The Harry Potter Studio Tour in Watford, London to a Harry
Potter fan (I like to call them ‘Potter Nuts’) they would know what prop,
costume and set were used in what film and which particular storyline. To an
‘Anti Harry’ aka moi being close to film sets and special effects made the £30
ticket value for money so to a Potter Nut it must have been priceless.
When the doors opened and we walked into the great hall even
I was impressed – just don’t look up: Spoiler Alert – no roof, that’s where the
computer geeks come into it. I don’t want to spoil the surprises for the Potter
Nuts who haven’t been yet but it took my little group of Nuts three hours to
walk around ‘Hogwarts’ and some of the videos explaining different parts of the
making of the films we didn’t stop to watch them all so this tour could
actually last all day. 
The tour can be spilt into 2 ½ parts. Part One: Sets, costumes, props and an opportunity to fly on a broomstick or the Weasley car and then you can pay £16 for a photo to prove you did it. The more photos you buy the cheaper they are we brought 5 costing just over £5 a photo.
Part 1 ½ is outdoors, Privet Road, the bus, the motorbike
and side car and the bridge where Harry and Voldemort fight it out. It’s where you can try the Butter Beer at
£2.99 for an espresso sized drink (£6.99 if you buy a small beaker with it),
but as it was a freezing March day the tea and coffee was a much better choice
and price.
With Part 2 there were more special effects mainly puppets
and the mechanics on how the puppets/models worked and drawings and cardboard
models showing where the filmmaker’s imagination and skills turned JK Rowling’s
words into a film set. Then just before
the gift shop there is the Hogwarts model – it will take your breath away. These
photos do not do it justice. To me they saved the best till last.
Note to all Potter Nuts save hard because there is a lot
goodies in the gift shop; this is your Disney World. The shop covers everything clothing, toys,
food, mugs, fridge magnets, and if you have worn out your books and DVDs you
know this shop is fully stocked up. A few price examples on what’s on
offer: £25 for a wand (plenty of wands
to choose from) or £4 for a chocolate one.
Only last
winter I went to Edinburgh (my first non-boozy weekend there) and walking
around the steep streets and the castle shaped old buildings on a quiet Sunday
morning I could see where JK Rowling got some of her inspiration. It felt wrong
not to have a cup of tea in the Elephant Café where JR wrote some of her Potter
stories. So I’ve had a tea at where it
all started and now I’ve been to the building where it all ended. Maybe I might watch a few of the films again
to spot the props we saw on our day out.
