Mugglecast: The Harry Potter Podcast

Welcome Slug Club member Shyam! He, too, has gotten a letter from the author! MuggleMail includes MORE casting of gingers, Sorting Hats, Slytherins and Aussies. Could the eventual Potter TV show be on network television, rather than a streaming app? Our main discussion this week is about orphans in literature! Why are there so many, and how are they alike? Are there benefits for authors wanting to start a hero off with a blank slate that makes orphaning them appealing? How does Harry's orphan status affect him? What would change if Lily and James survived? What about Voldemort? He, too, is an orphan, but he and Harry are so different, or are they? We examine some other notable orphans: Batman, Superman, Anna and Elsa from Frozen, James Bond and even Jane Eyre! For Quizzitch: Who invented the spell Muffliato?? You can join our community at Patreon.com/MuggleCast (http://www.patreon.com/mugglecast) and receive magical benefits, including Bonus MuggleCast! This week's episode is brought to you by Beach

Andrew's prophecy comes true... almost! Hogwarts Legacy (https://www.hypable.com/harry-potter-rpg-hogwarts-legacy-announced-for-playstation-5/) is coming to a video game console near you in 2021! What are our initial reactions to the trailer for this open-world video game? We offer some suggestions on what fans can do who are hesitant about purchasing this game. Muggle Mail covers The Pizza Wizard, The Lost Day, Neville, Sirius, a Harry Potter television station and more! Main Discussion: Fantasy Casting The Harry Potter Television Series Peeves, Professor Binns, Ludo Bagman, Augusta Longbottom and The Gaunts: we cast the characters from the books that never made it on screen! Who would play the Founders? Would James Cosmo or Paul Giamatti make a better Gryffindor? Would you cast Viola Davis or Indira Varma for Ravenclaw? John Malkovich as Slytherin? Rebel Wilson as Hufflepuff? In recasting the trio of Harry, Ron and Hermione, can the Potter series catch lightning in a bottle twice? Who did the hosts

Muggle Mail answers some of our questions regarding Neville's sorting, and asks why Harry isn't more grateful to Lupin. This week the hosts ask, What are key, never-before-seen moments from the Harry Potter books that we want to see adapted in the TV series? This is our chance to FINALLY see some critical scenes that never made it into the books or films! Andrew kicks things off with light and grim moments: The creation of the Marauders Map, and the entire night of James and Lily's deaths. Will we finally get to see Azkaban in person, and answer how grown wizards interact with Dementors? What about Moody being overtaken by Pettigrew and Crouch, and other Death Eater things? Fresh off our Order of the Phoenix re-read, Laura asks that we see where Dumbledore ran off to. Will the show track Snape becoming the HBP? What about Dumbledore searching for Horcruxes? What scenes might we see in a future Fantastic Beasts film? What pizza toppings exist in the Wizarding World? Hippogriff? Niffler? Bowtruckle? Mi

We take a deep dive into Harry and Neville’s parallel journeys throughout the Harry Potter series Muggle Mail covers how you correct someone who is wrong about Harry Potter, Snape fan fiction and more The Chronicles of Narnia, Lord of the Rings and King Arthur: the hosts share some of their favorite stories influenced by cultural artifacts Let's get religious (not really)! We compare Harry to Jesus and Neville to John The Baptist Linked from the start via prophecy, did anyone suspect pre-Order of the Phoenix that Neville would prove to play such a significant role? The hosts share their Favorite Neville Moments from the Harry Potter Series A book-by-book analysis of Harry and Neville's journeys Were Harry and Neville's upbringing really all that dissimilar? We discuss Harry and Neville both being orphaned and having their parents taken from them by Voldemort and the Death Eaters Harry and Neville both kill a giant snake... with the Sword of Gryffindor... pulled from The Sorting Hat! Snape has quite

