The Stage

Potted Potter

Published Tuesday 15 December 2009 at 12:45 by Scott Matthewman

There is something gloriously childlike about the glee with which CBBC presenters Dan Clarkson and Jeff Turner throw themselves into their reduced retelling of JK Rowling’s series of Harry Potter books. Not for them the faux seriousness of the ‘adult’ hardback editions: they are devotees of the novels as children’s fare, and quite right too.

The pair slip into their predefined roles easily: Turner is the Potter expert who knows every book inside out while Clarkson’s attention deficit means that he is amusingly clueless. Their presence is so engaging that no-one cares on the occasional instances when the roles are reversed.

Halfway through the show, the death of Cedric provides an opportunity for the pair to also poke fun at the Twilight franchise. Clarkson’s frenetic retelling of the first film lasts roughly thirty seconds and yet contains all the major plot points, further accentuating how much deeper Rowling’s work is compared to with what has followed.

Turner’s delivery when on script does occasionally come across as a little forced, with his own comic timing only really in evidence when improvising. As straight man for Clarkson’s wilder flights of fancy, though, he is superb, and contributes to the show being a treat for Potter fans of all ages.