One name leapt out to me when I read the official casting announcement for the Harry Potter TV series — Paul Whitehouse as Argus Filch. And note for the makers, please cast his TV fishing pal and fellow comedy legend Bob Mortimer as Peeves!
To me, Whitehouse is an inspired piece of casting as I can already imagine The Fast Show star perfectly capturing the grouchiness of the Hogwarts caretaker. While Whitehouse might not be a familiar name in America, he's about to become one thanks to this news. Also officially announced are John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape, Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid, and Luke Thallon as Quirinus Quirrell.
I love the casting of Whitehouse so much as it shows that the makers are following the tradition of the movies in casting great British actors. Mind you, like the rest of the new cast, he has a lot to live up to.
David Bradley was superb in the films as cantankerous Filch, who relishes chasing students along the corridors of Hogwarts and hates rule breakers. Bradley captured both the ridiculousness of Filch while also giving the character depth. Whitehouse will certainly be able to capture the comedy side of Filch, although he doesn't quite have the long acting CV that David Bradley has. However, I'm certain Whitehouse can give a hugely entertaining performance. It's a tantalising prospect having Whitehouse's Filch potentially clashing with Nick Frost's Hagrid.
Filch was a great character throughout J.K. Rowling's book series. Every student can relate to having a mean caretaker insisting on stupid school rules being followed. Indeed, there's a great scene in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix where poor Filch nervously wobbles on his ladder as he hammers Umbridge’s educational decree notices onto the wall.
But there's also a tragic side to Filch, who is continually frustrated by the fact that he is a Squib, someone who has no wizarding ability despite being from a magical family. Plus, his only real emotional attachment seems to be to his cat, Mrs Norris.
The new TV series will be a "faithful adaptation of the beloved Harry Potter series", according to its makers. And the big hope from fans is that the TV series will be able to spend more time on each story and thus give us a greater insight into the characters. Filch is just one of the characters who should get more of a look in the TV version.
Bob Mortimer as Peeves?
I'd love for HBO to next announce that Whitehouse’s TV fishing partner Bob Mortimer was being cast as Peeves! Rik Mayall's scenes as poltergeist Peeves were famously cut from the movies, but hopefully the TV series will include Peeves, and Mortimer would surely be brilliant as the mischievous character. We could just imagine Mortimer having a great time singing one of Peeve’s songs!
It's going to be incredibly difficult for the TV series to live up to the greatness of the Harry Potter movies, but with Whitehouse's casting, I feel the makers are going in the right direction.
We're of course still awaiting the big news of who will be playing Harry, Ron, and Hermione...
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