Harry Potter

Harry Potter

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Published in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, Harry Potter was a series of novels by British author J.K. Rowling.

They consisted of eleven novels. The Eighth Doctor had a complete set in his TARDIS. (EDA: The Gallifrey Chronicles)

By his tenth incarnation the Doctor had read the seventh Harry Potter novel, and cried upon reading the ending. Martha Jones also knew the books and suggested Potter's magic word "expelliarmus" to William Shakespeare to help defeat the Carrionites. The suggestion worked. (DW: The Shakespeare Code) Donna Noble jokingly referred to a centaur she met as Firenze - the name of one of the centaurs in the Potter universe. (BBCR: Pest Control) A copy of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (the first Potter novel) was in a display case on Platform One. (DW: The End of the World)

Behind the scenes

Trivia

• In real life, only seven Harry Potter novels (plus several shorter spin-off works) have been published. In EDA: The Gallifrey Chronicles, written in 2005, a character picks up a copy of the last Harry Potter book in the TARDIS, before replacing it next to its "ten other sequels." While this can be seen as an anachronism, likely the author was unaware Rowling only planned to publish seven books. It should be noted that since the publication of book 7, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Rowling has not dismissed the possibility of writing more Potter books in the future (perhaps in the Whoniverse she did in fact write additional volumes). It also should be noted that the title Deathly Hallows is not mentioned in The Shakespeare Code, as the Doctor simply refers to it as "Book Seven" (in real life the title of the book was unknown at the time the episode was written). There is precedent for book series to be continued by other authors, i.e. Eoin Colfer's continuation of Douglas Adams' The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy published in 2009. Interestingly enough, Rowling has written three companion works to the series and has stated in the past that she will write a Harry Potter Encyclopaedia. If she writes this book and makes no more additions to the Harry Potter universe there will indeed be 11 Harry Potter books though they will not all be novels.
• In 2005, Russell T Davies asked Harry Potter's creator J.K. Rowling if she would write for Doctor Who. She refused, saying that she was "amused by the suggestion but simply doesn't have the time." She was writing the sixth Harry Potter novel at the time.
• In The Christmas Invasion, a Hogwarts-style uniform briefly appears as the Doctor considers what clothes to wear in his new incarnation.
• The Shakespeare Code, in which the Doctor references reading the seventh book, was broadcast before the book was published, during a period of intense anticipation of its release. The Doctor doesn't mention the book's title, as it had not been revealed by the time the episode began filming.
• According to his 2008 autobiography A Writer's Tale, Russell T Davies also considered basing the 2008 Christmas special around an appearance by Rowling.
• To date, the most prominent Potter films cast member to be connected to Doctor Who is Sir Michael Gambon (Dumbledore) who played Kazran Sardick in the 2010 Christmas Special, A Christmas Carol.
• Harry Potter star, Daniel Radcliffe, was a name thrown out by Russell T. Davies to play the Eleventh Doctor.
• Other actors who have appeared in the Harry Potter films who have been considered for the role of the Doctor include Jim Broadbent, John Cleese, Robbie Coltrane, Richard Griffiths and Alan Rickman.
• When filming the 2005 series Russell T Davies commented upon the difficulty of finding little person actors for Doctor Who because Harry Potter and Charlie and the Chocolate Factory were filming at the same time.
• Harry Melling, who plays Dudley Dursley in the film series, is the grandson of Patrick Troughton. However he never met him, as Patrick died before he was born. David Troughton is his uncle.

Actors who have appeared in Doctor Who and Harry Potter

• Jim Broadbent - Horace Slughorn - Eleventh Doctor (The Curse of Fatal Death spoof)
• John Cleese - Nearly Headless Nick - Art patron (DW: City of Death)
• Shirley Henderson - Moaning Myrtle - Ursula Blake
• Roger Lloyd Pack - Barty Crouch Sr. - John Lumic
• David Tennant - Barty Crouch Jr. - Tenth Doctor
• Zoë Wanamaker - Rolanda Hooch - Lady Cassandra
• Julian Glover - Aragog (voice only) - Richard the Lionheart & Scaroth
• Adrian Rawlins - James Potter - Dr Ryder
• Jeff Rawle - Amos Diggory - Plantagenet & Lionel Harding (SJA: Mona Lisa's Revenge)
• Christopher Whittingham - Ministry Wizard - crewmember, DW: Earthshock
• Jim McManus - Aberforth Dumbledore - unnamed character, DW: The Invisible Enemy
• Jessica Hynes - Mafalda Hopkirk (voice only) - Joan Redfern & Verity Newman
• John Atterbury - Phineas Nigellus - White Robot & others
• Elizabeth Spriggs - The Fat Lady (Philosopher’s Stone) - Tabby
• Terence Bayler - The Bloody Baron - Yendom & Barrington
• Derek Deadman - Tom the Innkeeper (Philosopher’s Stone) - Stor
• Jimmy Gardner - Ernie Prang - Chenchu & Idmon
• Bill Nighy - Rufus Scrimgeour - Dr Black
• Helen McCrory - Narcissa Malfoy - Rosanna Calvierri
• Toby Jones - Dobby the House elf (voice) - Dream Lord
• Michael Gambon - Albus Dumbledore - Kazran & Elliot Sardick
• Imelda Staunton - Dolores Umbridge - Voice of Interface
• David Bradley - Argus Filch - Shansheeth (SJA: Death of the Doctor)
• Simon Fisher Becker- The Fat Friar - Dorium Maldovar
• Jimmy Vee- Goblin - Space Pig, Bannakaffalatta, The Moxx of Balhoon, Many more

In the audiobooks ranging from Big Finish and the BBC itself a number of actors have used their talents as well as David Tennant and Jessica Hynes as mentioned above who have also been involved.

• Mark Williams - Arthur Weasley - Maxwell Edison
• Sean Biggerstaff - Oliver Wood
• Leslie Phillips - The Sorting Hat
• David Ryall - Elphias Doge - Carthok
• Christian Coulson - Tom Riddle
• Pam Ferris - Aunt Marge
• Miriam Margolyes - Professor Pomona Sprout (Miriam Margoyles also appeared in SJA: The Gift as Leef Slitheen-Blathereen)
• Harry Melling - Dudley Dursley
• Steffan Rhodri - Reg Cattermole/Ron Weasley (Polyjuice Potion)

Other Notes

Pooky Quesnel, who played Moaning Myrtle in the Order of the Phoenix video game; appears as the captain in the A Christmas Carol.

Other references can be observed by the fact that Harry Melling who plays Dudley Dursley in Harry Potter is the grandson of Patrick Troughton. Also Alfie Enoch who plays Harry’s friend and dorm-mate Dean Thomas is the son of William Russell who played Ian Chesterton.

Stephen Fry, narrator for the UK Harry Potter audio books, voiced a character for the Webcast story WC: Death Comes to Time, and was at one point to have written an episode for Series 2, but due to various factors including a change in the Doctor's companion, the episode was never produced.

In addition, Richard Curtis (co-creator of Blackadder and writer of DW: Vincent and the Doctor) conducted the cast interviews included in the DVD release of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.

Footnotes