This week, to celebrate a new term on September 1, we're rating every professor of Hogwarts School! How do the DADA professors measure up with one another on quality and on difficulty? We offer individual grades to help us compare them all. How about Potions? Is Slughorn a higher quality instructor than Snape? We all have high marks for McGonagall, but what about Dumbledore, who we saw teach in Fantastic Beasts? We set a Seer against a Centaur and wrap up with Charms, Herbology, and History of Magic. Finally, a shout-out to the non-professor teachers of Harry, like Arthur Weasley. We confirm our suspicions with MuggleCast's listener poll (https://www.mugglecast.com/who-are-the-most-effective-professors-at-hogwarts-vote-now/) results Quizzitch: How many Podcast Awards has MuggleCast received? You can join our community at Patreon.com/MuggleCast (http://www.patreon.com/mugglecast) and receive magical benefits, including Bonus MuggleCast! This week, because two clearly wasn't enough, each hosts covers th

20 Years Ago: Dan, Emma and Rupert were announced to play Harry, Ron and Hermione Sorcerer's Stone surpasses $1 billion at the box office as theaters reopen in China Fantastic Beasts 3 set to resume filming in September -- will the movie's release date be delayed? Main Discussion: The Best Chapters of the ENTIRE Harry Potter series, and why these are our favorites! What makes a good Harry Potter chapter? Pivotal moments? Action? Suspense? World expanding moments? Hindsight? The ability to connect the threads? We discuss. Which book(s) didn't have any chapters make our final cut? It's not you, it's us! Each of the hosts share their two top picks from the Potter series Listeners weigh in with overwhelming support for... Goblet of Fire! Quizzitch: Who wrote the Standard Book of Spells: Grades 1-7? Don't forget! You can join our community at Patreon.com/MuggleCast (https://www.patreon.com/mugglecast) and receive magical benefits, including Bonus MuggleCast! This week, because two clearly wasn't enough, e

Welcome to the show Marissa, co-author of MuggleNet's new Character Compendium (https://www.mugglenet.com/2020/06/the-unofficial-harry-potter-character-compendium-is-mugglenets-first-book-in-over-a-decade-get-yours-now/) , available now in bookstores everywhere! MuggleMail has Umbridge fever! An e-mail from Matt suggests actress Olivia Coleman for the future role of Umbridge in a Harry Potter TV series! Here is a highlight reel (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3r_Id78ck) for your consideration. Should MuggleCast make Umbridge pillows that you can punch? And, finally, a mention of Umbridge from Half-Blood Prince is brought to our attention. In our Main Discussion, we ask Marissa about the creation of The Unofficial Harry Potter Character Compendium: MuggleNet's Ultimate Guide to Who's Who in the Wizarding World (https://amzn.to/3kP0ibP) . How did this book come about, how did they gather information on over 700 characters, and which characters stood out to her in her research?! Special sections in the Ba

News: The Harry Potter film series is moving to Peacock and leaving HBO Max. Muggle Mail covers Potter People The Podcast (https://www.buzzsprout.com/1248779) and an interesting fan fiction about Voldemort's return! (https://www.fanfiction.net/s/12924292/181/A-Second-Chance) It's our Order of the Phoenix Rewind episode! Acceptable. Troll. Exceeds Expectations. Just how good were our 7-Word Summaries during Chapter-by-Chapter? The grades are in! Dumbledore vs. Voldemort. The Lost Prophecy. Harry's trial. What were the Top 7 Most Critical Moments of Order of the Phoenix? We take a Time Turner back to 2003! What were fans theorizing most about between the Order of the Phoenix and Half-Blood Prince book releases? From Peter Pettigrew to Dumbledore's mysterious absence, what burning questions did Order of the Phoenix and the final two books leave unanswered? Luna Lovegood. Dolores Umbridge. Bellatrix Lestrange. We discuss Order of the Phoenix's Most Notable New Characters and how they translated on screen!

