Harry Potter art director reacts to design of new HBO series - and reveals his hopes

As the HBO Harry Potter series draws ever closer, it's becoming ever more apparent that the look is incredibly inspired by the original films, with viewers left divided about that decision.

From the first-look images and trailers that we've seen so far, many of the sets and costumes in particular seem relatively unchanged from the film series, which began in 2001.

Speaking exclusively to Radio Times, Gary Tomkins, who worked as an art assistant and then art director on the Potter movies, has suggested it's not necessarily a bad thing.

"Obviously I am very much in love, still, with all the designs that our fantastic Production Designer, Stuart Craig, came up with for the movies," he said.

"I'd like to think that some of that spirit is included in the sets for the new TV show - although, you know, it can be updated and reinterpreted by the new team."

He added: "Obviously my heart is always in the original films. It was 10 years of my life. I'm very interested to see how that's been reinterpreted for a new generation, and how, with the benefit of more hours available, you get more of the more of the story told."

In particular, Tomkins worked on bringing Hogwarts Castle to life - a task that proved challenging over the years as more and more parts had to be added.

"[Craig] did a very sort of basic sketch - well, very elaborate sketch but a basic plan - from which myself and the other members of the team drew up, like an architect would draw up a house, we drew up the castle.

"We were integrating the elements of the real world places that we shot on location, in Gloucester, Durham, and it pretty much came together as we had planned.

"In subsequent films, of course, because new things came in in the script that we weren't aware of when we built the first film, we had to change the design of the castle. So as you move through the films, the castle constantly changes its design. It's one of the only film projects I've been on over my entire career where continuity doesn't really matter, because you can say, 'Well, it's magic!'"

The Harry Potter Studio Tour in Leavesden recently unveiled its new First Year at Hogwarts summer feature to mark 25 years since Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone.

For Tomkins, the Studio Tour represents the importance of celebrating the unsung heroes in film - those behind-the-scenes that make the magic happen.

"It is that perfect opportunity to show the public all of the detail that goes into the sets and props and costumes and everything else," he pointed out.

"Very often, that's lost on screen, but you can come here and you can get up really close to everything, and see the level of detail. It's an incredible level of detail that was put into everything."

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.

The Harry Potter series will stream on HBO Max.

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