The IT Crowd’s Katherine Parkinson accepts Harry Potter role, and fans are devastated

A slew of stars have been announced for roles in HBO’s upcoming Harry Potter series, including The IT Crowd actress Katherine Parkinson.

Katherine Parkinson, best known for her role as committed career woman and “Relationship Manager” Jen Barber in The IT Crowd, will star in the new series as Ron Weasley’s sharp-tongued mother, Molly Weasley.

Other castings recently confirmed include Operation Mincemeat star Johnny Flynn as Lucius Malfoy, The Crown’s Bertie Carvel as Cornelius Fudge, The Morning Show’s Bel Powley as Petunia Dursley, and Eric and Ernie star Daniel Rigby as Vernon Dursley.

Yet it appears Parkinson’s casting has caused particular upset, considering the huge number of The IT Crowd fans who became fans of the actress following her career-defining role in the comedy series.

“Slowly losing all respect for anyone involved in this project,” wrote one person in response to news of Parkinson’s casting.

Another wrote: “I’m a huge Katherine Parkinson fan so this is really sad to hear, but I also am not surprised when I hear anyone’s doing this show because a lot of these people don’t consider the optics. It’s a real shame.”

A third requested a “moment of silence” for fans of the Disney+ show Rivals, which Parkinson joined for the first season last year, playing Lizzie Vereker.

I’m so angry and disappointed with everyone involved with this project. https://t.co/mzGjL28Y0W

— Stu (@stu4rtdavid) June 9, 2025

RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Kate Butch perhaps summed up the sentiment best, writing on X/Twitter: “Oh f**k OFF.”

There has been increasing backlash against adult stars who have signed up to appear in HBO’s Harry Potter reboot, considering JK Rowling, who wrote the original novels, will serve as an executive producer on the series.

Rowling has become infamous for views on transgender rights, and recently celebrated the UK Supreme Court’s ruling that the terms “sex” and “women” in the Equality Act 2010 refer to “biological sex” and “biological women”, thus excluding trans women. She dubbed the date of the ruling “TERF VE Day”.

Rowling has also confirmed she’s helped fund gender-critical organisation For Women Scotland, the group which brought the case to the Supreme Court. Therefore, some LGBTQ+ activists feel that by signing up to the Harry Potter series, actors will be helping to line Rowling’s pockets for further investment in similar cases. 

Actor Nick Frost, who has agreed to play Rubeus Hagrid in the HBO show, recently spoke out against Rowling’s views on the transgender community.

In an interview with The Observer, he said that Rowling is “allowed her opinion” but urged that his and her views “just don’t align in any way, shape or form”.

Questioned on whether he thinks the discourse could detract from the series, he added: “I don’t know. But maybe it shouldn’t blow over? We shouldn’t just hope it will go away, because it makes it easier. Maybe we should educate ourselves.”

Paapa Essiedu, who will play Professor Severus Snape in the series, was recently one of 400 TV and film professionals to sign an open letter pledging solidarity with the trans community in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling.

Meanwhile, original Harry Potter film star Tom Felton has sparked backlash after agreeing to reprise his role as Draco Malfoy in Harry Potter and the Cursed Child on Broadway.

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