Public Servant Lifestyle

J.K Rowling's boy wizard Harry Potter is brought to life once again, by the inestimable vocal talents of Mr. Stephen Fry.

Stephen’s award-winning, and much-praised, readings of the Harry Potter books have made the titles into the UK’s best selling audio books of all time - the release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix on audio is set to take number of copies sold in the UK to well over the million mark.

Stephen Fry’s 79 different voices...

Stephen Fry, or the ‘the Voice of Harry Potter’ as he is now regarded, was very much the actor of choice when it came to deciding whose voice would be best to take listeners to Harry heaven. J.K. Rowling was keen to have him read the books, and also asked that he be the person to interview her at her only public event for the release of the new book at the Albert Hall in June of this year.

For the recording of the latest Harry Potter novel Stephen’s amazing vocal repertoire is fully exploited as he is required to do a staggering 79 nine different voices! Probably best known for his sharp wit and humour – in television shows ranging from A Bit of Fry & Laurie, to his extremely arch portrayal of the Duke of Wellington and the homicidal, moustachioed General Melchett in Blackadder, Fry is also much in demand for dramatic roles.

He has appeared in numerous stage plays and feature films, giving an especially notable portrayal as Oscar Wilde in the biopic Wilde. Outside the comedy vein he also gave a powerful, melancholic performance as a Time Lord falling in love in the epic web cast production Death Comes To Time, alongside the likes of John Sessions and seventh television Doctor Sylvester McCoy.

His marvellously rich tones and masterful skill with dialogue have led some critics to suggest he may have made a prime candidate to appear in the film versions of Harry Potter – perhaps as the wise old Ravenclaw? Sadly, we shall never know what performance he might have given, should the Hogwarts Sorting Hat have ever sorted him...

Everyone Loves Harry

Harry Potter cassettes and CDs, it seems, have become the must-have accessory of the rich and famous - well-known fans of Harry Potter audio books include Jonathan Ross, David Blunkett, the Appleton sisters (who sing about listening to the boy wizard’s adventures on a track on their current album), right through to Liam from The Prodigy!

The Harry Potter phenomenom has so far spawned a multitude of merchandising - with retailers selling everything from toothbrushes to slippers, complete Hogwarts school of wizardry uniforms, broomsticks and games. There's even a computer game - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - and, of course the two feature films, with a third on the way. It looks like Harry is well and truly here to stay, across all media!

Phenomenom

Prue Goodwin, from the National Centre for Language and Literacy, says, "Listening to good books read aloud opens up the world of literature to children who may find books daunting. Many a reluctant reader has turned to the book for a repeat experience of a great story".

Talking books - whether on tape or CD - can be a neat way to entice kids to keep reading and exploring the worlds of fiction available to them in books. The ‘word for word’ series (who’ve already given us the fabulous complete Hitchhikers’ Guide To The Galaxy, read by Douglas Adams, among others) is especially good – releasing unabridged texts only.

The text version – along with the rest of the world-conquering five-volume (so far!) series: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban and Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, all by J.K Rowling, are published by Bloomsbury.

Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix read by Stephen Fry is available on CD and cassette format on the cover to cover imprint by BBC Audiobooks now.

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