SPOILER WARNING: Do not listen if you haven't finished Book 6 yet, but today we're celebrating 15 YEARS OF MUGGLECAST! Welcome back everyone's favorite Brit, Jamie! He has some huge life updates for everyone. Why in the world did we ever decide to start a podcast? Who is this mystery "Sarah" person? We dig deep into the archive to roll clips from Episode 1! Were our predictions any good? Or totally wrong? From Steve Jobs to David Heyman to Pickle Pack and more, Andrew, Eric, Micah, Laura and Jamie share their favorite MuggleCast Moments! The hosts give their best fandom moments and top Potter news items over the last 15 years What will be the state of the Harry Potter fandom 15 years from now? We think the current state of the Star Wars and Marvel fandoms should clue us in. Make The Music Connection returns, with music from 2005! Why we still love doing MuggleCast after all this time...and... British Joke of the Day! After the outro, listeners share their favorite moments from over the years This w

It's our final Chapter-by-Chapter episode! The reading archive (https://www.mugglecast.com/harry-potter-chapter-chapter-analysis-archive/) is now complete! Congratulations to our recent Quizzitch Live winners Morg97, Molly, Melissa, Kate, and Kiran. Eric has a new podcast, Thank You For Spieling (https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/thank-you-for-spieling-podcast/id1521109520) ! Find it on your favorite podcast app. MuggleMail includes Occlumency lessons, the Marauders watching Snape and Lily, and whether you can grow out of reading Harry Potter books. Chapter-by-Chapter (https://www.mugglecast.com/harry-potter-chapter-chapter-analysis-archive/) CONCLUDES with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Chapter 38: Second War Begins 7-Word Summary: Hogwarts is not the most safe space  Fudge's behavior following Voldemort's return leaves the hosts all bothered. What really happened to Umbridge, and how did Dumbledore leave the Forest unscathed? Malfoy means business, but is his anger misplaced? Snape

Our next Quizzitch Live is Tuesday, July 21 - The topic is Deathly Hallows! Harry Potter at Home (https://www.wizardingworld.com/collections/harry-potter-at-home) has wrapped up their chapter readings for Book One. In Muggle Mail, the hosts are asked how Harry Potter led them to branch out into being a fan of other things. We debut a brand new listener-inspired segment, Wizard Court! Bellatrix is on trial for killing Sirius. Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Chapter 37: The Lost (?) Prophecy 7-Word Summary: Dumbledore tells Harry some of the truth  A portrait tells Harry that Dumbledore thinks highly of him. What do we think? Dumbledore says, "I know how you're feeling, Harry." But does he? At multiple times, Dumbledore refers to his own age while seeking forgiveness from Harry. Is this fair? Do we blame Kreacher, or do we blame wizards, including Sirius, for Kreacher's betrayal? Snape has shows his heroic side, but Dumbledore is keeping his secret from Ha

Our next Quizzitch Live will be Tuesday, July 21 - An installment themed around the Deathly Hallows book! Muggle Mail covers Kreacher, the Department of Mysteries, The Veil, Lupin and more! Which came first, the Ministry or The Veil? Listeners weigh in with their thoughts! We debut a new game... Guess. That. Book! Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Chapter 36: The Only One He Ever Feared 7-Word Summary: Voldemort is trying to kill Harry Potter Neville consoles Harry following Sirius' death The Cruciatus Curse: can Harry actually perform it? What factors into one's ability to cast an Unforgivable Curse? Intent? Age? Character? Bella, Bella, Bella! Dumbledore vs. Voldemort... and the entrances fans have always wanted! What does Dumbledore mean by "we both know there are other ways of destroying a man?" Is it a hint towards Horcruxes or his own personal life struggles? The Symbolism of the Fountain of Magical Brethren How does Dumbledore’s magic work both i

