Listen to Daniel Radcliffe and other celebs read Harry Potter to you for free
Potterheads: Today is a magical day. If you’ve ever dreamed of listening to members of the Harry Potter cast read the series on audiobook, that dream just came true. Daniel Radcliffe, aka Harry Potter himself, recorded the first chapter of the first book in the series for you to listen to, and it’s available for free now.
Other celebrities are taking turns reading each of the 17 chapters in book one, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Philosopher’s Stone in the U.K.). This innovative audiobook idea makes for an exciting listening experience, and we can’t wait to enter the Wizarding World again—this time, through Radcliffe’s familiar voice.
You can choose between watching the chosen celebrities read their assigned chapters on Wizarding World’s website or listening to their recordings on Spotify, all for free.
Radcliffe’s first chapter of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone was released today, May 5th. The following chapters will be released week-by-week through mid-summer.
Finally, we have a concrete, reoccurring thing to look forward to each week!
Dakota Fanning, David Beckham, Stephen Fry, and Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts star Eddie Redmayne will all take turns reading, among others. Beckham went all out for his, wearing a Gryffindor scarf while sitting in a tall chair by a fireplace that looks eerily like the common room in the first film. Fanning seems to be the only non-Brit celeb reading the book, so we don’t know how she landed the gig, but we’re okay with it (and super jealous, TBH).
The Wizarding World Twitter account announced the news by posting a video today, May 5th. “Surprise! We’ve got a treat for you…From today, amazing friends of the Wizarding World are going to take turns reading Harry Potter book one,” they wrote. “And to start us off with Chapter 1, we think you’ll agree we have the perfect narrator… #HarryPotterAtHome.” The video shows multiple celebs excitedly preparing to read Harry Potter from their homes, and ends with the narrator of all narrators: Daniel Radcliffe.
Surprise! We've got a treat for you…From today, amazing friends of the Wizarding World are going to take turns reading Harry Potter book one.
And to start us off with Chapter 1, we think you’ll agree we have the perfect narrator…⚡️ #HarryPotterAtHome
https://t.co/w9K77akbou pic.twitter.com/Q03PmjeD5d— Wizarding World (@wizardingworld) May 5, 2020
We can’t wait to hear how Radcliffe will read the Dursleys’ dialogue in the first chapter—it’s sure to be hilarious. This audiobook reading is part of J.K. Rowling’s initiative Harry Potter At Home, which is making the franchise more accessible to people (particularly parents and kids) who are staying home due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. All chapters will stream for free for anyone, no premium account needed, according to Spotify.
We’re marking our calendars to listen to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone each week, and our fingers are crossed that stars continue to read the following six books.
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