If you like Harry Potter and/or you're interested in the history of magic, you're in for a real treat this Saturday, 28 October. A documentary focusing on the British Library's new exhibition is to be broadcast on BBC2, at 21:00. It features the Library's curators, famous actors, wandmakers and a certain well-known author, and it's called, just like the exhibition, Harry Potter: A History of Magic. (The documentary is now also available on the BBC iPlayer.) We think you just might want to watch it, and hopefully you'll be eager to see the exhibition afterwards.

The artwork of the British Library exhibition, Harry Potter: A History of Magic, showing Jim Kay's fantastic illustration of a phoenix

Here, to give you a taster of the television programme, are two short clips, including an introduction to a rather special scroll and the story behind the incantation 'Abracadabra'.

Harry Potter, as illustrated by the brilliant Jim Kay, whose original artwork is on display in the British Library exhibition

 

The television documentary Harry Potter: A History of Magic

Saturday, 28 October

BBC2, 21.00–22.00

 

The exhibition Harry Potter: A History of Magic

The British Library, London

until 28 February 2018

 

Julian Harrison (Lead Curator, Harry Potter Exhibition and Medieval Historical Manuscripts)

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