Fantastic Friends to premiere on CW Network
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Editor
| 21 June 2023
The international distribution arm of factual content specialist Off The Fence (OTF) has revealed that Dash Pictures’ magical travel series Fantastic Friends will see its first season launch and US premiere on 18 July on The CW Network which has also committed to a second season.
OTF Dash 22June2023
Hosted by James and Oliver Phelps, aka the mischievous Weasley twins of Harry Potter fame, Fantastic Friends is part adventure-travel series, part magic-infused challenge show and part a celebration of friendship. It is produced and directed by Emmy Award-nominated filmmaker Daniel Sharp, founder of Dash Pictures and the company’s Agata Pieczynska and executive produced by the Sharp, the Phelps twins and Martin Blencowe.

Each episode sees the twins travel to a destination to meet up with one of their famous friends, who then take on the role of tour guide. The show is filmed in locations including Turkey, the Swiss Alps, Singapore, Australia, Florida in the US, Chile and Patagonia.

Season one featured the twins’ Harry Potter co-stars Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood), Bonnie Wright (Ginny Weasley) and Luke Youngblood (Lee Jordan), as well as Game of Thrones’ Maisie Williams, Outlander’s Sophie Skelton and The Sixth Sense’s Haley Joel Osment. The action moved from Iceland to Ireland, from St Lucia to Dubai, as the twins expanded their horizons and explored new worlds, while engaging in a series of magic-themed challenges and competitions.

The series will see more famous faces from the Harry Potter franchise join the James and Oliver on their travels, including Mark Williams, who played the twins’ father in the films, Matt Lewis, Alfie Enoch, Nat Tena and Stanislav Yanevski. Corey Mylchreest, who plays the young King George in the hit Netflix series Queen Charlotte: A Brigerton Story, will also feature in the second season.

The second season of Fantastic Friends has also been acquired by HBO Max EMEA and Crave in Canada after what are said to have been successful runs of the first season last summer.

Commenting on the commission, Sharp said: "We're extremely happy to see Fantastic Friends land on The CW - a perfect home for it in the US and that we've had this opportunity to create a second season, with an extraordinary ensemble of guest stars, and of course, James and Oliver Phelps. It's a pleasure to continue our collaboration with Off The Fence and grow this second season from 6 to 8 episodes. Myself, Martin, James and Oliver are looking forward to working closely with our broadcast partners to promote the series on The CW, and continue our work with HBO and Crave on the second series."