Dame Shirley Bassey Brings Magic to New Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions
Photo credit: Matt Holyoak
Dame Shirley Bassey, whose iconic glamour and powerhouse vocals helped inspire the character of Celestina Warbeck in the original Harry Potter stories by J.K. Rowling has officially stepped into the Harry Potter universe. Audible and Pottermore Pubishing announced that the legendary singer has recorded three original songs for Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions, each performed with a 17-piece big band.
The first track, You Stole My Cauldron But You Can’t Have My Heart, composed by Ashley Griffin, will appear in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Full-Cast Edition), set for release on December 16, 2025.
Dame Shirley Bassey said, ‘I’m honoured to have been an inspiration for the original character of Celestina Warbeck in the Harry Potter series. Bringing her music to life in this ambitious project from Pottermore Publishing and Audible was a joy, and I hope these songs throughout the audiobooks offer a truly magical listening experience for fans worldwide.’
Two additional songs will debut with Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Full-Cast Edition) on April 14, 2026 with A Cauldron Full of Hot, Strong Love, also composed by Griffin and You Charmed the Heart Right Out of Me, composed by Kezia Tomsett
Bassey recorded her vocals at Miraval Studios in France, while the big-band arrangements were performed and captured at Abbey Road Studios in London, adding a rich, classic shimmer befitting Celestina Warbeck’s status as Harry Potter’s beloved ‘Singing Sorceress.’
The new recordings mark the first time Dame Shirley has lent her voice to official Harry Potter music, bringing a long-imagined character fully to life for fans around the globe.
Support Lumos’ “Home for the Holidays” 2025 appeal
This holiday season, J.K. Rowling’s international children’s foundation Lumos invites you to join them in its fourth annual Home for the Holidays Appeal, a campaign that reminds us all of the joy and security a loving family provides during the most special time of year.
The Lumos annual appeal seeks to raise awareness and funds for their work supporting the estimated 5.4 million children worldwide who are likely to spend this holiday season in an institution, rather than in a family. This time of year, especially, serves as a powerful reminder of the importance of a safe and loving family in the lives of children.
Over December and into the New Year, Lumos is sharing stories from people with lived experience of institutional care, stories of challenge, change, and most importantly, hope. These voices are as passionate about driving care reform for children globally as we are.
One story they have shared in their holiday series is of Laura (pictured), 27, from Colombia, who spent 16 years in an institution. She is now determined to raise awareness of what it is like to grow up in an institution, saying, “I want to share with my future children all the love I couldn’t have and for them to grow up loved, protected, listened to.”
Visit Lumos’ website to read Laura’s full story and more information about the appeal.
Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger return in Strike – The Running Grave
Robin Ellacott (HOLLIDAY GRAINGER), Cormoran Strike (TOM BURKE)
Photo credit: BBC/Brontë Film & TV/Justin Downing
Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger are returning for the next instalment of STRIKE – THE RUNNING GRAVE, the seventh (5 x 60 minute) story of the BBC’s hit crime drama in co-production with HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery and based on J.K. Rowling’s best-selling crime novels written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
Lumos, the international children’s organisation founded by J.K. Rowling, is celebrating two decades of transforming care systems for children and families around the world – marking a major milestone of having helped more than 280,000 children and young people grow up in safe, loving families instead of institutions.
J.K. Rowling, Lumos Founder and Life President said:
Twenty years ago, I founded Lumos after learning about millions of children worldwide living locked away from their families. For 20 years, Lumos has been illuminating a better path – working with partners to reform care systems, prevent family breakdown and reunite children with families. We’ve achieved a lot, but there is still much more to do so that every child grows up in a safe and loving family.
As Lumos enters its third decade, the organisation will accelerate proven approaches – preventing family separation, strengthening community-based services, and supporting care reform worldwide – to ensure that every child can grow up in a safe and loving family.
In the next 10 years, Lumos will support more children in more countries, more quickly, by:
Enabling 500,000 children in care to return to family-based care; and
Preventing 10 million children from experiencing family breakdown and separation – so that they can thrive in their own families.
Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions release first title today
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone is now available to listen on Audible, as a full-cast edition, followed by monthly releases of books two to seven:
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets releases 16th December 2025
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban releases 13th January 2026
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire releases 10th February 2026
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix releases 10th March 2026
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince releases 14th April 2026
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows releases 12th May 2026
Harry Potter: The Full-Cast Audio Editions casting announcement
In April 2024, Pottermore Publishing and Audible announced a brand-new co-production of the original Harry Potter stories, revisiting the beloved listening experience for the first time ever.
