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Daniel Radcliffe, David Beckham and other celebs join up to read entire ‘Harry Potter’ book

Click to play video: 'Coronavirus outbreak: Daniel Radcliffe joins other celebs for online reading of ‘Harry Potter’'
Coronavirus outbreak: Daniel Radcliffe joins other celebs for online reading of ‘Harry Potter’
WATCH: Actor Daniel Radcliffe, who essayed boy wizard Harry Potter in 8 feature films, and six other celebrities will bring J.K. Rowling’s iconic debut novel "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" to fans around the world from lockdown as part of the “Harry Potter at Home” project. – May 5, 2020

Many celebrities are lending their voices to read the entire first Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone/Sorcerer’s Stone to help entertain the world during the coronavirus pandemic.

Harry Potter star Daniel Radcliffe, Stephen Fry, David Beckham, Dakota Fanning, Claudia Kim, Noma Dumezweni and Eddie Redmayne are among the cast of celebrities who will record video of themselves reading the book, with more surprises and special appearances from across the Wizarding World and beyond to come.

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Each narrator will be reading different sections of the book, with its themes of family, friendship, courage and overcoming adversity, to families around the world.

Radcliffe will be kicking off the series of video recordings by reading Chapter One: “The Boy Who Lived.”

All seventeen chapters of the book will be released between now and the end of June, starting May 5 with Chapter One.

The videos will be posted weekly on HarryPotterAtHome.com, with an audio-only version available for free on Spotify.

The Harry Potter At Home project is an initiative developed by Wizarding World Digital and author J.K. Rowling‘s agents The Blair Partnership, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic with the help of Warner Bros. Bloomsbury, Scholastic and Pottermore Publishing.

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The initiative already includes an open licence to teachers allowing them to post recordings of themselves reading the Harry Potter stories onto educational platforms and networks.


Questions about COVID-19? Here are some things you need to know:

Health officials caution against all international travel. Returning travellers are legally obligated to self-isolate for 14 days, beginning March 26, in case they develop symptoms and to prevent spreading the virus to others. Some provinces and territories have also implemented additional recommendations or enforcement measures to ensure those returning to the area self-isolate.

Symptoms can include fever, cough and difficulty breathing — very similar to a cold or flu. Some people can develop a more severe illness. People most at risk of this include older adults and people with severe chronic medical conditions like heart, lung or kidney disease. If you develop symptoms, contact public health authorities.

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To prevent the virus from spreading, experts recommend frequent handwashing and coughing into your sleeve. They also recommend minimizing contact with others, staying home as much as possible and maintaining a distance of two metres from other people if you go out.

For full COVID-19 coverage from Global News, click here.

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