The Magic of Making People Smile: Wizarding World Stars Raise Money and Spirits During Coranvirus Outbreak

This April, stars of the Wizarding World have been doing their bit to bring people together and raise funds to support those affected by the current coronavirus outbreak in the United Kingdom.

Stephen Fry (narrator of the Harry Potter books in the UK), David Tennant (Barty Crouch, Jr.), and Dawn French (the Fat Lady) recently starred in funny comedy sketches for the BBC’s The Big Night In, which was a collaborative televised fundraiser by British charities Comic Relief and Children in Need.

BBC’s The Big Night In, which aired on Thursday, April 23, brought the two charities together to raise money for and pay tribute to those on the front line fighting COVID-19 and all the unsung heroes going that extra mile to support their communities.

Audiences were wowed when Fry and HRH Prince William starred in a Blackadder sketch, bringing reference to the popular comedy series last seen on screens 31 years ago.

Fry played the role of General Melchett’s grandson, who was advising His Royal Highness on homeschooling. They then led Britain into a nationwide clap for the essential workers on the front line at 8 p.m.

Tennant appeared in a sketch with former Doctor Who costar Catherine Tate that featured Tate’s famous character Lauren from her hit comedy series The Catherine Tate Show.

Playing the role of teacher, Tennant tries to school a belligerent Lauren played by Tate via Zoom. The sketch ends with them creating a TikTok video where they sing along to George Michael’s and Aretha Franklin’s “I Knew You Were Waiting.” (Plus, if you were a fan of Tennant’s Doctor and Tate’s character Donna in Doctor Who, keep a listen out for the reference they sneak in.)

Also making audiences laugh during the fundraiser was French, who revived her role of lovable chocolate-eating vicar Geraldine Granger in the popular British sitcom The Vicar of Dibley.

The sketch saw French’s popular character Geraldine delivering a Dibley Parish update.

BBC’s The Big Night In raised a magical £27,398,678 ($34,045,597) during the course of the evening.

Earlier in the month on April 19, Miriam Margolyes (Professor Sprout) and Rupert Grint (Ronald Weasley) came together to surprise a British midwife during a video call to her family.

The magical moment, which was aired during the UK edition of One World: Together at Home, came as a complete surprise to midwife Sam Halliwell, who was on a video call to her husband and young daughter when all of a sudden British television presenter Claudia Winkleman joined the call.

The surprises kept coming when Margolyes dropped in to the video to invite Halliwell to the set of beloved British period drama Call the Midwife as a thank you for all the hard work she’s currently doing.

Halliwell, who’s having to live in a hotel during these troubled times because she doesn’t want to potentially pass on the virus to her husband, Phoenix, who suffers from a severe kidney illness, was then also surprised when Grint dropped in to offer his thanks and to tell her that a very special thank you was arriving from J.K. Rowling via owl post.

Fry and French were recently revealed as contributors to a charitable book devoted to the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS).

Did you tune in? Or see any of the highlights? Let us know which was your favorite by leaving a comment below.