Harry Potter series casts key characters – with family connection to original films

The Harry Potter HBO series has officially found more of its key cast, with the roles of Arthur Weasley, Moaning Myrtle and Colin Creevey officially being filled.

Trying and Under Salt Marsh star Rafe Spall has been cast as Arthur Weasley, the muggle-obsessed patriarch of the Weasley clan and husband to Molly (Katherine Parkinson).

His role comes years after his father, actor Timothy Spall, played Peter Pettigrew in the original films. Mark Williams played Arthur in the original Potter films.

Meanwhile, Code of Silence star Molly Hewitt-Richards has been cast as teenage ghost Moaning Myrtle, following on from Shirley Henderson, who played her in the original films. Plus, The Sheep Detectives star Jasper Ambrose is set to play young photographer Colin Creevey, a role played by Hugh Mitchell in the films.

They join an already stacked cast for the series, which consists of the new golden trio (Dominic McLaughlin as Harry Potter, Arabella Stanton as Hermione Granger and Alastair Stout as Ron Weasley), as well as a host of established acting talent such as John Lithgow as Albus Dumbledore, Janet McTeer as Minerva McGonagall, Paapa Essiedu as Severus Snape and Nick Frost as Rubeus Hagrid.

Meanwhile, season 2 has seen some casting changes. While Nicholas Hoult was originally due to play Professor Gilderoy Lockhart, he exited the show due to scheduling conflicts. Kit Harington is now set to take over.

The role of Ginny Weasley will also be recast, after Gracie Cochrane dropped out following season 1.

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.

Harry Potter will be available to watch on HBO Max from 25 December 2026.

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Authors

Louise Griffin is the Sci-Fi & Fantasy Editor for Radio Times, covering everything from Doctor Who, Star Wars and Marvel to House of the Dragon and Good Omens. She previously worked at Metro as a Senior Entertainment Reporter and has a degree in English Literature.