Speaker 1: Hello, and welcome to Behind the Wand and a new
Speaker 1: little mini series called Behind the Wand and Friends. Before
Speaker 1: I explain about that, I just want to say, don't worry.
Speaker 1: I am still recording the regular series, which we'll be
Speaker 1: out in the new year. But this little mini series
Speaker 1: I'm really really excited about because instead of looking back
Speaker 1: in the past and Harry Potter in the past and
Speaker 1: obviously twenty plus years ago when we were making the film,
Speaker 1: we are going to be talking about Harry Potter right
Speaker 1: now and its future and the series. So what I've
Speaker 1: done is I've reached out to some of my lovely
Speaker 1: friends who are in the potterverse, so basically, come on
Speaker 1: and teach me everything I need to know about Harry
Speaker 1: Potter right now. Obviously I love the fandom, but I'm
Speaker 1: relatively new coming back to it, as I didn't really
Speaker 1: dip my toe back into the fandom until a couple
Speaker 1: of years ago when I started the podcast, and before that,
Speaker 1: I hadn't really had much to do with Harry Potter
Speaker 1: since I finished filming, which was in like two thousand
Speaker 1: and four. So I'm learning and basically getting really excited
Speaker 1: about what's going on and what's to come. So saying
Speaker 1: all that, my first guest, I am sure so many
Speaker 1: of you will be familiar with her. Name's Melissa Maddock.
Speaker 1: She is the ultimate Harry Potter filming location guide. She's
Speaker 1: the ultimate romance girly, and she is our favorite normal
Speaker 1: Hogwart student. So she is fab and this is our chat.
Speaker 2: What's that? So?
Speaker 1: I want to go right to the beginning of your
Speaker 1: first sort of interaction with Harry Potter and what you
Speaker 1: remember about first stumbling across the story.
Speaker 2: So it so Prison of Azkaban was actually the first
Speaker 2: film I ever saw in cinema, and my grandma took
Speaker 2: me and it kind of became a tradition. So I
Speaker 2: just remember my grandma took me to prison as Ground
Speaker 2: in cinema and I was terrified of the dementors. Terrified,
Speaker 2: Like how old was It must have been about five
Speaker 2: at the time, and it was just the most horrific
Speaker 2: thing to me. Ever, I was absolutely terrified, but I
Speaker 2: just loved the Apart from the dementors, I just loved
Speaker 2: the whole magical element of it. At magic school, I
Speaker 2: wanted to be a witch. I was like, I can't
Speaker 2: wait to have a Hogwarts letter.
Speaker 1: Yeah, So like everybody else, you know, I.
Speaker 2: Was holding out hope, but yeah, then it I said,
Speaker 2: it kind of came a tradition that from then on
Speaker 2: and my grandma took me to the cinema every time
Speaker 2: Harry Potter film came out. It was kind of something
Speaker 2: that we just did together, which was that was Yeah.
Speaker 2: When I think my grandma, like, that's like one of
Speaker 2: the main things that I remembered that we just did together.
Speaker 1: That's so lovely And I feel like straight away that
Speaker 1: just shows like Harry Potter just transcends like all ages,
Speaker 1: Like it's really as a child with your grandmother and
Speaker 1: probably both go to the cinema and enjoy the film,
Speaker 1: which is So was your film the first?
Speaker 2: So do you?
Speaker 1: I'm obviously at five you not read the books. So
Speaker 1: unless you were very advanced five year old, was it
Speaker 1: sort of your the film was your gateway and then
Speaker 1: you went back and read the books. Have you not
Speaker 1: read the books? What's what was.
Speaker 2: Your I read? So I watched the films. I think
Speaker 2: I didn't read the books until about around Deathly Hallows
Speaker 2: when the film came out Deathly Hallows, because I was
Speaker 2: just when I was that age, I was just so
Speaker 2: immersed in the films, and everyone was telling me you
Speaker 2: got to read the books, you got to read the books.
Speaker 2: Obviously when I was fives, a bit young to me
Speaker 2: reading the Harry Potter books, but yeah, it's something that
Speaker 2: I read. When Deathly Hallows came around, I was a
Speaker 2: bit more mature and I could understand it. And yeah,
Speaker 2: it's still I still go back to reading the books now,
Speaker 2: but it's I think for me, I'm definitely more of
Speaker 2: a film girl.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I mean I think, yeah. I was actually
Speaker 1: thinking about this the other day, like I've only read
Speaker 1: the book series through once, whereas I seeing the film's loads.
Speaker 1: But I think I want to go back and read
Speaker 1: the book series now before the TV series comes out,
Speaker 1: refresh my memory. But I actually think I might cheat
Speaker 1: and listen to the audiobooks though, But you know, I
Speaker 1: don't know if that's cheating. I'm sure like real diehard
Speaker 1: readers will be like that's cheating. But but yeah, no,
Speaker 1: so I'm sort of a film girly and girly as well.
Speaker 1: But so then how did it progress to you making
Speaker 1: sort of the incredible stuff you do now?
Speaker 2: So like for me, Harry Potter and my love Harry
Speaker 2: Potter's kind of split into two like time periods of
Speaker 2: my life when I was a kid, when I first
Speaker 2: watched it, introduced it, went to the films, and then
Speaker 2: in twenty twenty, obviously Lockdown there was I played tennis
Speaker 2: and I'm an athlete and not like outside of content creation,
Speaker 2: and obviously I couldn't do that, and I was stuck
Speaker 2: inside like everyone else, struggling, didn't know what to do,
Speaker 2: didn't know what to turn to. And then the Harry
Speaker 2: Potter started trending on TikTok. At the time, I remember
Speaker 2: it was everywhere that like you know, Draco talk, Like yeah, absolutely.
Speaker 1: Everywhere we love a bit of Draco talk.
