Gloucester shoot for Harry Potter film begins

Harry Potter fans were cast under the boy wizard’s spell once again today as cameras rolled for the sixth movie in the series.

Cast and crew descended on Gloucester Cathedral this morning to shoot the eagerly-anticipated 'Harry Potter And The Half Blood Prince'.

Star-spotters in the city hope to catch glimpses of a host of A-list celebrities including Daniel Radcliffe, who plays the eponymous hero, Alan Rickman, who plays Professor Snape, and Dame Maggie Smith, who plays Professor McGonagall.

Warner Brothers’ crews pitched up tents around the grounds of the cathedral and neighbouring King’s School last month and have been preparing since.

Film-makers chose the 11th century cathedral as the perfect setting for scenes in Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

This will be the third time the school and cathedral grounds have been used for the Potter movie series – with 'The Philosopher’s Stone' and 'Chamber of Secrets' both filmed there.

Members of the community said they welcomed the attention focused on their city during the filming – and the glitz and glamour that comes with it.

Gloucester city council leader Paul James said: “When it comes to film you don’t get any bigger than Harry Potter. It’s great for the city.

“We get a lot of tourists coming to Gloucester as a result of the previous films being shot here. It certainly puts Gloucester on the map.

“But the filming also gives the local economy a boost. Local people are hired as extras, cast and crew shop in our shops and they eat in our restaurants.

“There’s a real buzz in the city, especially for the youngsters, a lot of whom are big Harry Potter fans.

“Gloucester hasn’t had the greatest time in recent months with the floods, so to have this come to the city now has been perfect timing.”

A total of 174 pupils from King’s School, aged 11 to 18, are starring as extras in the multi million-pound production based on the JK Rowling-penned book.

A spokeswoman for King’s School said: “We’re obviously thrilled to be hosting the sixth film. Some of the sixth-formers were in the previous films and are now in them again, so they’ve grown up with Harry Potter.

“There’s a real buzz at the school, it’s a fantastic time. We’re a strong drama school as well, so it’s a great experience for some of our pupils who are keen to get into acting.”

Filming for 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' started in the UK last September.

The sixth instalment sees Harry’s arch nemesis Voldemort tighten his grip on the wizarding world, as the young wizard works alongside his mentor and headmaster Professor Dumbledore to bring their enemy’s resurgence to an end.

The film is set for UK release on November 21.