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00:21This is the real Harry Potter, young adult or occult.
00:48Harry Potter, every child in our world knows his name.
00:53It's mad, I think it is a time when if I wanted to start my own dictatorship,
00:57tonight would be the night that I would choose to do it,
00:59because I do think I have like 2,000 people here that would just go,
01:02yes, follow him!
01:03Seven books, eight films and one theatre show later,
01:07there is not a franchise on the planet which has rivaled the magic of Harry Potter.
01:14Being met with thousands of screaming fans would be quite a test for anyone,
01:18let alone a teenager.
01:20J.K. Rowling's fantastical Wizarding World continues to reach all corners of the globe
01:25and create life-changing memories for fans.
01:28But underneath the gleaming success, there is another side to the story.
01:34The story's occult themes stirred up a storm in a teacup throughout religious circles.
01:39But just what is so controversial about the fantasy magical world?
01:53Dodd is angry with our witchcraft film.
02:05How hard work is it?
02:07I mean, it's actually not hard work at all.
02:09Well, in some ways, it's not hard work at all,
02:13because it's the thing I love most of all.
02:16And it's a dream to wake up in the morning and think,
02:19what am I doing today?
02:20I'm writing, and I'm getting paid for it.
02:22You know, this is the dream of my life.
02:24But I make it hard work for myself.
02:26I rewrite endlessly.
02:29Sometimes, you know, you spend...
02:30I spend, I don't know about everyone,
02:32but I spend an entire day staring at a piece of paper,
02:35and you come away with three lines of writing.
02:37Other days, you know, I can write 2,000 words, 3,000 words,
02:40and be happy with most of it.
02:43Probably the most difficult part of it
02:44is you never can tell when inspiration's going to strike.
02:47So...
03:02Joanne Kathleen Rowling,
03:04the mind behind the biggest-selling book series of all time.
03:09While on a delayed train from Manchester to London in 1990,
03:14the young Rowling conceived the idea for Harry Potter,
03:19an epiphany which would change not only her life,
03:22but the lives of many young readers for years to come.
03:36The seven-year period that followed
03:39saw the death of her mother,
03:40the birth of her first child,
03:44divorce from her husband,
03:46and relative poverty.
03:49But Rowling refused to give up.
03:55She tucked herself away in the warmth of an Edinburgh cafe,
03:59drank endless cups of coffee,
04:01and scribbled down her dream.
04:07Rowling completed Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone in June 1995.
04:14The initial draft included a hand-drawn illustration of Harry by a fireplace,
04:19showing a lightning-shaped scar on his forehead.
04:24However, finishing the book was only the beginning.
04:28The young author now had a novel,
04:31but she desperately needed a publisher.
04:38A total of 12 publishing houses rejected Rowling's hit first book,
04:43a fact at which many fans cannot even fathom now.
04:50In the end, it was Barry Cunningham who ran Bloomsbury Children's Literature Department
04:55who took a chance on the story.
04:58All because the head of the company, Nigel Newton,
05:02saw his eight-year-old daughter finish one chapter and want to keep reading.
05:13He came to me on a train in 1990.
05:16I was sitting just staring out of the window,
05:18and the idea just fell out of nowhere.
05:20It was the purest stroke of inspiration I've ever had in my life.
05:23And I've been writing about him ever since.
05:25Literally, I've boxed his loads of stuff on him.
05:36Joanne Kathleen Rowling's life changed forever,
05:39from this moment onwards.
05:43All right, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay, okay.
05:45Welcome aboard to the High Board's Excess.
05:47Oh, there he is!
05:49So, do you want to come down this way and clean out the window?
05:52Yeah.
05:52Okay, I'll follow you.
05:53Oops, are you all right?
05:54All right.
05:58I'm not sure you like all this publicity thing, do you?
06:00No, you're not.
06:04Do I like it?
06:06It depends.
06:07I'm always slightly amused to see the word reclusive attached to my name in the papers,
06:11and it deeply amuses friends of mine.
06:13I'm not reclusive.
06:14What people tend...
06:16What people definitely forget is,
06:18I actually still am a lone parent.
06:21That wasn't a publicity stunt,
06:22and I want to bring up my daughter myself.