News covers the latest chapter of Sorcerer's Stone (https://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters/reading-the-mirror-of-erised) with Matthew Lewis and Imelda Staunton. Plus, an update on the Harry Potter RPG (https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2020-06-29/harry-potter-game-developers-rattled-by-j-k-rowling-backlash) ! Chapter-by-Chapter continues with Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix – Chapter 35: Beyond The Veil 7-Word Summary: Sirius falls through the unknown to death  Our initial impressions of Bellatrix Lestrange Dreams vs. Reality: Where’s Sirius, and how can you tell what's a dream and what's not? What do we make of Harry’s leadership in his first real battle?  Why didn't Voldemort just infiltrate the Ministry himself? Was Dumbledore’s plan to keep Harry out of the loop a good one? "Accio, Prophecy!" - are we being for real now? We reminisce about The Broken Prophecy and the theories that followed The Evolution of Neville Longbottom: Why is this the chapter where he really comes into hi

News covers The Blair Partnership controversy and suspended Chapter Readings This week: It's a double dose of Chapter-by-Chapter (https://www.mugglecast.com/harry-potter-chapter-chapter-analysis-archive/) ! First up, Order of the Phoenix – Chapter 33: Fight or Flight 7-Word Summary #1: Centaurs react aggressively to Hermione’s faulty argument Did Umbridge fail to search Hagrid's Hut after she gave him the boot? Leading Umbridge into the Forbidden Forest: was it Hermione's top Gryffindor moment? Listeners weigh in with their thoughts. Umbridge vs. The Centaurs: What happened to Umbridge when she was attacked by the Centaurs? For additional information on Centaurs and what may have happened to Umbridge, check out: GreekMythology.com (https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Centaur/centaur.html) , Kialo.com (https://www.kialo.com/in-greek-mythology-a-main-characteristic-for-centaurs-is-that-they-take-away-human-women-and-rape-them-jk-rowling-knows-15795.2) , and Pandova University Press (https://ij

International football star David Beckham joins actor David Tennant to read the Quidditch chapter (https://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters/reading-quidditch) of Book One. And now viewing this requires a login? The MuggleCast 15th Anniversary T-Shirt is here! Just one week left (http://www.patreon.com/mugglecast) to become a Patron at the Dumbledore’s Army level or higher to get yours! MuggleMail topics include exams in other countries, the secrecy surrounding the prophecy, and whether Hagrid had a battle assist from Dumbledore (sorry McGonagall!) Chapter-by-Chapter (https://www.mugglecast.com/harry-potter-chapter-chapter-analysis-archive/) continues with Order of the Phoenix - Chapter 32: Out of the Fire 7-Word Summary: Umbridge catches heroes using losers for hire Hermione's point about Sirius and Voldemort is a good one - why doesn't Harry listen? Why doesn't the trio think of Snape before they're caught? The pitfall of Hermione bringing up Harry's "Saving People Thing" Here *lies* Kreacher, Mwahaha

On this special edition of MuggleCast, the hosts are joined by Dr. Sarah Steelman (Marriage & Family Therapist, Ph.D., LMFT) to discuss J.K. Rowling's recent tweets and open letter regarding trans people. We review her statements and why so many of them are wrong, share responses from around the Harry Potter community, and analyze our own feelings. Given the sensitive nature of this conversation, please be aware that this episode carries a trigger warning. Below is a list of resources referenced in our show, for both those individuals looking to better educate themselves as allies and for those who are personally affected by recent events. If you're a LGBTQ person who needs to speak to someone: The Trevor Project: 866-488-7386 Trans Lifeline: 877-565-8860 Other resources: Follow Dr. Sarah Steelman on Twitter (https://twitter.com/sarahmsteelman?lang=en) , and read her Medium blog post (https://medium.com/@sarahsteelmanphd/making-the-choice-between-what-is-right-and-what-is-easy-speaking-out-against-j-k-1

