Harry Potter's Toby Jones says fans forget he was Dobby

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Toby Jones voiced the hero house elf in two Harry Potter movies

Harry Potter character Dobby the house elf
(Image credit: Warner Bros)

Harry Potter's Toby Jones has revealed that loads of Potter fans forget he was Dobby in the movies.

Toby voiced the house elf in Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets and Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. But owing to the fact that as the voice of Dobby, his face wasn't on screen, Toby said many people don't remember he was part of the hugely popular franchise.

Indeed, at the recent Hay Festival, he shared an amusing story where he went to the premiere of Chamber of Secrets and there was complete silence when he walked down the red carpet! The Detectorists and Mr Bates vs The Post Office star laughed that his two children wondered what he'd done to upset everyone!

"I took my kids to the premiere of the second film, the Chamber of Secrets, and there were hoards of fans screaming. Kenneth Branagh [who played Gilderoy Lockhart] went through and people screamed, and then Daniel [Radcliffe], more screaming, and then me, utter silence! My children looked up at me, 'What did you do!? Have you embarrassed us in some way?'."

Toby Jones and Mackenzie Crook in Detectorists.

Toby Jones with Mackenzie Crook in Detectorists (Image credit: BBC)

Toby went out to say it "was a lovely thing" to be part of the Harry Potter world and he's very "proud of it". But Toby said that despite the fact many people don't recall he was in the movie he still gets more fan mail for playing Dobby than any of his other roles. “Harry Potter trumps everything with everyone. If I'm lucky enough to get fanmail through the post, it's 4 to 1 Harry Potter."

Dobby of course was a true hero of Harry Potter. In The Chamber of Secrets, Dobby goes against his masters, the Malfoy family, to try to warn Harry that he was in danger from Lord Voldemort, plotting to stop him from going to Hogwarts for the new term as he knew Harry could be killed. In Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 Dobby again came to Harry's aid, rescuing him from being killed at Malfoy Manor. But sadly in the process, Bellatrix Lestrange managed to throw a knife at him which delivered a fatal blow. Harry movingly decided not to use magic as he dug Dobby's tiny grave.

Toby Jones will soon be seen in A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis Story, an ITV true crime drama telling the story of the last woman to be executed in the UK.

David Hollingsworth
David Hollingsworth
Editor

David is the What To Watch Editor and has over 20 years of experience in television journalism. He is currently writing about the latest television and film news for What To Watch.

Before working for What To Watch, David spent many years working for TV Times magazine, interviewing some of television's most famous stars including Hollywood actor Kiefer Sutherland, singer Lionel Richie and wildlife legend Sir David Attenborough. 

David started out as a writer for TV Times before becoming the title's deputy features editor and then features editor. During his time on TV Times, David also helped run the annual TV Times Awards. David is a huge Death in Paradise fan, although he's still failed to solve a case before the show's detective! He also loves James Bond and controversially thinks that Timothy Dalton was an excellent 007.

Other than watching and writing about telly, David loves playing cricket, going to the cinema, trying to improve his tennis and chasing about after his kids!