Speaker 2: Talk is all began, right, and I just from there,
Speaker 2: like it became the only source of comfort that I
Speaker 2: had in Lockdown. I must have watched the film, Like
Speaker 2: in Whatdown, I must have watched a Harry Potter film
Speaker 2: every single day. If I were watching it, I had
Speaker 2: it on in the background. And it really that is
Speaker 2: where it's split in two parts of me, because I
Speaker 2: came back to it and it was so this comfort
Speaker 2: that hell as a child then was the only thing
Speaker 2: that I had in the lockdown as an adult for
Speaker 2: me to get through lockdown, definitely. And then when the
Speaker 2: lockdown was over, I went to the studio toll for
Speaker 2: the first time, and that's when I went sort of
Speaker 2: sets or the props. I was like, oh my gosh.
Speaker 2: I was like so overwhelmed, especially when something's been such
Speaker 2: a comfort to you for the last couple of years
Speaker 2: and it's really got you through like the toughest time
Speaker 2: in your life. It was just so amazing it's be
Speaker 2: immersed in the world. So that's when it just like
Speaker 2: the ball started rolling. I was like looking at more
Speaker 2: film locations. I found out I lived near Hardwick Hall,
Speaker 2: malthfoy Manor, Yeah, and that's really where it just kicked
Speaker 2: off from there, went there when another place went Scotland,
Speaker 2: and it just yeah, now we're here in twenty twenty
Speaker 2: four and I'm still visiting the locations.
Speaker 1: Yeah. I meancating. And I mean, like I think for
Speaker 1: so many people, like especially you know, people I speak
Speaker 1: to sort of in the Harry Potter fandom, Like something
Speaker 1: about Harry Potter when you put it on it, it's
Speaker 1: like a warm blanket, isn't it. It's like such a comfort,
Speaker 1: Like is like I feel like that too, especially I
Speaker 1: know you live in the UK, Like around Christmas time,
Speaker 1: they sort of come onto ITV and if I put
Speaker 1: it on, there's just something that just likes straight away.
Speaker 1: I just feel like, oh, it's like really comforting for me.
Speaker 2: It's like the ultimate form of escapism, but truly, like
Speaker 2: if I'm watching Harry Potter, anything Harry Potter related, I
Speaker 2: just feel so just immersed in that world and you
Speaker 2: just forget about things for a while.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's so interesting to speak about Hardwick Hall because
Speaker 1: I interviewed Andrew Williamson who was a concepts artist, and
Speaker 1: he was like talking about Hardwick Hall, and I think, like,
Speaker 1: it's just something amazing about Harry Potter. And I always
Speaker 1: say that it's so grounded in reality that you do
Speaker 1: feel like you're out and about and you can see
Speaker 1: these places, and then you prove that you actually can
Speaker 1: go out and about and you can like mouth hooy manner.
Speaker 1: So is there what's the first piece of content you
Speaker 1: remember making that really sort of like got some traction
Speaker 1: and you were like, oh okay, people are like really
Speaker 1: liking this.
Speaker 2: So it was in the studio tour, like I did
Speaker 2: a video and I think it got over a million views,
Speaker 2: and it was just a little clips of around the
Speaker 2: studio tour and people I think I feel like at
Speaker 2: the time in Lockdown, people didn't weren't aware of the
Speaker 2: studio tour. Well these are out on TikTok anyway, Yeah,
Speaker 2: and didn't realize how many things were there. So and
Speaker 2: then still to this day, people like when I put
Speaker 2: a studio toy back then, now people like, no, that's
Speaker 2: in America. That's universal. No actual an actual studio tour
Speaker 2: where it was filmed. It's just so funny, like the
Speaker 2: fact that this argument still goes on to this day.
Speaker 2: But yeah, I remember that was the first piece. And
Speaker 2: then when I went to Hardwick call, I think I
Speaker 2: made this stupid this video ever, just like the I
Speaker 2: can't remember, it's a trending sound at times, just about
Speaker 2: being a part of the Malfoy family stand outside Malfoy Manor.
Speaker 2: And then that I think that got a few million views,
Speaker 2: and it just really from there that's where it's I
Speaker 2: just decided, Oh, people like this, yeah, so let's keep
Speaker 2: it going.
Speaker 1: And do you think you have like quite a big
Speaker 1: sort of a lot of your audience are people that
Speaker 1: perhaps like don't live in the UK, so you're sort
Speaker 1: of like their eyes to things like the studio tour
Speaker 1: and like, you know, I love your videos up in
Speaker 1: Scotland and you're sort of their eyes to that because
Speaker 1: I guess it's a bit more of a journey for
Speaker 1: them to get to those sorts of places.
Speaker 2: Yeah. I mean, like I've had so many messages, but
Speaker 2: the absolutely world where people tell me like, oh, you've
Speaker 2: inspired Harry Potter trip, like Harry Potter road trip, You
Speaker 2: spining me to go to Scotland, or people just saying
Speaker 2: like like it's a place that I can't visit right now,
Speaker 2: So I really appreciate you being the like persons to
Speaker 2: show it and like those are those are like the
Speaker 2: messages that just make it like worthwhile posting, like the
Speaker 2: fact that there's people that find comfort in like the
Speaker 2: clips and the trips that I make because obviously to
Speaker 2: Scotland it's it's quite a long trip. Yeah, definitely, but
Speaker 2: it's for me to just just see it myself and
Speaker 2: then get to share that with people and then look
Speaker 2: like people appreciating that or that inspiring their trips. It's
Speaker 2: just definitely it's the best part of content creation for sure. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Absolutely, because honestly, people could just go on your Instagram
Speaker 1: and like sort out a whole itinerary via like the
Speaker 1: videos you've done, which is like really amazing and so
Speaker 1: like useful, like such an amazing resource to have for
Speaker 1: So how long does it take you to sort of
Speaker 1: I mean, like I love the ones where you hold
Speaker 1: up the photos and it's obviously you can see where
Speaker 1: where it's been filmed. How long does that sort of
Speaker 1: thing take to sort of plan and then execute edit
Speaker 1: sort of like the start to finish process.
Speaker 2: It can take so finding the actual spots it can
Speaker 2: be tricky. So I remember there's a you know where
Speaker 2: Harry sits with Headwig in Chamber of Secrets and he goes,
Speaker 2: who am I Headwig? What am I that I do? Indeed, yes,
Speaker 2: Chamber Secrets. That's like in the most random part in Scotland.