Today, additional names included in the line-up of 200 performers have been revealed:
Bill Nighy as Professor Slughorn
David Holmes as Stan Shunpike
Saoirse-Monica Jackson as Professor Trelawney
Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù as Sirius Black
Anna Maxwell Martin as Rita Skeeter
Mackenzie Crook as Kreacher
Stephen Mangan as Nearly Headless Nick
Tracy-Ann Oberman as Madam Hooch
Millie Gubby as Luna Lovegood
Jude Farrant will play Draco Malfoy in audiobooks one, two and three, with Maximus Evans continuing the role in audiobooks four through seven
Jake Sigsworth will play Neville Longbottom in audiobooks one, two and three, with Archie Mountain continuing the role in audiobooks four through seven
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will debut on 4th November 2025 from Audible, followed by monthly releases for books two to seven.
All seven audiobooks are available to pre-order. For more information, head to HarryPotter.com.
The eighth novel in the Cormoran Strike series, THE HALLMARKED MAN, publishes today in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand, with other international markets coming soon.
A dismembered corpse is discovered in the vault of a silver shop. The police initially believe it to be that of a convicted armed robber – but not everyone agrees with that theory. One of them is Decima Mullins, who calls on the help of private detective Cormoran Strike as she’s certain the body in the silver vault was that of her boyfriend – the father of her newborn baby – who suddenly and mysteriously disappeared.
The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith (otherwise known as J.K. Rowling) follows the No.1 bestseller from 2023, The Running Grave.
Harry Potter full-cast audio editions casting unveiled
In April 2024, Pottermore Publishing and Audible announced a brand-new co-production of the original Harry Potter stories, revisiting the beloved listening experience for the first time ever.
Today, it was announced that the lineup for the full-cast audio production of over 200 performers will include:
Golden Globe Award winner Hugh Laurie as Albus Dumbledore
Emmy, Golden Globe and BAFTA Award winner Matthew Macfadyen as Lord Voldemort
Academy Award winner and Emmy Award winner Riz Ahmed as Professor Snape
BAFTA Award nominee Michelle Gomez as Professor McGonagall
Laurence Olivier Award and Critics Choice Award nominee Cush Jumbo OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) as the narrator
Frankie Treadaway, Max Lester, and Arabella Stanton will play Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, and Hermione Granger respectively in audiobooks one, two and three
Jaxon Knopf, Rhys Mulligan, and Nina Barker-Francis will assume the roles of the beloved trio (Harry, Ron, and Hermione respectively) beginning in audiobook four, carrying through to the epic conclusion
Additional cast members will be announced this autumn.
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone will debut on 4th November 2025, with the following release dates for books two to seven:
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets releases 16th December 2025
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban releases 13th January 2026
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire releases 10th February 2026
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix releases 10th March 2026
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince releases 14th April 2026
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows releases 12th May 2026
From today, all seven audiobooks are available to pre-order. For more information, head to HarryPotter.com.
HBO Original Harry Potter television series Begins Production at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the U.K.
Production is officially underway on the HBO Original Harry Potter television series, heralded by the first picture of Dominic McLaughlin in costume as Harry. Set to premiere in 2027 on HBO and HBO Max, filming is taking place at Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden in the UK, with the series set to roll out globally.
New cast members include Rory Wilmot as Neville Longbottom, Amos Kitson as Dudley Dursley, Louise Brealey as Madam Hooch, and Anton Lesser as Garrick Ollivander. The creative team features top talent behind the scenes, including Adriano Goldman (Director of Photography), Cate Hall (Hair and Makeup), and Mara LePere-Schloop (Production Design), among others.
The series is written and executive produced by Francesca Gardiner, with Mark Mylod directing multiple episodes. Executive producers include J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts, and David Heyman.
Tom Felton Returns as Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and The Cursed Child, Broadway
Tom Felton, known to millions as Draco Malfoy in the Harry Potter films, is stepping back into the wizarding world—this time, live on Broadway.
Felton will make his Broadway debut in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child at New York’s Lyric Theatre for a strictly limited run, beginning Tuesday, 11 November 2025 to 22 March 2026.
This historic moment marks the first time a member of the original film cast has reprised their role in the award-winning stage production. Felton is the same age as his character in the production. Set nineteen years after the Battle of Hogwarts, Cursed Child follows Harry, Draco, and their children as a new chapter begins at Hogwarts.
Tom Felton said: “Being a part of the Harry Potter films has been one of the greatest honours of my life. Joining this production will be a full-circle moment for me… I am thrilled to be able to share Draco’s story with the greatest fan community in the world.”
Fans can sign up for early ticket access ahead of the presale on Tuesday, 10 June at 11 a.m. ET. General sales begin Thursday, 12 June.
The cover of the eighth book in the Cormoran Strike series, The Hallmarked Man, has been revealed.