06:24And that means you spend time with your daughter.
06:27You don't rush off for weeks on end promoting books and doing interviews.
06:31That is the reason why.
06:35This is okay.
06:36We're sitting on a train.
06:37It's fun.
06:38We just saw loads of children.
06:40Some of it's not fun.
06:41When people come and bang on your front door, it's not fun.
06:43No.
06:44And do they?
06:45Not loads.
06:46No, I mean, compared to...
06:48I don't know.
06:50True celebrities.
06:51No, I've had nothing,
06:52but I've had enough not to enjoy it.
06:57Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone hit shelves on June 26, 1997 to immediate success.
07:04Overnight, the story of a young wizard catapulted rolling from her small apartment in Edinburgh
07:10to worldwide recognition.
07:12Children everywhere absorbed Harry's first adventure, eagerly turning each page and delighting in the magic of Hogwarts.
07:20From owls and wands to ghosts and potions, the book contained a recipe for literary success.
07:29Press reaction has been ecstatic, and the books are now selling in adult editions as well.
07:33The same text, but for £2 more a copy.
07:37I think it's for all age groups.
07:40It's not especially for one age group.
07:43It's because even my sister, she's been read it, and my mum and dad have both read it.
07:48But I just find it's really funny, like, and I think that they've actually thought about how children feel at
07:54school.
07:54So, like, they're sort of really adventurous, like children are, but they put magic into it, so...
07:59A magical formula that could see new battles at children's bedtime,
08:03with parents and children fighting over the latest book in the Harry Potter saga.
08:11In 1997, the UK edition won a National Book Award and a gold medal in the 9- to 11
08:19-year-olds category of the Nestle Smarties Book Prize.
08:23A prize which is voted for by children, and made the novel well-known within six months of publication,
08:29while most children's books have to wait years.
08:39The book exploded in the States a year later, but with some changes for American readers.
08:47The Scholastic Corporation persuaded Rowling to change the title to Sorcerer's Stone.
08:52She later said that she regretted this change, and would have fought it if she had been in a stronger
08:57position at the time.
09:00To this date, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone has sold over 120 million copies,
09:07topped the New York Times bestseller list,
09:10and solidified its place in the Hall of Fame.
09:23To the delight of children and young adults across the world,
09:27J.K. Rowling's success with Harry Potter was not just a one-off.
09:33The author made plans to extend her wizarding world into a whole series of books,
09:38and she wasted no time in getting started.
09:42Five, four, three, two, one!
09:47Not scenes you'd normally expect at a book launch, but then this isn't any ordinary book.
09:52This is the third and much-hyped adventure of Harry Potter,
09:55the children's publishing phenomenon of the decade.
09:59The next three books were released in quick succession.
10:02Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets in 1998.
10:05Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban in 1999.
10:10And Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in 2000.
10:19Each new release became a seminal event.
10:23Families excitedly queued for hours outside bookshops.
10:27School pupils skipped class to get their hands on a copy.
10:32And avid fans stayed up under the covers at night just to reach the ending faster.
10:48The Harry Potter craze changed the market exponentially
10:52and made the careers of many other authors possible.
10:56Three, two, one!
10:59With young adults clamoring for something to read in the long months and years between rolling releases,
11:06publishers had a legitimate demand to reach.
11:10The fantasy saga era soon exploded.
11:15How did you rate it?
11:16I mean, it's probably an impossible question, but because you're not far distant enough.
11:20But in terms of, you know, like I remember talking to David Kent, he liked the third book best.
11:25Given you just finished it, how did you rate it with its predecessors?
11:32I think in some respects it is the best, honestly.
11:35And it was the hardest to write by far.
11:39Are they getting harder to write?
11:40No.
11:42No, the easiest to write was number three.
11:44Number one was tough because of the circumstances in which I wrote it,
11:48but there were no expectations, so it was really all down to me.
11:51Two, I had a bit of a mental block with because I panicked after the success of one.
11:56And three was really a dream to write.
11:58I really enjoyed writing as a fan, and four has been nightmarish.
12:01I feel like some woman who's given birth to three children and thought, piece of cake,
12:05and then on the fourth one really gets clobbered in the labour, and it was the worst labour by far.
12:09Biggest baby, though.