Speaker 2: And it's like just like upper Hill near the Glen
Speaker 2: fill a ducts or walking wat Trio with what Lake
Speaker 2: and I remember so vividly climbing up like hands and
Speaker 2: like crawling off scaling this hill to get to this,
Speaker 2: to get to this location, and then I must have
Speaker 2: spent a bar man it started chucking it down at
Speaker 2: this point of course, and I was like scaling up
Speaker 2: this hill and they're trying to get the pitch in
Speaker 2: the exact right spot where headwig and stuff like that.
Speaker 2: So when it's uh like a location like that, especially Scotland,
Speaker 2: like for example Steel Falls as well, which is the
Speaker 2: back of the quidditch pitch, and just random stuff like that.
Speaker 2: And in Goblet of Fire where you see it for
Speaker 2: like half a second where Harry's flying in on the
Speaker 2: dragon on his nimbus, it's just it's really that can
Speaker 2: be quite difficult. But then you go to somewhere like Oxford,
Speaker 2: it's pretty easy, like the Draco Tree and you just
Speaker 2: can that's pretty yeah simple, But it's it really does
Speaker 2: depend on the location and like where like how big
Speaker 2: that location is, Yeah, definitely, So it can be quite
Speaker 2: a quick process or it can take it can take
Speaker 2: a little.
Speaker 1: Bit, especially like in Scotland's up in Highlands. Just from
Speaker 1: what I remember from from being up there filming. It's
Speaker 1: like also it's also beautiful, but it's kind of got
Speaker 1: similar landscapes, do you know what I mean. So it's
Speaker 1: just like nailing that at point. That's why it's so
Speaker 1: impressive when when you when you managed to. When you
Speaker 1: do it, I always think like, wow, that's that's really
Speaker 1: really cool. Do you have a sort of a favorite
Speaker 1: piece of content that you've made.
Speaker 2: So I feel for myself and definitely my audience when
Speaker 2: I do like little confimation videos of my trips together
Speaker 2: and really make it look like I'm in the world
Speaker 2: of Harry Potter. Like the amount of people who think
Speaker 2: I like attend Hogwarts is a lot of people, and
Speaker 2: it's yeah, so I feel definitely like the little confirmations
Speaker 2: across all my trips across all the years, because I've
Speaker 2: been doing this for four years now, so I've got
Speaker 2: lots of different clips I can post, So yeah, it
Speaker 2: definitely has to be where I make myself like a
Speaker 2: little character in like Harry Potter, and I tell almost
Speaker 2: like a story with my clips and and like people,
Speaker 2: they're definitely the video is that get the most fraction
Speaker 2: and attention, and it just for me myself. It's just
Speaker 2: it's so cool to just kind of just put myself
Speaker 2: in my favorite world. This is why like I do
Speaker 2: this anyway. I just love the I love the feeling
Speaker 2: of immersing myself in my favorite fictional universes and Harry
Speaker 2: Potter is my favorite fictional universe. So it's just yeah,
Speaker 2: I think the way I show that in my content
Speaker 2: is definitely appreciated. So yeah, definitely do a little confimation videostally.
Speaker 1: I love it because also it's like, I think people
Speaker 1: just love like the universe, not even just like the characters.
Speaker 1: So even seeing you know, supposed to like you going
Speaker 1: to Hogwarts and sort of like that, like you said,
Speaker 1: that narrative and story you come up with. I think
Speaker 1: people just love that because everyone sort of wishes they
Speaker 1: went to Hogwarts of like they're seeing like not the
Speaker 1: story everyone knows, they're seeing like another little sub story.
Speaker 1: And that's like really.
Speaker 2: One thing that I feel myself and a lot of
Speaker 2: people on Tiptop feel like like gen Z and everything
Speaker 2: is like for example, in halfwood Prints, you know like
Speaker 2: how it's about a little bit about romance and that
Speaker 2: you see you lot more background characters and stuff like that,
Speaker 2: Like it's so fun to see them being normal students
Speaker 2: because obviously Harry's just going through it every single film,
Speaker 2: every single book, He's just absolutely going through howarts, I
Speaker 2: think it's nice to kind of almost see what it
Speaker 2: would be like to attend Hogwarts when you're not having
Speaker 2: someone coming for you.
Speaker 1: Yes, it's so funny that you're you're saying, basically somebody
Speaker 1: could go to Hogwarts and just have a totally normal experience.
Speaker 2: Seven. Yeah, I mean if you're not Harry Potter. I
Speaker 2: mean it's a great time. Oh yeah, it's true.
Speaker 1: Because obviously I've seen as well, like you film with
Speaker 1: some some friends and stuff like that. So how do
Speaker 1: you you always take someone with you as sort of
Speaker 1: a camera person.
Speaker 2: Yeah, well yeah, yeah, so I do try and make
Speaker 2: because I'm very lucky that doing this contagration, I've met
Speaker 2: most of my friends that I have from this. So
Speaker 2: I met them from TikTok and we just kind of
Speaker 2: bonded over the fact that we love Harry Potter. And
Speaker 2: like the two girls that I just went to Scotland
Speaker 2: with a couple of months ago, we met on TikTok
Speaker 2: in twenty twenty and we just all just bonded over
Speaker 2: Harry Potter together, and luckily they were on the same
Speaker 2: page as me, and we're like, oh, that's just how
Speaker 2: about we insert ourselves in Harry Potter and like just
Speaker 2: like have like have a good time at these locations,
Speaker 2: put our robes on make it look realistic, and yeah,
Speaker 2: so I do going with friends, it's it's the best
Speaker 2: for me. And also people if only love it because
Speaker 2: like I said, it's in a different story of Harry
Speaker 2: Potter and a different story in Hogwarts, and my friend
Speaker 2: brings her partner sometimes, so it's like the they can
Speaker 2: do like a little romance fit of it. So it's
Speaker 2: really telling different stories within the Harry Potter universe, which
Speaker 2: you don't get to see exactly.