In the latest instalment in the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling series featuring Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, the pair must identify a dismembered corpse discovered in the vault of a silver shop. The police initially believe it to be that of a convicted armed robber – but not everyone agrees with that theory…
The Hallmarked Man will be published simultaneously in the UK and US on 2nd September 2025.
HBO Original Harry Potter television series sets cast for roles of Harry Potter, Hermione Granger and Ron Weasley
The HBO Original HARRY POTTER television series has cast screen newcomers Dominic McLaughlin in the role of Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger, and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley.
Francesca Gardiner (Showrunner, Executive Producer) and Mark Mylod (Director of multiple episodes, Executive Producer) said:
‘After an extraordinary search led by casting directors Lucy Bevan and Emily Brockmann, we are delighted to announce we have found our Harry, Hermione, and Ron. The talent of these three unique actors is wonderful to behold, and we cannot wait for the world to witness their magic together onscreen. We would like to thank all the tens of thousands of children who auditioned. It’s been a real pleasure to discover the plethora of young talent out there.’
About the Series
The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter books by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling. Each season will bring Harry Potter to new and existing audiences, streaming exclusively on HBO Max where it’s available, including in upcoming launch markets Germany, Italy and the UK. The original classic films will remain available to watch around the world.
HBO Original Harry Potter Series Casts John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, Nick Frost, Luke Thallon and Paul Whitehouse
HBO has announced the following actors as series regulars for the Harry Potter TV series:
John Lithgow – the six-time Emmy®, two-time Tony Award winner, and BAFTA and Oscar® nominee – will take on the iconic role of Albus Dumbledore.
Paapa Essiedu, Emmy® and BAFTA nominee, will portray Severus Snape.
Nick Frost, BIFA nominee, has been cast as Rubeus Hagrid.
Janet McTeer, winner of both a Tony and an Olivier Award, and a nominee for the Oscar® and Emmy®, will play Minerva McGonagall.
Additionally, the following actors will appear in guest or recurring roles:
Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell
Paul Whitehouse, BAFTA winner, as Argus Filch
Francesca Gardiner (Showrunner and Executive Producer) and Mark Mylod (Director of multiple episodes, Executive Producer) said:
“We are happy to announce the casting of John Lithgow, Janet McTeer, Paapa Essiedu, Nick Frost, Luke Thallon and Paul Whitehouse to play Dumbledore, McGonagall, Snape, Hagrid, Quirrell and Filch. We’re delighted to have such extraordinary talent on board, and we can’t wait to see them bring these beloved characters to new life.”
About the Series
The series will be a faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter book series by author and executive producer J.K. Rowling. Exploring every corner of the wizarding world, the series will feature an exciting and talented new cast to lead a new generation of fandom and will be full of the fantastic detail and much-loved characters Harry Potter fans have loved for over twenty-five years. Each season will bring Harry Potter and these incredible adventures to new and existing audiences and will stream exclusively on Max where it’s available globally. The original, classic and cherished films will remain at the core of the franchise and available to watch around the world.
Lumos, the international children’s charity founded in 2005 by J.K. Rowling, is celebrating its 20th anniversary year.
Lumos’ mission is to transform care systems globally and advocate for family-based solutions that help children thrive. Lumos ensures that families receive the support they need to stay together or reunite, and that children grow up in family-based settings such as foster or kinship care, not institutions.
Lumos has to date helped enable more than 280,000 children to thrive in safe and loving families, but there is still more to achieve.
In its 20th anniversary year, Lumos will launch exciting new plans to achieve at least twice as much in half the time – to be able to positively impact more children in more countries, more quickly.
J.K. Rowling, Lumos Founder and Life President said:
I’m truly proud of what Lumos has achieved in twenty years. I felt compelled to set up the charity after reading the newspaper article which brought to life the horrors experienced by children separated from their families and raised in harmful institutions. Lumos has now helped to ensure thousands of children have grown up in safe and loving families with the care they need and deserve. There is more to do though, so we remain relentlessly ambitious for children and for Lumos’ next chapter.
To mark this anniversary, Lumos has announced the launch of a special mini film series featuring J.K. Rowling and expert colleagues from around the globe. The first film in the anniversary series is available now.
Tuesday 2nd September 2025 sees the release of the next in the bestselling series of crime novels by Robert Galbraith. THE HALLMARKED MAN is the brand-new instalment in the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling series featuring Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, published in hardback, Ebook and audio editions.
Ninth production of Cursed Child to launch in the Netherlands
The producers of Harry Potter and the CursedChild – Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions – announced today one new international production of the multi award-winning play. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child will launch in the Netherlands in 2026.
