A trip round the sets and sights on the Harry Potter tour is just magic

WE’RE off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of…Potter.

Oz will have to wait for another day as it’s Harry everyone’s wild about all over again. When J.K. Rowling sat down in an Edinburgh café all those years ago, she surely couldn’t have known what she was unleashing on the world.

The bestselling books became a global movie phenomenon and now millions have fallen in love with all things wizarding all over again.

The stage play The Cursed Child was a massive hit and cinemas have just shown the first of a new series of films, Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them.

So we’ve come to see where the Potter and Beasts magic was created.

The Warner Bros. Studio Tour is just outside Watford and we’ve decided to combine celluloid discovery with a bit of capital sightseeing.

With time tight, we need to make every minute count and getting an instant check on our bearings is paramount.

The Coca Cola London Eye is one of the city’s biggest – in every way – attractions.

And our Fast Track passes get us into one of the capsules in no time. Slow and stately is the best way to describe the feel as the River Thames below drops silently away and our trip begins.

Gaining more height, we can see the whole of the capital laid out below us. The Houses of Parliament and Big Ben directly below and St Paul’s are just a couple of the historic icons.

And if you’re not sure about some of the sights, touch-screen displays tell you what you’re looking at.

It’s a brilliant way to pinpoint and plan our route. Before we head off, though, we take a few minutes to check out the free 4D experience with birds swooping, smoke rising and snow falling all across the recreated skyline.

A day of taking in must-sees, from Buckingham Palace to Trafalgar Square follows. And a look at the fun platform 9¾ display at King’s Cross Station sets us up well for the following day’s tour.

Slots are pre-booked – take the train to Watford and catch a 15-minute bus shuttle (£2.50 return) from there – and we’re eager to see what wonders await.

First up is a short film with Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson talking about playing Harry, Ron and Hermione.

The big tour selling point is that it isn’t a mocked-up recreation of what we’ve seen – it’s the actual sets, costumes and props, thousands upon thousands of them, used right here in the eight movies.

And as the cinema screen lifts we’re into the first and by far the biggest of those, The Great Hall.

Going through the doors really is like stepping into the movies. It’s absolutely massive and lined with the tables and settings we’ve seen so often. We can’t help but contrast the tiny first Hogwarts costume worn by 11-year-old Radcliffe to the enormous Hagrid outfit.

It’s so big we hear it not only dwarfed Robbie Coltrane, but even the 6ft 10in rugby player they fitted into it. That little snippet is just one of many from the eager staff at various points around the tour.

It’s said that most people spend three hours on the tour and we can see why. As we peered at Dumbledore’s study, Hagrid’s hut and many more, we could hear excited gasps all around.

A real highlight was the Hogwarts Express belching smoke. And you get the chance to sit in carriages with green-screen effects providing a moving countryside – and similarly ride a flying broomstick.

This is all in one giant sound stage and I’d recommend spending most of your time here and in the outdoor section which includes the Number 4 Privet Drive house you’ll want to be photographed in front of.

The second half of the studio takes less time, but it does have a gigantic model of Hogwarts Castle. Built by 40 artists and crew it was all hand-sculpted with special effects added only to create the final wondrous touches.

As we leave to displays about the new Fantastic Beasts film we can understand why this magic still keeps everyone spellbound.

Facts

Tickets for the Studio Tour must be pre-booked at www.wbstudiotour.co.uk or by calling the attraction’s Visitor Services Team on 0845 084 0900. All extra activities are included in the ticket price which start at £35 for adults.

For all information on the Coca Cola London Eye visit www.londoneye.com