Speaker 1: Because even like going back to like Draco Top, people
Speaker 1: do love a sort of like romance like fiction, like
Speaker 1: like fan fiction.
Speaker 2: What pad? What pad was that? That was an era
Speaker 2: on Tiptop people writing stories about Draco. And I mean
Speaker 2: I've even seen some because obviously a picture of you
Speaker 2: went very very viral, the one of you and Tom Felton,
Speaker 2: And I've even seen probably like people making fan fiction
Speaker 2: of you that, right, do you know what?
Speaker 1: It's actually really sad because like I get like that's
Speaker 1: just from people being like back off Tom, like he
Speaker 1: doesn't like you, and like all this like from that picture,
Speaker 1: and it's just like hilarious to me because like I'm
Speaker 1: I'm married with two children. I'm like Okay, I'm going
Speaker 1: to back off him bearing mind. Yeah, I'm like bearing mind.
Speaker 1: This picture is from about twenty years ago. But and
Speaker 1: also like people being like he likes Emma, not you,
Speaker 1: I'm like, Okay, it's funny. I think people just really
Speaker 1: like invest In, like really just love Tom and love
Speaker 1: the character Draco Malfoy. He is like the heart throb.
Speaker 1: I guess, yeah, but yeah, it's just so funny. I'm like, okay,
Speaker 1: I'll back off. So yeah. So sort of this leads
Speaker 1: on to my question do you have any like, are
Speaker 1: there any challenges when it comes to like creating this
Speaker 1: this content. I don't want to say like are you trolled,
Speaker 1: because that's not kind of what I mean, But is
Speaker 1: there anything that you've found like oh that's actually more
Speaker 1: difficult than I thought, or I've had like a different
Speaker 1: reaction to something you've created, or you could just be
Speaker 1: really like lucky. I'm not trying to say maybe you
Speaker 1: haven't you know.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I so people so obviously I try to explain
Speaker 2: this to people in the UK when we wear when
Speaker 2: you go to school and you wear school uniforms, like
Speaker 2: it's it's normal to unless you go to a certain
Speaker 2: school where you have a a strict rule where you
Speaker 2: have to wear a skirt below and knee like people
Speaker 2: like just wear the skirts are quite high up. Like,
Speaker 2: it's just quite normal.
Speaker 1: And I was definitely a skirt roller in my day.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and God really too. And so I wear like
Speaker 2: a skirt, so I believe in normal length. It's just
Speaker 2: with my knee and stuff like that. But people people
Speaker 2: get really like upset about my skirt worbs, like to
Speaker 2: the point where I'm just like, okay.
Speaker 1: Fast all you you can wear your skirt whatever length
Speaker 1: you want, whatever. And also just from looking at that,
Speaker 1: it's the most non offensive at length I think I've
Speaker 1: ever seen. But yeah, why don't people just get a
Speaker 1: life and you wear your skirt how you want to
Speaker 1: wear your skirt.
Speaker 2: That's what I always say to people, just just and
Speaker 2: the thing is about I'm wearing the rope and the
Speaker 2: rope is pretty long on top of it, so I'm
Speaker 2: just just.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, totally. There's all I mean, there's always going
Speaker 1: to be people's Like I just said, there's always people
Speaker 1: out there that have got something something to say. So
Speaker 1: if there was something new you could bring to the
Speaker 1: Wizarding World, what would it what would it be.
Speaker 2: Probably going back to what I mentioned about kind of
Speaker 2: showing a bit more of kids, well, teenagers being teenagers.
Speaker 2: I mean that like, I just love I'm just sappy,
Speaker 2: and I love like a little bit. I love like
Speaker 2: a wrong com and TV. I love a team wrong. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I just love it and I feel like it's just
Speaker 2: I mean, I love Harry's story and I love to
Speaker 2: see him how it overcomes obstacles. But I just I
Speaker 2: just feel so bad for him, so bad room all
Speaker 2: the time, and I just I'd love to see just
Speaker 2: a little bit of them being teenagers a bit more. Yeah,
Speaker 2: I think it would be just the just to brine
Speaker 2: up a bit, just to make it a bit more
Speaker 2: like relatable fun or yeah, just to give Harry a break.
Speaker 1: Yeah, totally, And that's what leads on to like the series.
Speaker 1: So are you somebody who's like pro the series or
Speaker 1: are you sort of a bit skeptical.
Speaker 2: I when I first saw the news, I was definitely like, no,
Speaker 2: definitely not, And even now I'm still a bit skeptical.
Speaker 2: But when I think of it in terms of my
Speaker 2: niece is now well when the show probably will be released,
Speaker 2: will be the same age I was when I watched
Speaker 2: Prisoner Askaban, and then she will get to grow up
Speaker 2: with Harry Potter just like I did when I think
Speaker 2: of it like that. And also just the fact that
Speaker 2: obviously the new series is based off a bit more
Speaker 2: in the books, isn't it's going to have a bit
Speaker 2: more of that, and how much we missed they missed
Speaker 2: from the films in the books. I think I'm willing
Speaker 2: to be open minded about it definitely, just like it's
Speaker 2: going to be tough to let go of the original film.
Speaker 2: I mean, they're always going to be there and they're
Speaker 2: not going away, not going anywhere, So I definitely, I
Speaker 2: definitely just I've become a lot more open minded to
Speaker 2: the and.
Speaker 1: I think that's how a lot of people feel. I
Speaker 1: think like first when the news was out there, it
Speaker 1: was a bit like oh my gosh, like we said,
Speaker 1: like Harry Potter's our comfort blanket, like are you ready
Speaker 1: for newness? Like, and I think we all just like
Speaker 1: don't like change, But I know I'm like, oh God,
Speaker 1: to change. But I now feel like I'm really excited
Speaker 1: because it's just like new Harry Potter stuff, and I
Speaker 1: just actually love the story and I just like I
Speaker 1: love to get back, like you know, be watching anything
Speaker 1: new Harry Potter, Like I can't about that, and like
Speaker 1: hopefully by following the books and more well that I
Speaker 1: think that's what they said. They're going to follow the
Speaker 1: books more like faithfully. Obviously with the film it's a
Speaker 1: lot different having to fit it into like an hour
Speaker 1: and a half, two hours whatever. Yeah, actually they're all
Speaker 1: like two hours and over. But you know they're going
Speaker 1: to have more time to explore the different storylines. We
Speaker 1: might get that like a little bit more of like
Speaker 1: character development of like the peripheral characters which were a
Speaker 1: little bit more like normalcy to not just being like
Speaker 1: someone trying to Harry every year. So yeah, it's tough.
