, taking on prominent roles in franchises such as Star Trek and X-Men – sadly passed away at the age of 86, with his death being announced publicly yesterday evening (29 October).
In the statement announcing his death last night, it was confirmed that Sir Patrick had a ‘brief but poignant journey’ with Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia.
And now, his long-time friend and fellow northern actor, Sir Ian McKellen, has paid tribute.
Sir Patrick and Sir Ian shared the stage together countless times over their decades-long careers, but also famously starred alongside each other in the X-Men franchise, and subsequent Marvel movies, as Charles Xavier/Professor X and Magneto.
The tribute, shared across Sir Ian’s social media platforms, reads: “Before everything else, Patrick was defined by being born and bred in Yorkshire, the proud county in the north of England which he loved to the end. You could hear it in his accented voice and in the stern honesty with which he told you what he thought and felt. Yorkshiremen have no truck with half-truths or avoidance of big issues. He wore his heart on his sleeve, which made him a man to rely on, to admire and in my case, love.
“We first met as ambitious young actors with the Royal Shakespeare Company half a century ago but we weren’t in the same productions.
“My first strong memory was a few years later, meeting him in the street in central London when he told me about an offer to take over a leading part in ‘Star Trek’. “But Patrick think of your stage career in the UK. Do you really want to risk getting lost in Hollywood for years and years?”
“Well, he took the risk and thank goodness for us all that he did, for not just his devoted Trekkies, but film and theatre audiences who marvelled at his using international celebrity to star in a string of cinema successes (‘X-Men’ of course) and in great classical plays by Shakespeare, Ibsen, Arthur Miller, Peter Shaffer, Pinter and Beckett at Stratford-upon-Avon, in London’s West End and on Broadway.
“America was his adopted home, where he met his adored Sunny who has cared for him through sickness and health, through thick and thin.
“But he never forsook his origins: and the proudest achievement of the most respected and beloved actor of his generation on either side of the Atlantic, was his appointment as Chancellor of Huddersfield University in Yorkshire.”
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Sir Patrick Stewart’s farewell performance will be in Avengers: Doomsday, which is being released in UK cinemas on 18 December 2026
Featured Image – Gage Skidmore (via Flickr)
Emily Sergeant -
17th November 2021 