12:11You delivered this in February.
12:13Have you left Harry Potter alone for a few months to take a break?
12:16No comment.
12:18I'm boiled either way.
12:19If I said, yes, I have, then I feel that people will say, oh, she's giving up.
12:22And I feel if I say, I haven't, then I'm going to have people banging on my front door again.
12:29Five, four, five, three, hip, hip, Harry, two, one.
12:38As the clock struck midnight, Harry Potter mania was unleashed across the nation.
12:42Fans burst into bookstores desperate to be first to experience the latest Potter magic.
12:47And after hours of waiting, some could barely contain their excitement.
12:51Oh, I'm feeling amazing! I just can't believe it!
12:55How long have you been waiting?
12:57Um, in the queue I've been waiting eight hours, and for the rest of the time I've been waiting for
13:02a year.
13:04As readers grew older, alongside Harry, Hermione and Ron,
13:09J.K. Rowling wove darker themes and complex narratives into the storyline.
13:13The stakes grew higher, the challenges more daunting, and the dangers more palpable.
13:19Even the length of the books grew in size.
13:24The release of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in 2003,
13:28and Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince in 2005,
13:31both proved that the books were no longer innocent fantasy stories.
13:37Readers would encounter murder, prejudice, and even questions about morality.
13:46My highest ambition would be that, long after everyone's forgotten that I was a single mother,
13:52and that I was poor, and that I wrote in cafes,
13:54people are still reading about Harry Potter.
13:56That, that, that, that's my highest ambition.
13:58I'm, I'm unashamed in, in wanting as many people as possible to read the books.
14:04Um, I always wanted Harry to be wildly famous,
14:08because that to me was a mark that loads of people had enjoyed the book.
14:13From, almost from the start, I'd envisaged it as a seven-book series,
14:17which would see him through wizard school,
14:19and then he'd be a fully qualified wizard at the end of it.
14:21That, that's the, sort of, big story, how you qualify as a wizard, you see.
14:26And there is another bigger plot that's going on that I can't really talk about,
14:29because it will ruin it for people who will read all the books.
14:32But, um, so, yeah, all of them were plotted in quite a lot of detail already,
14:38which obviously made it easier in a way.
14:40It wasn't as though I had to go back and sit down and think,
14:42right, what's the next book about? I already knew.
14:45J.K. Rowling bided her time with releasing the final installment.
14:49Even though she had known the series' ending for the whole time.
14:53On the 11th of January, 2007, she completed the story of Harry Potter
14:58while staying at the Balmoral Hotel in Edinburgh.
15:02A testament to just how far she had come from writing in a cramped corner of a cafe.
15:09Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows shattered sales records upon release on July 11, 2007.
15:15The book surpassed all marks set by the previous titles of the series
15:20and still holds the Guinness World Record for most novels sold within 24 hours of release.
15:268.3 million in the U.S. and 2.65 million in the U.K.
15:32The Deathly Hallows not only crowned the saga, but solidified Harry's place in literary history.
15:41In 1999, Warner Brothers purchased film rights to the first two Harry Potter novels for a reported $1 million.
15:50Rowling accepted the offer with the provision that the studio only produce Harry Potter films
15:55based on the books she authored, while retaining the right to final script approval
16:00and some control over merchandising.
16:04J.K. Rowling had initial worries that the films would become Americanized and lose the book's charm.
16:09With the power in her hands, she created one steadfast rule.
16:14No non-British actors.
16:17I'm doing really well with the movie.
16:19It'd be kind of nice to find Harry, though.
16:22We all want a British Harry.
16:25And are we in danger of not having a British Harry?
16:27I don't know, honestly. I have no idea.
16:30I mean, I'm on the periphery of casting.
16:32I have no say whatsoever in casting, although I'm delighted to say that so far
16:35it looks like it's going to be an all-British cast.
16:40Producer David Heyman loyally stuck by her requirement.
16:44The films ended up with one of the most high-caliber British casts in history,
16:49including acting royalty like Maggie Smith, Michael Gambon, Gary Oldman, Alan Rickman and Julie Walters.
16:59I mean, you obviously enjoy doing the role you obviously enjoy.
17:01Oh, yeah.