Speaker 2: It's I especially because there's just so many like for example,
Speaker 2: and there's just so many little scenes that I love
Speaker 2: in the books that I really hope I put into
Speaker 2: the new show because I it's such a random scene
Speaker 2: in the book spot when Ginny and Harry kiss after
Speaker 2: Quidditch in the common room. I just live for it.
Speaker 2: I absolutely.
Speaker 1: But you're a romance girlie, I really am.
Speaker 2: So that's what I'm holding up for.
Speaker 1: Yeah, more more romance, I know, Like I always say,
Speaker 1: like I love the fact that Harry gives his Try
Speaker 1: Wizard competition money to friend and George to open there.
Speaker 1: Just like little things like that that it's like again
Speaker 1: like more of just like the like the family feeling
Speaker 1: like the you know, like I mean that's a different
Speaker 1: art that's like family love. But those sort of little
Speaker 1: scenes I think like and I think that also like
Speaker 1: develops like Fred and George's characters, and I just hope
Speaker 1: that they sort of like I don't know, I think
Speaker 1: like sometimes the peripheral characters in the Harry Potter series
Speaker 1: get a bit of a hard time for not for
Speaker 1: not being so true to the book and like you said,
Speaker 1: everyone like, you know, especially Ginny. I think people love
Speaker 1: book Jinny and they don't not love film Jinny, but
Speaker 1: she's just not given the airtime to fully develop the
Speaker 1: character that we know from the books.
Speaker 2: Yeah. Why that's one of the things for me. Book
Speaker 2: Ginny is my favorite character. Ye, but film Jinny, I can't.
Speaker 2: I think Bonny rights, she's out of Bonnie right. But
Speaker 2: book Jinny really isn't shown in the in the films.
Speaker 2: I think there's so many scenes and there's just this
Speaker 2: dialogue and just her personality didn't come out in the films,
Speaker 2: I think.
Speaker 1: Totally because she's so like, I don't know, she's like electric.
Speaker 1: In the books, I think like she's sarky person and
Speaker 1: I do feel I do feel sorry for Bonnie because
Speaker 1: I think like it just wasn't there in the script
Speaker 1: for her to have to even bring it through, Like
Speaker 1: it wasn't anything she was doing. And I just like said,
Speaker 1: I love Bonnie and I think she's she's great, and
Speaker 1: what she did do was fine. But it's just like
Speaker 1: the more developed I want the characters more like developed,
Speaker 1: like even like Neville to some extent, like you know,
Speaker 1: I hope they give him like I think at the
Speaker 1: end it's more it's like him and him and Ginny
Speaker 1: have the reverse, Like Ginny's like quite in it, and
Speaker 1: then it sort of like slows down a little bit,
Speaker 1: and then Neville sort of like slow and then at
Speaker 1: the end it's like Neville, do you know what.
Speaker 2: Yeah, it's definitely a pacing thing, which I feel like
Speaker 2: in the in a show, obviously, they've got so much
Speaker 2: more time hopefully to be able to just really show
Speaker 2: it more and develop these characters more. So that's definitely
Speaker 2: I feel the main reason why I don't mind the
Speaker 2: show just that it's new content. Knew how content it means.
Speaker 2: It's still in our lives and we get to see things,
Speaker 2: people storylines that we just didn't get in the films.
Speaker 1: I know people who haven't read the books are going
Speaker 1: to watch the series.
Speaker 2: For me, like what does happen in the movies?
Speaker 1: That's gonna be great. Maybe I shouldn't read the books
Speaker 1: and I'll sort of like surprise myself watching it and.
Speaker 2: I'm like, oh did that happen?
Speaker 1: Gosh, So I sat message you this before to get
Speaker 1: your thinking how on? But do you have any sort
Speaker 1: of like dream castings for I think it's hard for
Speaker 1: like Harry Ron Hermione and that those characters. I think
Speaker 1: the children, I'm guessing they're going to go pretty unknown.
Speaker 1: I think like I'm thinking more like adult the adult
Speaker 1: characters for me.
Speaker 2: I don't know how aware you are of the Marauder's fandom,
Speaker 2: but there's been a pretty serious fancast for a while
Speaker 2: of serious Remus and James, and then it's also Peter
Speaker 2: Pettigrew can't there's a singer who's that Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi.
Speaker 2: People want people want Lewis Capaldi as Peter Pettigrew.
Speaker 1: I'm obsessed with this, Yes, Lewis Peter vettigrat one. Okay,
Speaker 1: who else? Who have they got for serious and so serious?
Speaker 2: Is Ben Barnes?
Speaker 1: Okay?
Speaker 2: Ben Barnes is very much aware of this as well.
Speaker 2: And Andrew Garfield as Remus and Aaron Taylor Johnson as James.
Speaker 1: Okay, I am really obsessed with this, and it's making
Speaker 1: me excited for the series, even though these people aren't
Speaker 1: cars who you're this is?
Speaker 2: This is like so these are like the dreamcast that
Speaker 2: people had for like teenage them, but now the pretty
Speaker 2: much the age that they can play them as the
Speaker 2: adult ones in the new TV show. So I'm I'm
Speaker 2: not saying it's the perfect casting, but can we get
Speaker 2: any better?
Speaker 1: Uh No, I don't think you can. I am sending
Speaker 1: this straight to David Hayman as soon as we've finished this.
