Harry Potter TV series confirms special behind-the-scenes spin-off - and it's days away

HBO will be taking fans behind the scenes of its upcoming Harry Potter TV series in a new special.

Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic, which is set to debut on Sunday 5 April, will offer fans "an exclusive look inside the HBO series, from the artists bringing it to life".

The special will feature interviews from cast members including Dumbledore actor John Lithgow, McGonagall actress Janet McTeer and Snape actor Paapa Essiedu, while Nick Frost (who plays Rubeus Hagrid in the series) will narrate.

HBO has released a teaser for the episode, which begins with Lithgow saying: "The Harry Potter stories are this extraordinary phenomenon. To reimagine the Harry Potter canon, to let it breathe — we get to enact all the things that you know are going on in the wings, but you don’t see them."

The footage also gives fans a glimpse at McTeer and Essiedu talking about the filming process, while production designer Mara LePere-Schloop says: "To be able to build at a scale like this, it’s just a designer’s dream. We’re trying to get in the joy and playfulness of what it means to be a magical kid."

Later, she adds: "To play in a sandbox that’s this big, it’s incredible. We’re adding a level of world-building beyond what the audience is familiar with."

Watch the trailer for yourself below:

A synopsis for the special reads: "It’s been 25 years since audiences first walked the hallowed halls of Hogwarts. Now, this exclusive special offers an inside look at the epic scale and meticulous care behind HBO’s new Harry Potter series — told through the lens of the artists, craftspeople, and technicians bringing JK Rowling’s beloved books to life for a new generation."

It continues: "Featuring interviews with members of the casting, production design, costume design, and creature effects teams, the special chronicles the extensive process behind finding our new Harry, Ron, and Hermione — while celebrating the awe-inspiring commitment to detail and immense talent that has come together to fill out this extraordinary world."

Harry Potter author JK Rowling has faced backlash in some quarters due to her views on transgender rights. In 2020, she published a lengthy statement detailing her stance on sex and gender debates – the essay was criticised and disputed by LGBTQ+ charities including Stonewall.

Rowling has also shared her views on social media, including in a 2024 post on X (formerly Twitter), in which she insisted that "there are no trans kids" and opposed the idea that a child can be "born in the wrong body".

In May 2025, Rowling set up the JK Rowling Women’s Fund, which describes itself as offering legal funding support to "individuals and organisations fighting to retain women’s sex-based rights".

Harry Potter actors including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint, and Emma Watson, have distanced themselves from Rowling's views and have issued statements supporting the transgender community. Others, including Ralph Fiennes, Helena Bonham Carter and Jim Broadbent, have defended the author from the criticism she has received.

Finding Harry: The Craft Behind the Magic will become available to stream on HBO Max on Sunday 5 April.

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