17:02Oh, well, you couldn't not enjoy Mrs Weasley.
17:05She's everybody's mum, isn't she?
17:07And more, you know.
17:09So, no, it's great fun.
17:10The Weasleys are gorgeous.
17:12That set was gorgeous and everything.
17:14Loved it.
17:14Hi.
17:15Hello.
17:16What do you think of the film, then?
17:17It's great.
17:17It's always weird the first time.
17:19But I loved it, yeah.
17:20Very, very nice.
17:21Was it better than you thought it would be?
17:22It's kind of how I imagined it.
17:24I mean, it's very dark.
17:25It's very scary.
17:26I've jumped loads and loads of times.
17:28Do you think it's too scary for much younger children?
17:31No, I think children love.
17:32I was with my pal's daughter and she was whipping her up, loving,
17:36been jumping and screaming and so...
17:38I saw you before.
17:40I know, so you've finally seen it now.
17:41It's wonderful.
17:42I'm so proud of myself.
17:45That's putting myself first, but it's a lovely film.
17:48It's very powerful, you know.
17:51It's strong, strong stuff.
17:59Do you feel a responsibility to the fans to live up to these characters
18:03and to just really be the best?
18:06Well, I've been on my best behavior ever since I got the first film.
18:10Yeah.
18:10You can't be seen, you know, tumbling out of some nightclub
18:13at 3 o'clock in the morning.
18:15No, you've got to be a good boy.
18:16You've got to be a good boy.
18:17I get moved by children in the street, if they stop me.
18:20I really get moved by that.
18:21They're so sweet.
18:23Was that that wee girl in the hotel, yes?
18:25Yeah, they asked her like that.
18:26Yeah, they're just, you know, gobsmacked.
18:29And so you have to tie into autographs and do nice things.
18:32We signed a pair of shoes, didn't we?
18:34We did, didn't we?
18:35Yeah.
18:35The girl had her shoes, her new shoes, her daddy water.
18:37So we signed them.
18:39One name in each one.
18:40But it's moving.
18:41She was so cool.
18:42She was so...
18:42She was just...
18:43She was so...
18:44Speechless, wasn't she?
18:46Ah.
18:47So it has its...
18:48There's big compensations for this.
18:50Yeah.
18:52In 2000, thousands of kids up and down the UK
18:55auditioned for the parts of Harry, Ron and Hermione.
19:01It took months for casting producers
19:03to find their perfect golden trio.
19:05But in the end, the opportunity landed in the hands
19:08of Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson.
19:12From then on, their lives would change forever.
19:15I'm a tiny, tiny bit like Harry.
19:19Harry, because I'd like to have an owl.
19:26I was really scared.
19:28Well, because it's my first ever film audition, it was.
19:31So I was very nervous, but not as nervous as I've been
19:35to this before this press conference.
19:37I'm not top form goody two-shoes, no.
19:40But, um, uh, I'd like to be top of the form.
19:45Home Alone director Christopher Columbus joined the first film.
19:50How's it different?
19:51Uh, they, you know, kids don't really worry about the size of trailers
19:55and who, who's getting paid what.
19:58They're really there to do the work, and it's very, it's a very exciting...
20:01Alongside the renowned composer John Williams, who created the iconic Harry Potter soundtrack.
20:08The film series became a perfect coming-together of an extraordinary cast,
20:14spectacular scenery, and impressive special effects.
20:20Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone hit theaters in November 2001.
20:27The film grossed around $1 billion at the box office
20:31and set the precedent for the saga over the following ten years.
20:35Surreal. I've been using this word a lot lately, and it's just surreal.
20:38What was the most fun thing about the film?
20:41Oh, everything. The acting, meeting new people.
20:44It's just fantastic.
20:46And what was more nerve-wracking? Do you feel more coming along here tonight?
20:49Something along here tonight, I'll tell you.
20:52How much fun is it being getting ready and all the excitement?
20:55Oh, it's just, it was great. It was fun to get dressed up.
20:58And what do you think of the reaction here tonight?
21:00How does it compare to Premier League?
21:01Oh, it's staggering, isn't it?
21:01Well, it's more than any I've ever been to, I think.
21:04Certainly in Leicester Square.
21:06I don't think I've seen Leicester Square so electrified since the Beatles.
