Culture, Media & Creative Industries @ Kings

Dr Richard Howells was live on Sky News this morning being interviewed about the Harry Potter phenomenon.

He argued that there had been a hugely successful commercial synergy between the books, films and merchandising. JK Rowling’s strengths were in plot rather than character, dialogue or description. She was like Dan Brown for the younger generation: not necessarily Dostoyevsky, but someone who really knew how to make you want to start the next chapter…

Whatever her literary strengths and weaknesses, she had had an entirely positive effect in encouraging young people to read.

And no, he doesn’t know how it ends!