Speaker 2: We knew this. I'm ready to start a petition because
Speaker 2: I tell you, this is this, This fandom the world
Speaker 2: is fandom is is like really big and intense, and
Speaker 2: it's so people are passionate about these characters and these
Speaker 2: actors as these characters so definitely they're my dream casting
Speaker 2: for sure. Yeah, we need these people on board and
Speaker 2: I love it.
Speaker 1: Yes, okay, so we've sorted it, guys. Done, We've got
Speaker 1: done for characters for you.
Speaker 2: There we go. You're welcome, You're welcome. You know what.
Speaker 2: Actually I didn't even mention it, but the main person
Speaker 2: who no one ever changes, and it's like the dream Fancaster.
Speaker 2: Everyone is Timothy shallow may as regulous black people look
Speaker 2: like everyone's like, are you a no non this person,
Speaker 2: this person, and everyone's just like, yes, I was very
Speaker 2: good as well. Everyone everyone's like, yeah, no, we all
Speaker 2: on that one.
Speaker 1: Yeah one d P and who doesn't love him with Shadowy.
Speaker 2: Like exactly exactly, And I don't know if you've ever
Speaker 2: seen it for there the interview that he did. My
Speaker 2: favorite thing about this is they're so aware of the
Speaker 2: fandom and that people of it. Because he turned up
Speaker 2: to an interview wearing a Slytherin jumper. It was it
Speaker 2: was an interview for Doune and he's with Zendaya and
Speaker 2: he's wearing it, and people went insane. The internet TikTok
Speaker 2: went crazy. Well, they were like, he knows, who knows?
Speaker 1: He knows so this is just a little bit more
Speaker 1: like fun like fun. Oh god, that's so cringe. I said,
Speaker 1: there's some fun questions, but what house are you in?
Speaker 2: I'm a gryffind or very proud gryffind or.
Speaker 1: Yeah, same, even though I feel like am I you know,
Speaker 1: and it's like I've said so long, But then I
Speaker 1: did do the test online. It's a I was. But
Speaker 1: then like I did this interview that day and someone's like, oh,
Speaker 1: so you're like and it's listed of some things, and
Speaker 1: I was like, oh, I don't know if I really am.
Speaker 2: I remember on in twenty twenty obviously Drake, you're talking
Speaker 2: around and if you were any like, you have to
Speaker 2: be a Slytherin, otherwise you were uncle. And every time
Speaker 2: I did the quiz, I got gryffindor. Every single time
Speaker 2: I did it. I remember one time I was so
Speaker 2: desperate to be not uncoll on TikTok that I was.
Speaker 2: I was like, Okay, what's most evil answer?
Speaker 1: I think you're like manipulating the test of me Slytherin. Yeah,
Speaker 1: I know.
Speaker 2: I was like, what guys, Slytherin. It says I'm a Slytherin.
Speaker 2: And I just remember that so and I think back
Speaker 2: to it and I was like, what were you doing?
Speaker 2: What you know?
Speaker 1: You are?
Speaker 2: Just accept it, Gryffindor I know.
Speaker 1: See, I feel like I'm going to do the test
Speaker 1: again and I'm just going to really try and like
Speaker 1: because I think like subconsciously I try and answer it
Speaker 1: like what would like like that, but I don't know
Speaker 1: what to do it. But then when I think about it,
Speaker 1: I might know I don't like no, like I know, yeah, okay,
Speaker 1: but yeah, I actually think I'm totally getting Griffin vibes
Speaker 1: from you. So yeah, You're never You're never slipping. I'm sorry.
Speaker 2: As much as twenty twenty me really wanted it's Lytherin,
Speaker 2: I just yeah, that's.
Speaker 1: Locked down you, that's locked down you. Yeah. Okay, favorite
Speaker 1: book of the Harry Potter series, not just like Little Women.
Speaker 2: Order the Phoenix, Order the Phoenix. Okay, yeah, no one
Speaker 2: says that.
Speaker 1: No, No, That's why I'm shocked these.
Speaker 2: Why why am why? I just my favorite characters series
Speaker 2: work right, and obviously that that book it's a sad
Speaker 2: time for me, but just getting so much more serious
Speaker 2: and just how been around and I just I don't know,
Speaker 2: I just find so much comfort in his character, and
Speaker 2: I just love his character. And yeah, I just because
Speaker 2: he's obviously involved in quite a bit in it, and
Speaker 2: I just love the I just love the storyline. I mean,
Speaker 2: I know lots of people feel differently about the film,
Speaker 2: not like it tends to be people's least favorite film,
Speaker 2: but I don't know. I just when series is in it,
Speaker 2: I'm just I'm going to read watch it.
Speaker 1: The book. The book is so different to the film,
Speaker 1: So I understand what you're saying in terms of especially
Speaker 1: in terms of, like we said, with all the peripheral
Speaker 1: characters that they don't quite get their flowers. But okay,
Speaker 1: then what's your favorite film in the series?
Speaker 2: Hands down, Prison That will never change, never change. It's
Speaker 2: just a cinematic masterpiece, like the cinematography, the act, in
Speaker 2: the locations, the.
Speaker 1: I just until, Yeah, I'm the same, like Prison of
Speaker 1: Raskmmanta I Die basically, Yeah, I love I really love
Speaker 1: that one. Okay, if you could brew one potion or
Speaker 1: use one spell in real life, what would it be, oh.
Speaker 2: Mmm, I would I really love the petronas the Patrona's
Speaker 2: charm I expect, like I just like, I don't know,
Speaker 2: just having my own patrollers and scene what it is?
Speaker 2: I mean, mine's a dolphin when I did it on
Speaker 2: the quiz, so it so I just yeah, that's just
Speaker 2: it's just so nice that I just yeah, I defer
Speaker 2: a patrol charm.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, I get it. Okay. If there was one
Speaker 1: scene that you could watch over and over again, you
Speaker 1: could only watch one scene ever again, what would it be?