21:10From then on, Premier nights across the globe showcased the unbeatable loyalty of young fans,
21:15with many dressed in Hogwarts robes and equipped with scars on foreheads.
21:39Being met with thousands of screaming fans would be quite a test for anyone, let alone a teenager.
21:44But 14-year-old Daniel Radcliffe, a.k.a. Harry Potter, is the most famous teenager in the country,
21:50as well as being reputedly one of the richest.
21:53Some fans have been waiting since 5 o'clock in the morning to greet him and his fellow teenage co
21:58-stars.
21:58It may be the third film in the Harry Potter series, but the young star seemed overwhelmed.
22:04I don't know when you get out of the car and it's, it's, it's, it's, oh, I, I hate it
22:09because it's just so tense and so nerve-racking, but I absolutely love it
22:12and wouldn't swap it for anything in the world, at the same token.
22:15There is an insane number of people out there.
22:17Um, it's really flattering.
22:20Um, really flattering.
22:46Um, it's, it's, it's so weird to know that you're famous.
22:50Oh, yeah, it's funny because it's, it's weird because they see somebody here that I don't.
22:54It's very strange.
22:59Quite a way to make an entrance.
23:01Uh, it's fantastic.
23:02It's not raining, which is the main, main plus over London.
23:05And the fans just seem so, you know, so dedicated.
23:08It's so great to see them here.
23:09Anybody?
23:10You, you, you.
23:21Amazing.
23:22The last premiere, I remember getting out of the car and thinking, this will never happen
23:25again, and it just happened again.
23:26So it makes me feel quite overwhelmed, actually.
23:29It's still that strong.
23:30Very, very sad to, to finish these movies.
23:32Um, but at the same time, it will be exciting.
23:34There's more stuff to move on to.
23:36And, uh, yeah, no, I'm, I'm, I'm, I'm not purely depressed about finishing up.
23:40There, there will things, there will be things to be excited about, too.
23:49These are dark times, there is no denying.
23:54Tell me where he is.
23:57Our world has faced no greater threat than it does today.
24:04But you can't fight this war on your own, Mr. Potter.
24:14He's too strong.
24:23In 2011, the film series came to an end with Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2.
24:34The Climax grossed nearly $1.4 billion and smashed the record for the highest opening
24:41in American box office history, beating out The Dark Knight.
25:04It's kind of, it really is kind of the end of an era for, for us.
25:07And the last day was really, really sad.
25:10It kind of really, really hit me quite hard, kind of just realizing we'll never, we'll never
25:14be here and doing these films again.
25:16It's quite sad.
25:17Fans had grown up alongside the characters.
25:21But for Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson, and Rupert Grint, it was time to say goodbye to the
25:27beloved Wizarding World.
25:43Thank every fan here personally.
25:46What would you say to them?
25:47Some of these people have been camped out during rainstorms for the past few days.
25:51Well, I think I am going to get a chance to get up on stage and actually speak to them
25:55directly at some point this evening.
25:56But I would say thank you for queuing all those in their thousands for the books, for
26:03camping overnight, for just being incredible.
26:06All the families who wrote to me and said they'd read every word to their children.
26:09I even met a honeymoon couple who said they read the books to each other in bed.
26:13Maybe a step too far.
26:15But listen, it was amazing.
26:16The whole thing has been incredible and will never be repeated by this author anyway.
26:20So it's been extraordinary.
26:28On the surface, the story of Harry Potter's success seems nothing short of magical.
26:34Usually with these franchises, you know, the kind of the fan base diminishes rather than
26:38expands and we've had the latter.
26:41So it's amazing.
26:44But underneath the glamour, Rowling's riches and the record-breaking statistics lies a
26:50dark tale.
27:16J.K. Rowling series showcases many references to Christianity.
27:21Harry can be deemed as a Christ-like figure.
27:25Dumbledore can be equated to a saint.
27:28The Deathly Hollow symbolizes the Holy Trinity.
27:31And Voldemort's horcruxes can even be seen as manifesting the seven deadly sins.
27:37There is no doubt that the Bible has heavily influenced her writing.
27:42However, at the heart of Harry Potter is something much more controversial.
27:48Witchcraft.