The Netherlands production is to be performed in Dutch and produced by Stage Entertainment. Harry Potter and the Cursed Child in the Netherlands will be performed as the reimagined, one-part version of the play and mark the ninth production of the critically acclaimed show.
Sonia Friedman and Colin Callender, producers of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child said “We are thrilled to be launching a new production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child. The story of Harry Potter resonates with so many people around the world, and we are excited to be able to share our play with new audiences in the Netherlands. We look forward to collaborating with our producing partner Stage Entertainment to bring the magic of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child to new countries.”
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is now playing in London, New York, Tokyo and Hamburg. School productions continue in the UK and US, as does the touring version which moves to Los Angeles early 2025. For further details about all productions and all the latest news go to the website here.
This holiday season, J.K. Rowling’s international children’s charity Lumos invites you to join them in its Home for the Holidays Appeal—a campaign that reminds us all of the joy and security a loving family provides during the most special time of year.
For many children, the holidays are a time to create memories—gathering around a festive table, feeling safe, and being surrounded by those who love them. But for millions of vulnerable children worldwide, these moments are out of reach. They’re still living in institutions, separated from their families, and denied the care and love every child deserves.
Every child should experience the warmth and security of a family, not just at the holidays, but every day of the year. Lumos works to ensure children are placed in loving homes where they can thrive—free from institutionalisation and neglect. You can find out more about Lumos’ work here.
With your support, Lumos can continue to reunite children with their families, help local communities provide care and education, and champion the rights of children everywhere.
Every donation to the Home for the Holidays Appeal will fund their vital work to protect children and ensure they grow up in safe and loving families – so that they can also be ‘home for the holidays.’
Enrique Restoy, PhD, Director of Programmes at Lumos said:
“Our work brings meaningful and long-lasting change to the communities and countries we work with. We prevent the separation of families and provide family care for children without one, with models that are embedded in national responses for years to come. Our impact comes through dedication, passion, and the support of people who, like us, believe that every single child deserves to grow up a safe and loving family.”
Lumos relies on supporters and donations from around the world to fund its work. Thanks to the generous support of J.K. Rowling and others, these funds go directly to protecting children around the world.
HBO announces writer and director for Harry Potter TV series
HBO, in association with Warner Bros. Television, has named Francesca Gardiner (HBO’s “Succession,” “Killing Eve”) as writer (showrunner) and executive producer and Mark Mylod (HBO’s “Succession,” “Game of Thrones” and “The Last of Us”) as executive producer and director of multiple episodes of the upcoming original Harry Potter series.
The series will be a faithful adaptation of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books and will feature a new cast to lead a new generation of fandom, full of the fantastic detail and characters Potter fans have loved for over twenty-five years, while the original, classic and beloved films will remain available to watch globally.
Produced in association with Brontë Film and TV and Warner Bros. Television, the series is executive produced by J.K. Rowling, Neil Blair, Ruth Kenley-Letts; and David Heyman for Heyday films.
J.K. Rowling contributes to The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht
J.K. Rowling is amongst the contributors to a new book published today and edited by Susan Dalgety and Lucy Hunter Blackburn. The Women Who Wouldn’t Wheesht is a collection of over thirty essays capturing an important moment in contemporary history: how a grassroots Scottish women’s movement, harking back to the suffragettes and second wave feminists of the 1970s and 1908s, took on the political establishment – and changed the course of history.
In this book women tell the story of their involvement in the five-year campaign to protect women’s sex-based rights, including leading SNP MP Joanna Cherry, Ash Regan MSP, and former prison governor Rhona Hotchkiss. The book is published by Constable in hardback and eBook, and on 6th June in audiobook.
Evanna Lynch appeals to BBC Radio 4 listeners on behalf of Lumos
Actress and Lumos Ambassador Evanna Lynch makes a heartfelt, personal appeal as she introduces Lumos and its work with vulnerable children to BBC Radio 4 listeners.
Evanna, best known for her role as Luna Lovegood in the Harry Potter movies, has been a passionate and dedicated Lumos Ambassador for many years.
She explains,
“I got involved in Lumos through J.K. Rowling, who founded the charity. As an actor in the Harry Potter films, I became very interested in the mission to give all children loving homes. I visited an orphanage and when I met the children, I saw there was no animation, no life or energy behind their eyes. They were so neglected.”
Since 2005, Lumos has helped hundreds of thousands of children to be returned to their families or to be placed in a loving family environment including more recently in Moldova, Ukraine, Kenya and Colombia.
Listen to the Appeal and donate through the BBC (donations accepted via the BBC until midnight on Saturday 25th May 2024):
J.K. Rowling talks in depth for the first time about her writing
J.K. Rowling is often asked questions by fans and budding writers about her writing process: where she writes, how she writes, her inspiration and her research, how a book comes about, from the germ of an idea to the editing process and eventual publication.
