When Universal Studios announced they were opening a theme park in Bedford earlier this year everyone assumed a large chunk of it would be devoted to Harry Potter.
After all, the upcoming HBO TV series is going to introduce a whole new generation to the delights of the boy wizard, and similar attractions already exist in the US and Japan.
Universal has finally begun work on a Harry Potter attraction at its £5bn Bedford theme park after months of tense rights talks with Warner Bros and JK Rowling[/caption]
But I can reveal that, behind the scenes, work has only just started on the Harry Potter theme park because for the past five months Universal have been locked in negotiations with rival studios Warner Bros and Jk Rowling, who own the rights to the stories.
And since they already have The Making of Harry Potter attraction near Watford – just 30 miles away from Bedford – they had a lot of convincing to do to get them to agree.
An insider said: “It’s not clear exactly what agreement has been reached but Universal now have their creative teams drawing up plans for the Harry Potter attraction in earnest.
“It’s been a tense time during discussions between the rival studios but they feel like it’s been worth it, particularly with the new Harry Potter TV series.”
Universal have yet to publicly confirm the Harry Potter theme park is happening with a spokesman for the studio insisting it was: “still too early in the process to know.”
But excitement is building in tandem with expectations surrounding the TV show, with more images appearing weekly of filming in various locations around London, the UK and even in France.
Most recently Harry, played by newcomer Dominic Mclaughlin, was seen on location in the capital with Nick Frost playing Hagrid.
Though we won’t see the finished series until 2027 and, unless something magically changes, the £5bn theme park is unlikely to open for another four years after that.
Sounds like it will be well worth the wait though.
Actress Liz Hurley has admitted she didn’t meet any of the cast of The Inheritance and filmed her scenes entirely separately.
Talking on the Travel Secrets podcast, she discussed delivering the very short cameos she appears in on the Traitors-style contest, which launched last week and continued last night on Channel 4.
Liz said: “I set them the tasks, all pre-recorded and they all sit around and watch it apparently, I haven’t really seen any of it.
“They shot their bit and I wasn’t there, I shot my bit separately… but I think it’s great, we’ll see.
“We filmed in this beautiful stately home in Dorset and I had beautiful couture dresses and I’m just prancing around being silly really.”
Former Emmerdale star Karl Davies is set to swap the Dales for the classroom as he joins Waterloo Road.
The Robert Sugden actor is being lined up to star as Tony Walters, the estranged husband of Kym Marsh’s character Nicky Walters.
Karl was the third actor to take on the role of Robert and appeared on the ITV soap from 2001 to 2009, when the character fled the village after causing the car accident that killed Max.
Actor Ryan Hawley took on the role in 2014 when Robert moved into Home Farm with a new fiancee, Chrissy.
Karl has been busy on Itv legal drama Kingdom, played Alton Lannister in Game of Thrones and starred in BBC1 drama The Syndicate and gritty smash hit Happy Valley.
Coronation Street legend Sherrie Hewson has hit back at TV’s new trend of slapping trigger warnings on Britain’s best loved comedies. She made her name in Are You Being Served. Sherrie yesterday said: “It’s never occurred to me to be offended – and I was in them!”
The advent of social media has been a real boon when it comes to spilling backstage secrets.
The latest to accidentally leak a spoiler is Lucy Fallon, who sent her fans into a frenzy when she shared a snap online that hinted a former Doctor Who star was joining her on Coronation Street.
The Cobbles favourite posted a selfie from her ITV dressing room, forgetting that in the background was a black mirror labelled Amy Cudden.
Fans were quick to speculate Amy, who played a character called Anita in a 2011 Doctor Who episode called Let’s Kill Hitler, might be joining the soap.
The most common theory is that she’ll be part of an upcoming police corruption plot, possibly as the supposed-deceased wife of Ds Lisa Swain, Becky.
Perhaps Lucy can be good enough to share the script next time.