27:53Religious sects in America didn't receive the book well.
27:57With a long history of trials, the country has a deep fear of all things witchcraft.
28:04The history of witchcraft spans over 500 years.
28:09In the 16th and 17th centuries, suspicion was at its height.
28:15In England and other nations across Europe, there were trials and executions of suspected witches.
28:27Hundreds died in violent circumstances as a result.
28:37When James VI of Scotland became King of England in 1603, trials of witchcraft started in large numbers.
28:49He quickly made changes to the English witchcraft act that stirred up fear across the nation.
28:57Accusations increased, creating a cycle of paranoia and hysteria amongst the public.
29:13Neighbors turned on neighbors.
29:15Friends turned on friends.
29:17And men even turned on their own wives.
29:26The fear sweeping the nation also created the demand for a new profession to bring suspected witches to justice.
29:35Witch hunters.
29:40Matthew Hopkins was the most famous of these.
29:44He even became known as the witch finder general.
29:49He received significant payments from towns for bringing to trial all the witches in the area.
29:56Hopkins was ruthless, ordering the hanging of 19 suspected witches in Chelmsford in one day.
30:04His theory for finding a witch focused on locating a devil's mark on the suspect's body.
30:11He would claim anything from a mole to a flea bite was a sign that they were a witch.
30:28Women accused of witchcraft suffered horrific torture, often being forced into sleep deprivation and a state of hallucination.
30:39King James I even liked to supervise the torture himself to make sure suspected witches were brought to justice.
30:48Thousands died at the hands of persecutors and suffered violent ends by hanging, drowning, or burning at the stake.
31:01The trials were at their most intense during England's Puritan era in the 1650s.
31:12Imperialism also meant that English witchcraft laws were applied in other countries around the world.
31:22A famous example from the North American colonies is the Salem Witch Trials.
31:46Despite events in Salem taking place over 400 years ago, fear of the occult and the supernatural still spread throughout
31:54society today.
31:57Demonization of those considered different is not uncommon.
32:01Demonization of those considered different is not uncommon.
32:03Demonization of those considered different is not uncommon.
32:26The United States' national identity and patriotism
32:30has often been bound with the principles of Christianity and God.
32:35My grateful thanks go out to each of you for your prayers.
32:39This will be the day when all of God's children
32:42be able to sing with new meaning,
32:45My Country Tears of Thee.
32:48Knowing that here on earth,
32:50God's work must truly be our own.
32:55In the 1990s, Christian fundamentalism
32:58still held a strong place in American society.
33:03I'm looking at America being led as a Christian nation
33:08and the Christians rising up and gaining control of our nation.
33:11All right!
33:13All kids! All kids!
33:17All kids!
33:26The release of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone in the U.S. in 1998
33:30was right on the heels of the Satanic Panic.
33:34An era of false allegations of Satanic ritual child abuse by cults,
33:39made mostly against daycare centers during the 1980s,
33:44spread across the states.
33:46Many of the claims were debunked during the 90s,
33:49but the memory of those accusations
33:51was still fresh in the minds of many conservative
33:54and fundamentalist Christians,
33:56particularly since it continued to be a feature of pop culture
34:00in TV shows, films, and music.
34:03I'm having a great time, and I'll have a great time in the next life, too.
34:07It's not short when you're going to live for eternity.
34:10No, honestly, dude, I wouldn't be here if I didn't enjoy any food.
34:13He died for you just like he died for...
34:15What did I say he did for you?
34:17Hey, what did I say he did for you, huh?
34:20What did I say he did for you?
34:21What did I say he did for you?
34:22Put you in chains?
34:23Okay, you can't answer for questions.
34:25Seriously.
34:26But Jesus, I'll turn it on the cross for you.
34:29Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.
34:35You too, man.
34:46The arrival of Rowling's witchcraft novel to the children's literature market
34:51consequently saw huge backlash.
34:58Suspicion towards the Harry Potter's book's magic
35:01and the worry that it would attract children to the occult
35:04was the most influential source of opposition among conservative Christians.
35:08Women's book established in the new rooms.
35:08The Michigan habeo and London
35:09They look like it's in the new games.
35:11They're looking like it's in the new games.
35:19They're looking like it's in the new games.