For the first time, J.K. Rowling has responded to those questions, discussing openly and in depth about her writing including Harry Potter, her other children’s books The Ickabog and The Christmas Pig, as well as writing as Robert Galbraith, the Cormoran Strike crime fiction series.
Harry Potter stories to be released as full-cast audio editions
Pottermore Publishing and Audible have announced a brand-new co-production of the original Harry Potter stories, revisiting the beloved listening experience for the first time ever.
Scheduled for late 2025, these full-cast audio productions will bring these iconic stories to life as never heard before, offering immersive audio entertainment through high-quality sound design, a full range of character voices, and real-world sound capture.
Fans of the original Stephen Fry and Jim Dale audiobooks will be delighted to learn that their iconic narrations will remain available. But now, they will be joined by these new full-cast editions where almost every character in Harry’s world will have their own unique voice, giving listeners another way to hear the magic on Audible.
Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger return in Strike – The Ink Black Heart
Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger are returning for the next instalment of STRIKE – THE INK BLACK HEART, the sixth (4 x 60 minute) story of the BBC’s hit crime drama in co-production with HBO and Warner Bros. Discovery and based on J.K. Rowling’s best-selling crime novel written under the pseudonym Robert Galbraith.
J.K. Rowling’s international children’s charity Lumos has launched their Home for Christmas Appealto coincide with the countdown to the festive season.
Their annual ‘Home for the Holidays Appeal’ focuses on the theme that children belong at home, where they can enjoy the holidays and special moments throughout the year within a loving, supportive family.
With Lumos working with communities in countries like Ukraine, Moldova, Kenya and Colombia, their campaign demonstrates how community-based care is possible and beneficial for all, right across the globe.
Lilian Rose, Global Director of Fundraising and Engagement at Lumos said:
“By working with everyone, we can make a change—through raising much-needed fundsto support care reform with local communities and bring an end to children growing up in institutions where they don’t belong.”
Lumos relies on supporters and donations from around the world to fund its work. Thanks to the generous support of J.K. Rowling and others, these funds go directly to protecting children around the world.
The Running Grave is an international No 1 bestseller!
The seventh book in the Cormoran Strike series, The Running Grave, has gone straight in at No1 in the bestseller lists in the UK, US and Australia after its first week being on sale.
Rave reviews include:
‘The Running Grave is testimony to Rowling/Galbraith’s skill as a storyteller’
– Guardian
‘It is moving, gripping and terrifying’
– Daily Mail
‘a rich, immersive experience’
– The Sunday Times
‘the kind of book you are happy to lose yourself in’
– Scotsman
‘the best duo in detective fiction since Reginald Hill’s Dalziel and Pascoe’
– Telegraph
‘another absolute barnstormer … Unmissable’
– Heat
And Strike fans are loving this new instalment – The Running Grave is the highest rated Galbraith yet by reviewers on Amazon UK, with 4.7 stars out of 5.
The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith (otherwise known as J.K. Rowling) follows the No 1 bestseller from last year, The Ink Black Heart.
For more information visit the Robert Galbraith website here.
Lumos Calls for Renewed Support of Vulnerable Children at Illumination Dinner & Concert
Almost 200 influential guests gathered in New York to celebrate the work of J.K. Rowling’s international children’s charity Lumos, with entertainment from some of the nation’s top emerging talent, at the City Winery on 21st September.
On the week of the annual UN General Assembly, where President Biden urged world leaders to stand firm in their support of Ukraine, the evening felt particularly poignant with reflections on Lumos’s efforts providing humanitarian aid and support for children and families in Ukraine. The event included a pre-recorded conversation between J.K. Rowling (Lumos Founder and Life President), Oksana Markarova (Ukrainian Ambassador to the United States of America) and Daria Herasymchuk (Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights and Child Rehabilitation), and on the urgent challenges and dangers facing children and families in conflict.
J.K. Rowling said during the conversation:
“Lumos has been dealing with the rapid evacuation of institutions in Ukraine, which has meant very vulnerable children becoming even more vulnerable in the chaos and carnage of war. Lumos has done a lot, and we’re happy about that, but there is clearly still so much more to do. The war is ongoing, and children are among the greatest sufferers.”
The event provided a call to action for people to donate to commit resources, and thanks to Honoree Sponsors, Warner Brothers Discovery and Scholastic, 100% of funds raised will go directly to support Lumos’s vital work.
For more information about the Lumos Illumination Dinner and Concert, click here.
In the 10th year since The Cuckoo’s Calling was published in 2013, the seventh book in the Cormoran Strike series, The Running Grave, is released today in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand, with other international markets coming soon.