Speaker 2: It would be my favorite scene ever. And it's when
Speaker 2: Harry's writing book Buke. Yeah, I just he like, like
Speaker 2: I said before, like the cinematography, like where you can
Speaker 2: just see the lake listening and obviously Hogwarts in the
Speaker 2: back and it's one of the only times that he
Speaker 2: just walks from stressed. Yeah, he's free. And the music
Speaker 2: that is my favorite piece of music from the Harry
Speaker 2: Potter series. Everything just really came together in that scene
Speaker 2: and it just gives me chills everything that I've watched
Speaker 2: it thousands of times. Yeah, every single time I watch it,
Speaker 2: it just gives me just just just feel the warm Yeah.
Speaker 1: Titally totally. Okay, Now I've got a quick fire around well,
Speaker 1: I don't know if it's quick far of would you rather? Okay,
Speaker 1: are you up for it?
Speaker 2: I'm ready.
Speaker 1: That's okay, well it's not I'm calling it quick fire,
Speaker 1: but it's not really quick fire. It's just like, okay,
Speaker 1: let's go. I'm like I wrote these and I was like,
Speaker 1: these even good. I don't know, okay, would you rather
Speaker 1: have even I think I know what you're gonna say now,
Speaker 1: a pet hippograph or a petfestal.
Speaker 2: I want to say, Oh my gosh, I thought you're
Speaker 2: gonna I know, I just thinks like the baby Theestral
Speaker 2: is so cute, and I just I don't know. I
Speaker 2: just so I did go opposite that.
Speaker 1: I know what she's gonna say. You know what's so
Speaker 1: interesting about Baby Theesterral is I interviewed to see how
Speaker 1: not quick fire this is. I've already like one minute,
Speaker 1: let me just start talking. So the the concept artist
Speaker 1: who drew the Festerals drew them on like the side
Speaker 1: of like I'm guessing like Scotland, and he drew one
Speaker 1: and drew one in the background so it was like
Speaker 1: smaller and then only when they were looking at the
Speaker 1: picture of the directors like oh wait and I love
Speaker 1: the Baby Theestal and he was like, oh, that just
Speaker 1: actually a full sized Festerral but just like standing further back,
Speaker 1: and that's how the baby theestral, I know. And then
Speaker 1: you showed me the bitch and I was like, I
Speaker 1: totally see what you mean, but like you do, it
Speaker 1: just looks like a baby, a baby Festral.
Speaker 2: Okay.
Speaker 1: Who would you rather have as a bestie Harry Ron
Speaker 1: or Hermione.
Speaker 2: Ron because we just eat everything. Yeah, we'll just dining.
Speaker 1: Yeah yeah, yeah, great, whole face. Yeah, okay. Would you
Speaker 1: rather spend a day with Bellatrix Strange or Doloris on Bridge?
Speaker 1: Whole day? Twenty four hours?
Speaker 2: Bellatrix just because I really can't stand on bridge? She
Speaker 2: met with cats and cats but perhaps that of sometimes.
Speaker 1: Yeah, totally. Would you rather have a time turner or
Speaker 1: invisibility cloak.
Speaker 2: Time turner?
Speaker 1: Yeah? Yeah, I think that's such just had fun. But
Speaker 1: would you rather have a this is a bit of romance.
Speaker 1: You're gonna love this. I read this, I was like
Speaker 1: what and I was like, okay, Like in my feelings,
Speaker 1: would you rather have a first kiss with Harry in
Speaker 1: the Astronomy Tower under the stars or a passionate kiss
Speaker 1: with Malfoy in the common room by the fire in
Speaker 1: the common room.
Speaker 2: As much as the people on TikTok wouldn't like me
Speaker 2: for this, I'm going to say the Astronomy Tower of Harry. Yeah,
Speaker 2: Astronomy Tower.
Speaker 1: I know, like we can kiss in the common room
Speaker 1: anytime we like going to the Astronomy Tower. Okay. Would
Speaker 1: you rather have a bogget turned into your most embarrassing
Speaker 1: memory or receive a howler in the Great Hall from
Speaker 1: an annoyed family member.
Speaker 2: Power because the bogger that would star me again?
Speaker 1: Yea, over that right last time? Would you rather spend
Speaker 1: the night alone in the Forbidden Forest or the Chamber
Speaker 1: of Secrets.
Speaker 2: It's Forbidden Forest just because there's unicorns and.
Speaker 1: Yeah, yeah, yeah, you'd be scared, but at least you'd
Speaker 1: like see some good stuff maybe if you.
Speaker 2: Of course, you could make like a bed out of
Speaker 2: the leaves, like in the Chamber of Secrets. It's hard,
Speaker 2: it's wet, like now.
Speaker 1: I know, Like I remember the set for Chamber of Secrets,
Speaker 1: which is like so funny thinking about it now, But
Speaker 1: I always say this, like it was our favorite place
Speaker 1: to go and like play hyper secret we were filming,
Speaker 1: and I just like it's so funny because when I
Speaker 1: see it in the film, I'm like, first of all
Speaker 1: like surely. They were like can you not, like can
Speaker 1: you around the set all the time? Like this is
Speaker 1: like during break times, like when they weren't shooting. It
Speaker 1: was like up on like we'd walk. It was up
Speaker 1: at the flight shed, which in the studio tour like
Speaker 1: they had like where the car park is was like
Speaker 1: a runway. And then at the top they had like
Speaker 1: another sound stage where they had like that they did
Speaker 1: like things that were just in one film, if that
Speaker 1: makes sense. So like the first film they had like
Speaker 1: the chessboard up there. Then they have the Chamber of
Speaker 1: Secrets because obviously the other stages were there, like they're
Speaker 1: not going to knock down the Great Hall, but they
Speaker 1: knew they could get rid of those sets, Like yeah,
Speaker 1: so we always go up there and like play on
Speaker 1: those sets.
Speaker 2: Just annoyed.
Speaker 1: I know that they were like please guys, like health
Speaker 1: and safety nightmare, but we were like, yeah, we want
Speaker 1: to go play hide and seek. But you know, we
Speaker 1: were like so okay, now this next round is working
Speaker 1: title Love Potion a Vardika Diva Kiss under the Magic
Speaker 1: Missile Toe, which is my version of like it's not
Speaker 1: very avoid okay. First one, ron Fred and Bill, I
Speaker 1: think this is actually the hardest one I've given you.