35:26Oh, God.
35:28Come on, yeah.
35:29Come on.
35:30Oh, my God.
35:30Oh, no, no, no, no.
35:30Oh, no, no, no, no.
35:31So, yeah.
35:32I'm here.
35:34Bye.
35:34Bye.
35:34I'm there.
35:36Hey.
35:37Hello.
35:38Bye.
35:38Bye.
35:40Certain critics slandered the books as downright demonic.
35:46Numerous parents banned their children from reading the story.
35:51And some pastors and evangelists even believed that the series would induct children into Satan-worshipping cults or witchcraft-practicing
36:00covens.
36:14Despite the story showing both good and evil magic, critics stood by their views that there are no dark and
36:21light sides when it comes to witchcraft.
36:23All magic is black as sin.
36:32A spade of book banning occurred across the U.S.
36:35Harry Potter entered the official rankings of American Library Association in 1999
36:41and then made a quick ascent to take the dubious prize of the most banned book of the year.
37:00All but three of the Harry Potter books were in the top ten most banned books of the 1990s
37:07and continued to top the list in 2000, 2001, and 2002.
37:19Harry Potter also faced numerous legal challenges during this time,
37:23with many conservative Christians arguing that Rowling's texts violated the Church's teachings.
37:31Uproar, however, was by no means a phenomenon solely confined to the U.S.
37:40St. Mary's Island Church of England School in Kent banned the books,
37:45with the headteachers stating,
37:46The Bible is very clear and consistent in its teachings that wizards, devils, and demons exist
37:53and are very real, powerful, and dangerous.
38:23Rowling's story bewitched millions of readers.
38:25But Harry Potter, the world's most famous schoolboy wizard, failed to win over a New Mexico Christ community church in
38:332002, which burned the books in protest of their demonic teachings.
38:38As they hummed Amazing Grace, other novels considered works of the devil were flung on the fire, while videos and
38:46CDs, including the Disney animated movie Snow White and recordings by Eminem, were consigned to a dustbin.
38:53But it was Harry Potter who proved the focal point.
38:58Claiming that J.K. Rowling's books taught children to turn to wizardry, the church's pastor insisted,
39:05Harry Potter is the devil, and he is destroying people.
39:11Hundreds of residents clashed with the religious fundamentalists over their actions.
39:16Pro-Harry Potter demonstrators even likened the church members to Nazis, who famously burned subversive or Jewish-related books.
39:26Two decades later, similar book burnings still crop up.
39:31In 2022, a controversial Tennessee pastor led a book burning to fight demonic influences,
39:38with the crowd incinerating copies of Harry Potter and Stephenie Meyer's vampire series, Twilight.
39:45Parents and pastors alike ostracized a whole section of young adults from engaging with the Harry Potter series.
39:52In 2007, Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady's documentary, Jesus Camp,
39:57showcased just how far religious figures went in indoctrinating children and condemning Rowling's books as demonic.
40:05We're trying to help you. We're trying to warn you.
40:11And while I'm on the subject, let me say something about Harry Potter.
40:22Warlocks are enemies of God.
40:25And I don't care what kind of hero they are, they're an enemy of God.
40:29And had it been in the Old Testament, Harry Potter would have been put to death.
40:50The story of a young wizard has touched hearts and minds everywhere.
40:59As the millennial Potterheads grew up, the franchise provided an idealist escape to the less complicated world of childhood.
41:11They'd been waiting years for book number five.
41:14A few more hours queuing was nothing to these young fans.
41:17Yeah, seven hours, but we've had to wait three years for this, and seven hours is not that long.
41:24Not going to make that much difference.
41:26This is not the usual way books are launched in this country.
41:30Red carpets, photographers, tickets to a party to count down the hours to midnight.
41:34My name's Robbie Wills and I'm going to the party to the new Harry Potter book.
41:39You must feel very lucky.
41:41The Wizarding World became a safe place, where magic was real, and bravery, brains, and friendship always won.
42:03The treasured series has now been lovingly passed along to the next generation.
42:14And there is no sign of Pottermania calming down any time soon.
42:20Fans, both old and young, continue to turn up in droves and line the streets for new events, books, and
42:29spin-off films.