Private Detective Cormoran Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has gone to join a religious cult in the depths of the Norfolk countryside.
The Universal Humanitarian Church is, on the surface, a peaceable organisation that campaigns for a better world. Yet Strike discovers that beneath the surface there are deeply sinister undertones, and unexplained deaths.
The Running Grave by Robert Galbraith (otherwise known as J.K. Rowling) follows the No.1 bestseller from last year, The Ink Black Heart.
The cover of the seventh book in the Cormoran Strike series, The Running Grave, has been revealed.
In the latest instalment in the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling series featuring Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, Strike is contacted by a worried father whose son, Will, has gone to join a religious cult in the depths of the Norfolk countryside.
In order to try to rescue Will, Strike’s business partner Robin Ellacott decides to infiltrate the cult and she travels to Norfolk to live incognito amongst them. But in doing so, she is unprepared for the dangers that await her there or for the toll it will take on her . . .
The Running Grave will be published simultaneously in the UK and US on 26th September 2023.
2023 also marks the tenth anniversary of The Cuckoo’s Calling, the first novel in the series.
Lumos appeal launched on International Day of Families
On International Day of Families (15th May), Lumos appeals for support to help more children find their place in loving families of their own.
Families come in all shapes and sizes; some families we are born with, and some we make for ourselves. Only a family can provide children with the support, respect, and love that is vital for their development. Research shows that children who grow up in an institution, deprived of family care, often endure physical, psychological, emotional, and social harm – with effects that last throughout their lives.
Lumos is determined to change the circumstances of vulnerable children around the world and fight for every child’s right to grow up in a safe and loving family, providing the best environment for children to thrive in.
Lumos relies on supporters and donations from around the world to fund its work. Thanks to the generous support of J.K. Rowling and others, these funds go directly to protecting children around the world.
To find out more about the work and how to help, visit Lumos.
Seventh Strike novel to publish this September, in the tenth anniversary year of the bestselling series by Robert Galbraith.
Tuesday 26th September sees the release of the next in the bestselling series of crime novels by Robert Galbraith. THE RUNNING GRAVE is the brand-new instalment in the highly acclaimed, internationally bestselling series featuring Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, published in hardback, Ebook and audio editions.
THE RUNNING GRAVE will be the seventh title in a planned series of ten, the first six of which have all been Sunday Times and international bestsellers. The Strike series has been praised as ‘the work of a master storyteller’ [Daily Telegraph], ‘unputdownable’ [Daily Express] and ‘a blistering piece of crime writing’ [Sunday Times]; with Strike and Robin dubbed ‘one of crime’s most engaging duos’ [Guardian].
2023 also marks the tenth anniversary of The Cuckoo’s Calling, the first novel in the series. A year-long run of activity is planned to celebrate this milestone, including a creative consumer campaign that will revisit key elements of Strike and give readers the opportunity to share their favourite moments.
Fans will also have the opportunity to purchase a special anniversary edition of The Cuckoo’s Calling, produced with exclusive artwork, of which further details will be released later this year. As with all previous editions of The Cuckoo’s Calling, royalty proceeds of the new edition will go to ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.
‘It’s been brilliant to see the enormous success of the Robert Galbraith books over the past ten years and an honour to publish them. With over 11 million copies sold in the English language to date, the story of Strike and Robin has captured readers’ imaginations and, like so many others, I can’t wait to see what happens to them over the course of the final four books in the series.’ David Shelley, Group Chief Executive, Hachette UK
‘There are few pleasures richer than knowing a new Robert Galbraith thriller is on the way! Seven novels into the Cormoran Strike series, J.K. Rowling keeps expanding her already peerless skills in crafting drama, emotion, urgency, and capturing the infinite complexities of the human spirit—in dark and in light.’ Michael Pietsch, Chief Executive Officer, Hachette Book Group.
New Harry Potter TV series announced from Max and Warner Bros Discovery
HBO Max’s new streaming service, Max, announced today an original Harry Potter scripted television series with Warner Bros. Discovery and J.K. Rowling as Executive Producer. The series will be a faithful and authentic adaptation of the books and will be available on Max in the US and globally once produced.
The stories from J.K.Rowling’s Harry Potter books will become a decade-long series with each season dedicated to one of the seven books, full of the fantastic detail, much-loved characters, and dramatic locations that fans have adored for over twenty-five years.
A new cast will lead a new generation of fandom, and the series will stand alongside the original classic and beloved films which will remain widely available. Produced in association with Brontë Film and TV with Neil Blair and Ruth Kenley-Letts joining J.K. Rowling as Executive Producers.
