We admit it. Every time HBO reveals another little connection between the new Harry Potter series and the original films, the Quizzic Alley team gets ridiculously excited.

And this one is particularly good.

Rafe Spall has officially been cast as Arthur Weasley for Season 2 of HBO’s new Harry Potter television series, which will adapt Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. The first season arrives on HBO Max on Christmas Day 2026.

Who is Rafe Spall?

The 43-year-old English actor has one of those faces you’ve probably seen somewhere. His film credits include Shaun of the Dead, Hot Fuzz, Prometheus, Life of Pi, The Big Short, Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom and Men in Black: International. On television, he starred in Apple TV’s warm-hearted comedy Trying and appeared in the memorable Black Mirror episode White Christmas.

But here’s the bit that made us sit up.

Rafe is the son of Timothy Spall, who played Peter Pettigrew, better known as Wormtail, in the original Harry Potter films. So Wormtail’s real-life son will now play the father of the family whose pet rat Wormtail spent years pretending to be.

That is precisely the sort of ridiculous Potter circle we adore.

And the connections don’t stop there. Rafe’s partner and Trying co-star Esther Smith was part of the original West End cast of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, originating the role of Delphini.

He’s not the only link between old Hogwarts and new Hogwarts

Perhaps the biggest crossover is Warwick Davis, who played Professor Flitwick throughout the original films and is returning to play Professor Flitwick again in the television series. Davis also played Griphook in the films, although that role has now gone to Leigh Gill.

Then there’s Paul Whitehouse, the new Argus Filch. Potter fans with extraordinarily good memories might recognise his name because Whitehouse previously played Sir Cadogan, the enthusiastic knight in the portrait, in Prisoner of Azkaban. Most of his scenes were removed from the theatrical version but appeared among the DVD’s deleted scenes.

And there’s another curious loop with Kit Harington, the new Gilderoy Lockhart. He was already playing Lockhart in the new full-cast Harry Potter audio editions before being cast as him on television.

It feels as though the new series isn’t simply closing the door on the old Hogwarts and starting again. Little threads keep running between the two.

We are very much here for it.

Why has Arthur been cast so late?

He hasn’t, really.

Arthur Weasley doesn’t appear in Philosopher’s Stone, so HBO had no reason to cast him for Season 1. We first meet him in Chamber of Secrets, and Spall’s announcement comes as HBO expands the cast for Season 2. Molly Hewitt-Richards has also been announced as Moaning Myrtle and Jasper Ambrose as Colin Creevey.

Before Spall’s casting, the strongest Arthur Weasley rumour surrounded Grey’s Anatomy star Kevin McKidd. The speculation became loud enough that McKidd addressed it publicly, saying he was a “massive Harry Potter fan” and would “never say never”. Interestingly, McKidd revealed he had actually been offered a role in the final two Harry Potter films years ago but couldn’t take it because of another television contract.

Did Rafe grow up around the Harry Potter films?

We can confirm Rafe occasionally visited his father’s film sets when he was young, but we haven’t found a reliable source confirming that he specifically spent time on a Harry Potter set. By the time Timothy Spall first appeared as Pettigrew in Prisoner of Azkaban, Rafe was already a working actor himself.

Rafe also appears not to have commented publicly yet on being cast as Arthur.

He has, however, spoken beautifully about his father’s influence on his career, describing Timothy as his teacher and saying he remains so “to this day”.

Now the student is entering the same magical world as the teacher.

Just, thankfully, on a considerably nicer side of the family tree.