42:32What started as one woman's idea has turned into a worldwide business worth billions.
42:46Can anything ever be as big as this?
42:48No, of course not. Not in a million years.
42:51And I knew that back in about, well, back in about 1997.
42:54You know, when it started, it became quite big quite quickly.
42:57So I've always known this is the biggest thing I'll ever do, and that's fine.
43:05Huge Harry Potter theme parks have opened up in Florida, Hollywood, Japan, and Beijing
43:11for fans to enjoy the delights of the Wizarding World in real life.
43:28J.K. Rowling created something that resonates with a great deal of people.
43:33You know, you can see millions of fans throughout the world.
43:37And she created characters that we can relate to.
43:39And she created a world that is just beyond our reach as muggles.
43:44But we all like to think there's a little bit of magic just beyond our reach.
43:49And that believability in that, I think, is what is its enduring appeal.
43:55The idea that magic does exist, and we all like to think it does.
43:59The Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Theatre Show now holds a regular slot on London's West End and New
44:06York's Broadway.
44:07The play opened to rave reviews and sell-out crowds last July.
44:11There's a lottery every Friday for just 40 tickets for the following week.
44:15But other than that, it's completely sold out until next April.
44:19The fans absolutely love it, the critics loved it.
44:23And now the awards panel have shown that they have rewarded the artistry
44:26and the immense creativity that the show has brought to the West End.
44:38It's a really special night, and the actors are incredible,
44:41and the movement's beautiful and complicated, and the direction is great,
44:46and the magic is magical.
44:52And the release of the Fantastic Beasts franchise has lured fans back to the cinema
44:58for more of the magical universe.
45:04This film you actually wrote the screenplay for.
45:07What was it like having that element involved?
45:09Totally different, as you can imagine.
45:12It was a huge amount of work.
45:15At times it was terrifying, at times it was utterly exhilarating,
45:19and ultimately I'm really glad I did it.
45:22But there were times when I thought, what have I taken on?
45:24It's so different from novels, it's totally different.
45:30I think what I love about J.K. Rowling is, you know, her films are filled with heart and warmth
45:35and whimsy,
45:37but at the same point, she is an artist and she's reflecting what's going on in the world,
45:42and certainly there are undertones of repression and segregation and the fear of the other,
45:48which kind of are woven through this film in a way that I think is intriguing and extraordinary,
45:53given she wrote it, you know, a while back.
45:55How did you react when you found out you'd got the part?
45:58I was absolutely shocked and, yeah, stunned and then delighted and then totally terrified.
46:07Because it's a huge responsibility.
46:09This is a very beloved world and I wanted to make sure that I did right by Joe's world and
46:15his characters,
46:16but mostly just joy.
46:18What are you hoping that fans get out of the movie?
46:21I mean, there are so many things that we love about the Harry Potter films that are still a part
46:26of this.
46:26The light versus dark, the extraordinary friendships that come from outsiders' findings of their tribe.
46:35But then there's this wonderful character of New York in the 20s,
46:41the animals, the beasts are extraordinary.
46:44I mean, there's just, there's a lot of heart in this and a lot of amazing messages that are quite
46:49needed nowadays.
46:51Honestly, the best premieres in the world are the Leicester Square premieres.
46:55They're so much fun and this one, just, none can hold a candle to it.
47:25The Harry Potter series has been well and truly immortalized.
47:32Returning by screen or by page,
47:34generations of young adults can enjoy the saga for years and years to come.
47:50Whether the franchise encourages the occult or not,
47:55Rowling's works have made a huge impact on young people across the world.
48:09Harry Potter has gifted memories to last a lifetime
48:13and will no doubt dominate the literary canon for decades to come.
48:18Three, two, one, two...
48:23Three, two, one...
48:57What was your highest expectation?
49:00My highest expectation, well, not expectations,
49:03my most far-fetched dream was a kind review in a decent newspaper
49:12and the idea that I would be able to maybe teach part-time and write part-time.
49:16And I thought that, but to me it seemed like this huge hurdle even getting published,
49:21which indeed it is, it's not that easy, so I didn't really look much past that.
49:26So everything that's happened since has been well beyond my world's expectations, it really has.
49:33I still sometimes can't quite believe it's happened.
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