One year on, Lumos’s humanitarian work continues in Ukraine
A year on since the war in Ukraine began, Peter McDermott, CEO of J.K. Rowling’s international children’s charity Lumos, reflects on some of their achievements and challenges of the last 12 months, and considers how to adapt their work going forward to best serve the people of Ukraine, and to further their mission to fight for every child’s right to a family – even in the most difficult of circumstances.
Although Lumos is not a humanitarian agency in the strictest sense, as soon as the war began, the charity immediately pivoted to where the need was greatest. In the simplest terms, children and their families needed food, medical and hygiene items. And as many institutions were rapidly evacuated, families needed urgent support.
Thanks to the generous support of donors, and a hugely successful public fundraising appeal, in 2022 Lumos was able to deliver:
Humanitarian aid to 13,400 of the most vulnerable children
Educational kits to 7,000 children
Educational equipment and materials to 28 Inclusive Resource Centres for children with special needs.
30 tonnes of fuel for the transportation of children with disabilities, foster families and internally displaced families.
Providing mental health support to children and their carers immediately became a top priority. The charity delivered trauma training to practitioners across all regions of Ukraine. Through this training, 25,900 psycho-social support sessions have been delivered across the country to children and their carers.
Moving forward, Lumos will continue to protect the most vulnerable children, with a priority focus on children who are at risk of entering the residential childcare system, particularly those evacuated from residential institutions at the beginning of the war and now living with families (whether birth or foster); children with disabilities, and the many children who have been displaced.
This is an opportunity to reimagine a Ukraine where children are not trapped in orphanages, but where families and communities have the resources and services they need to take care of children where they belong – at home.
Extracted from Ukraine: One Year On, Reflections by Peter McDermott, Lumos CEO.
New podcast series features J.K. Rowling in conversation with Megan Phelps-Roper
The Free Press announced today that J.K. Rowling will appear in a new podcast series, The Witch Trials of J.K. Rowling, hosted by writer and producer, Megan Phelps-Roper.
This wide-ranging audio documentary examines some of the most contentious conflicts of our time, and includes J.K. Rowling talking in depth about the controversies surrounding her, from book bans to debates on gender and sex. The series also examines the forces propelling this moment in history, through interviews with Rowling’s supporters and critics, journalists, historians, clinicians, and more.
One billion hours of listening landmark surpassed for Harry Potter audiobooks on Audible
Pottermore Publishing and Audible have announced an extraordinary milestone – over one billion hours of the Harry Potter stories have now been listened to on Audible globally, since the audiobooks were first made available there seven years ago! Mind you, that’s just a number (even if it is a massive one)! What’s immeasurable is the love that fans have for these stories. To help you visualise that figure, in one billion hours you could hypothetically:
Take the iconic train journey from King’s Cross to Edinburgh 222 million times
Listen to Harry Potter books 1-7 read by Jim Dale 8,547,009 times
Go through Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry more than 14,000 times!
Stephen Fry, who narrates the UK English editions of the audiobooks, says: ‘These statistics are astonishing. Almost every day someone will come up and tell me how important the audiobooks have been in their lives, and it means the world to me.’ Jim Dale, narrator of the North American editions, says: ‘Especially rewarding for me has been the opportunity to touch the lives of so many young people, and the knowledge that my spoken words have brought both comfort and support when needed, and, of course always, so much magic!’
Jennie McCann, Pottermore’s MD, explains: ‘We’re so delighted how many listeners have made a permanent place in their lives for these audiobooks. The original recordings that were released on CD are cherished versions of these incredible stories, so we took great care when remastering them to deliver the best sound quality for the new generation of listeners. We’ve since produced and released editions in an array of further languages and continue to add to that list each year both on Audible and via other platforms.’ Diana Dapito, Head of Consumer Content at Audible, says ‘the evergreen popularity and insatiable appetite for the Harry Potter audiobooks on Audible is both staggering and, at once, not at all surprising.’
We’d love to hear your stories of listening to Harry Potter on audio – share your listening love on social media using the hashtag #HarryPotterxAudible #HearTheMagic
Troubled Blood, Robert Galbraith’s 5th Cormoran Strike novel, is coming to BBC One in a 4 part adaptation starting on the 11th December at 9pm. All episodes will be available to view from 9pm on Sunday 11 December on iPlayer.
Written by Tom Edge and directed by Sue Tully, the series sees Tom Burke and Holliday Grainger return as Strike and Robin.
Private detective Cormoran Strike (Tom Burke) is visiting his family in Cornwall when he’s approached by a woman, Anna Phipps (Sophie Ward) asking for help finding her mother, Margot Bamborough (Abigail Lawrie), who went missing under mysterious circumstances in 1974.