Speaker 2: Ye Oh my gosh, I'm gonna oh.
Speaker 1: My gosh, Okay, go fast. Who who are you magicing
Speaker 1: missile title kiss Ron Fred Obell fred Fred Fred Okay,
Speaker 1: then let's go next on. So who we.
Speaker 2: I'm gonna say Bill just because he's not around much anyway. Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, So you'll love pationing Ron.
Speaker 2: I mean it will be the first time. I mean
Speaker 2: we saw we saw him in half of Prince Yeah.
Speaker 1: Yeah, you know what you're getting with that. Okay, Next one,
Speaker 1: Serious Looping and Neville.
Speaker 2: I am going to Evada Nevell. Sorry Neville, but I
Speaker 2: just can't do it to group and serious. I just can't.
Speaker 2: I'm going to love Potion, serious and kiss and kiss, looping, magic,
Speaker 2: magic mistletoe.
Speaker 1: And you're thinking that Andrew Garfield.
Speaker 2: That stupid? Okay.
Speaker 1: Last one, Lucius Bellatrix lockhart.
Speaker 2: O, what car is being a val? I'm so sorry
Speaker 2: to annoying. I will magic Mistlete Bello tricks, I love
Speaker 2: that and love potion. Lucius perfect that That.
Speaker 1: Was That was probably the easiest one, really hard.
Speaker 2: I'm struggling with the other two. Espially, I'm sorry show
Speaker 2: a level as well.
Speaker 1: Oh only room for one birthday Quartz exactly exactly.
Speaker 2: I'm the thirtieth and Harry's never There's no room for you.
Speaker 1: There's no room, there's no roote completely okay. And last,
Speaker 1: this is my very last question. I think it's really
Speaker 1: relevant to you. If you could spend a day in
Speaker 1: any location from the Wisding world, where would it be.
Speaker 2: It would be the last when you visited.
Speaker 1: It can be anything, even you know, anywhere in the
Speaker 1: Wizarding Universe.
Speaker 2: It would be a day by the Black Lake having
Speaker 2: a picnic and then gets darker, have a little campfire
Speaker 2: and yeah, just a four day at the Black Lake
Speaker 2: with the whole wards in the background. I'm beaten.
Speaker 1: Oh love that. Can I come or go together? I
Speaker 1: love that? Okay, I think that's sort of almost I
Speaker 1: love that. Those were they fun questions. Yeah, I'll think
Speaker 1: that bit. I won't edit out the funk bit. I've
Speaker 1: got some questions. Actually, I guess I have got one
Speaker 1: question for you. What would be your advice to any
Speaker 1: sort of Harry Potter fan that's sort of thinking they
Speaker 1: want to get into the world of content, create creation.
Speaker 2: My advice would be just start the account, Just start
Speaker 2: it and just make friends. And engage with people. Just
Speaker 2: just just don't even think about like, oh is this
Speaker 2: weird or is this like should I not do this,
Speaker 2: or like think about twice about starting account. Just just
Speaker 2: do it. And there's always people who want to go
Speaker 2: into occasions, there's always people who are up for a trip. Yeah,
Speaker 2: one hundred percent that Just just make friends, just engage
Speaker 2: with people, just start the account, and then it would
Speaker 2: just from there you're just you'll you'll love it, and
Speaker 2: then posting what you love people recognize that, and that's
Speaker 2: there you have it. That's that's the perfect.
Speaker 1: Yeah, And I think that's so true. I think your
Speaker 1: account is such a lovely positive place. I love looking
Speaker 1: at it, and I really feel like for anybody, I'm
Speaker 1: sure like I'm probably ninety nine percent of my listeners
Speaker 1: will already be like following you on your account. But
Speaker 1: I think it's like it's like the film. It is
Speaker 1: like escapism. Like I absolutely love just like looking up
Speaker 1: where you're going and what you're doing.
Speaker 2: I appreciate it.
Speaker 1: Yeah, it's just really fantastic.
Speaker 2: I appreciate that. I just yeah, I wive it myself,
Speaker 2: so the fact that other people love it, I mean,
Speaker 2: just makes it even better, doesn't it.
Speaker 1: So if you haven't already, please check out Melissa's insta TikTok.
Speaker 1: I'll obviously have it tagged all on my socials and
Speaker 1: in the show notes. And if you were ever planning
Speaker 1: a trip to the UK to see some of the
Speaker 1: Harry Potter locations, her socials are basically a one stop
Speaker 1: place to create the most perfect itinerary. There's literally no
Speaker 1: where she hasn't been and you could just come up
Speaker 1: with the most fantastic Harry Potter esque trip from where
Speaker 1: to go and where to stay. So it's absolutely amazing.
Speaker 1: So Melissa, thank you so much for coming on. I
Speaker 1: hope we can speak more again about the Marauders because
Speaker 1: since speaking to Melissa, I have gone deep into that
Speaker 1: fandom and I'm basically obsessed. But moving on to next week,
Speaker 1: I have one of my favorite people, Chloe Lavison, coming
Speaker 1: onto the pod. She is so open and honest about
Speaker 1: her relationship with the HP universe, and she really is
Speaker 1: just the most gorgeous person inside and out. Chloe talks
Speaker 1: about how Harry Potter got her through some difficult times,
Speaker 1: which is something I think so many of us can
Speaker 1: relate to. We also talk about our hopes for the
Speaker 1: series and casting, and of course she will be answering
Speaker 1: my would you rather questions and my love potion, magic
Speaker 1: mistletoe and a vadakadava set up, which yeah, that really
Speaker 1: made me laugh. But if you have any suggestions for
Speaker 1: would you rather questions or character groupings that I can
Speaker 1: put to some of these content creators, then let me know.
Speaker 1: I'm not sure if mine are any good, but they
Speaker 1: did make me laugh. Yeah, So anyway, if that sounds
Speaker 1: like something you want to hear, tune in next week.
Speaker 1: As always, I love you all and have a magical week.