MuggleCast opens with a listener email addressing current events in America. Also, please note we recorded this episode before JKR's latest hurtful tweets. Some suggested recommendations and resources that can help us all learn: Understand racism doesn't "go away" - it mutates. Learn from organizations like The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (https://civilrights.org/) , The Vera Institute of Justice (https://www.vera.org/) , The National Civil Rights Museum (https://www.civilrightsmuseum.org/) , The Innocence Project (https://www.innocenceproject.org/) , and The MBK Alliance (https://www.obama.org/mbka/mentor/) . Everyone has biases , many of them unconscious - find ways to confront your implicit biases (https://implicit.harvard.edu/implicit/selectatest.html) Amplify the voices of people of color, but recognize when to be quiet and listen VOTE for candidates and legislation that will hold authorities accountable Visit Ethel's Club, (https://twitter.com/ethelsclub/status/1267578405949779969?s=

There is a new children's story (https://www.theickabog.com/read-the-story/) from JKR, and she's releasing fresh chapters every week day! All eight Harry Potter movies have been made available for streaming on HBO MAX. In Bonus MuggleCast, available now on Patreon, the hosts and listeners share their go-to HP films, and Micah tears apart Deathly Hallows, Part 2. The MuggleCast 15th Anniversary T-Shirt is here! Become a Patron (http://www.patreon.com/mugglecast) by June 30 at the Dumbledore’s Army level or higher to get yours! MuggleMail topics include Sirius' relationship with Harry, bullying at Hogwarts, and Snape's maturation process. Chapter-by-Chapter (https://www.mugglecast.com/harry-potter-chapter-chapter-analysis-archive/) continues with Order of the Phoenix - Chapter 30: Grawp 7-Word Summary: Hagrid reveals another giant secret mistake, Grawp Hogwarts professors and students are in open rebellion. Who put the Niffler in Umbridge's office? Harry comes clean about the Triwizard Winnings Can Harry be exp

Welcome Slug Club member Ryan! WizardingWorld.com's reread continues with Eddie Redmayne (https://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters/reading-the-letters-from-no-one) and Stephen Fry (https://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters/reading-the-keeper-of-the-keys) The MuggleCast 15th Anniversary T-Shirt is here! Become a Patron (http://www.patreon.com/mugglecast) by June 30 at the Dumbledore's Army level or higher to get yours!  Muggle Mail covers lots of feedback on Snape's Worst Memory Chapter-by-Chapter (http://www.mugglecast.com/harry-potter-chapter-chapter-analysis-archive/) continues with Order of the Phoenix – Chapter 29: Career Advice 7-Word Summary: Harry speaks to McGonagall about career opportunities Harry struggles with what he saw in Snape's Worst Memory Why doesn't Harry consult Hagrid or Professor McGonagall about his concerns? Harry wonders how James and Lily Potter could have fallen in love We discuss the importance of Ginny and the chocolate Easter Egg Harry isn't half bad at Potions when Snape isn't bre

WizardingWorld.com is hosting a video reread of Sorcerer's Stone and Daniel Radcliffe kicks things off (https://www.wizardingworld.com/chapters/reading-the-boy-who-lived) ! Don't miss Quizzitch Live: The Goblet of Popcorn next Sunday, May 17 (11 am ET)! The MuggleCast 15th Anniversary T-Shirt is here! Become a Patron (http://www.patreon.com/mugglecast) by June 30 at the Dumbledore's Army level or higher to get yours!  Muggle Mail covers Ministry toilet access, Hermione's advice to Harry and memory perspective! Chapter-by-Chapter (http://www.mugglecast.com/harry-potter-chapter-chapter-analysis-archive/) continues with Order of the Phoenix – Chapter 28: Snape's Worst Memory 7-Word Summary: Discoveries are difficult to watch in Pensieve  Why didn't Professor McGonagall take over as Headmistress? We reveal something in Hogwarts that ISN'T a security nightmare! The Inquisitorial Squad The Weasley Twins, their loyalty to Dumbledore and their ability to perform exceptional magic Connecting The Threads between Montag