Strike’s never tackled a cold case before let alone one forty years old, but despite the slim chance of success, he’s intrigued and takes it on, adding to the long list of cases that he and his partner in the agency Robin Ellacott (Holliday Grainger) are currently working on. Robin herself is also juggling a messy divorce and unwanted male attention as well as battling her own feelings about Strike.
As Strike and Robin investigate Margot’s disappearance, they come up against a fiendishly complex case with a psychopathic serial killer and witnesses who cannot all be trusted. They learn that even cases decades old can prove to be deadly.
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix Illustrated Edition published today
Harry Potter’s fifth year at Hogwarts featuring magical locations, iconic story moments and favourite characters, including Tonks and Luna Lovegood are brought to life by award winning illustrators Jim Kay and Neil Packer.
The illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix has been nearly two years in the making. As the project unfolded, Jim Kay decided it was time to bring in guest collaborator and dear friend, Neil Packer, to help bring a new dimension to the story. The book is now available via Bloomsbury in the UK, and Scholastic in the US.
This latest edition in the series will be the last to be illustrated by Jim Kay. After nearly ten years of extraordinary commitment and five spellbinding books, Jim is ready to pass the illustration baton on to future creative collaborators.
The sixth book in the Cormoran Strike series, The Ink Black Heart, is released today in the UK, US, Australia and New Zealand, with other international markets coming soon. It publishes in hardback, ebook and audio editions, the latter narrated by Robert Glenister.
The Ink Black Heart by Robert Galbraith (otherwise known as J.K. Rowling) follows the No.1 bestseller Troubled Blood (2020), winner of the 2021 British Book of the Year award for Crime and Thriller fiction.
‘The Ink Black Heart’, the sixth novel in the popular crime series by Robert Galbraith, publishes on 30th August 2022. In anticipation the author (otherwise known as J.K. Rowling) has recorded a number of answers to questions focused on the new book.
An early excerpt from the Q&A is available here, talking about Private Investigator duo Cormoran Strike and Robin Ellacott, inspiration for the new book, the locations and the creative process. You can watch or read three of Robert’s responses below.
What does The Ink Black Heart explore?
I see this as a novel about disconnection. And people feeling disconnected in real life. And exploring what they find online as a way of connecting. But – it – I don’t want to give too much away. But the central theme of the book is anomie, which is a state of lacking normal social or moral norms.
And – so, yeah, it’s really an exploration of that. It is a very sort of modern malaise. Although the term anomie has been around for a long, long time and it really – the term arose through industrialisation. People losing meaning in their daily lives and – and feeling that they themselves were not really part of society. Not really part of a whole. So, yeah. So, it’s a big theme. But it is explored in a very sort of contemporary way.
How much of the novel is drawn from your own experience?
I have never created a book – and this book certainly isn’t created from my own experience – you know, with a view to talking about my own life. That doesn’t mean, of course, that your own life experience isn’t in the book.
With this book – I had been planning this book for so long and then a couple of the things that happen in this book have since happened to me. And so, I would like to be very clear that I haven’t written this book as an answer to anything that happened to me. Although I have to say when it did happen to me, those who had already read the book in manuscript form were – are you clairvoyant? I wasn’t clairvoyant, I just – yeah, it was just one of those weird twists. Sometimes life imitates art more than one would like.
But, no, it’s not – this isn’t about my experience of – as being a creator. My experience – if I wrote about my experience as a creator, it would look very different. And I have to say, for example – which I think will be a question readers would ask: the Potter fandom, by and large, has been amazing to me. Incredibly supportive and I still receive tonnes of love from the Potter fandom. So, the fandom in this book is very much not a portrait of the fandom. It is of a very – I think a very different kind of fandom.
What is it that makes Strike and Robin such a good team?
The reason I love writing those two characters so much is I love them both as characters. And I love the friendship. I love writing – and of course I love writing the sexual tension, which I know is – is a big deal for certain readers. But my feeling was always that each of them had quite a lot of changing and growing to do. Even Strike who is 10 years older than Robin.
You know, his – his past is an unusual one. And it has left him with issues that I don’t think he has ever really fully explored. And I feel that in books five and six, this being book six, you start to see him recognising some of this. He has still got a way to go. Equally, Robin, who’s had, you know, not a particularly typical romantic history because of – she has trauma in her past – in this book really does get to show a quite – what I think readers might find quite an unexpected side of her.
So, I love – I love the fact – to me it is a real friendship, they do – they rub – they can occasionally infuriate each other. But they are very complementary personalities, I think. And they – their shared endeavour is really – is at the absolute root of what they value in each other and what they – I think now in this book, particularly at the end when something quite symbolic happens, you see that they recognise that they couldn’t have done it without each other. And that’s – you know, that’s a wonderful feeling when you – when you have a shared endeavour with someone, and I empathise with that a lot.
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