Hold onto your skrewts! PotterCast #291 recorded live at the first PodX!

Jun 18, 2019

Posted by: Amanda Kirk

Fans, News, PotterCast, Wizard Rock

PotterCast has been podcasting since 2005, which makes it so ancient and venerable in podcast years, it’s like the Dumbledore of podcasts.

In 2007, PotterCast went on a tour before Deathly Hallows was released, podcasting with live audiences from bookstores around the country.  Podcast tours were not a thing then; PotterCast was in the vanguard in so many ways, they deserve a feature in the next issue of Developments in Divination (available by owl post, published randomly, but you should know when it’s coming out ;-).  So, it’s appropriate that PotterCast has just posted a new episode taped live at the first PodX.

What is PodX?  It’s the world’s first convention dedicated to podcasts.  Appropriate that it was launched by Melissa Anelli, webmistress of Leaky and the pioneering podcaster behind PotterCast.

Speaking of divination, Melissa’s cohost, John Noe, has a history of predicting things casually, facetiously, even mockingly, that later turn out to be true, e.g., when the Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them companion book came out, John quipped that, “In ten years, we’ll be going to the premiere of the Fantastic Beasts movie.”  Ten years later…yeah, it’s kind of creepy.  Is there a Trelawney in his family tree?

This episode features the latest Potter news, including the four new eBooks based on the Harry Potter: A History of Magic exhibit.

There’s also speculation about what J.K. Rowling is writing now.  She dropped off Twitter in January—perhaps a New Year’s resolution to stay away from social media?  She didn’t even pop back online to post her annual “Battle of Hogwarts” anniversary apology for killing a character on May 2.

A long-standing feature of PotterCast was canon conundrums, e.g. Who is RAB?  Is Snape good or bad?  Once the series ended, the canon conundrums were concluded—but not really.  There were (are!) still plenty of open questions to generate continued rumination and discussion, so the conundrums + conclusions = conclundrums.  Now, with Fantastic Beasts, we have the McGonagall age conundrum, and don’t let’s get started on Credence or we’ll be here all day.  Who is he, really?  How is he related to Dumbledore, if at all?

There’s an interview with Brian Ross from wizard rock band Draco and the Malfoys and much more.  We don’t want to spoil all the surprises so start listening now.

If you want to hear new episodes before they are released to the general public, subscribe to the PotterCast Patreon.





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.