Review: A BSL tour of Warner Bros. Studios – the making of Harry Potter (BSL)

At the end of October, my family and I took a trip to the Warner Bros. Studios London to see the making of Harry Potter. It was a celebratory trip, marking our wedding anniversary and our children were especially excited to step into a world of wizarding magic.

Prior to booking, I enquired online about the accessibility of the tour and explained that 3 of us were BSL users. I was told that we could request a BSL interpreter (subject to their availability) and/or we could use an electronic tablet which had English transcripts for the two rooms in the studios that were not captioned.

We opted for the interpreter alone, anticipating the usual sort of translation service – boy were we in for a pleasant surprise!

Meeting us at reception was an interpreter called Helena. A freelance terp by trade, she told us how she regularly works at the studios and it was evident across the next four hours just how much she knew!

From the moment we first stepped into the studios and began the tour, Helena guided us with enthusiasm, incredible knowledge and insight. She engaged with our children well, encouraging us to grab perfect photo opportunities and led us around each room swiftly and expertly.

I soon realised, this wasn’t just a BSL ‘interpreted’ tour, it was a BSL tour with an expert who was fluent in sign language and amazingly informed about Harry Potter!

The studios itself were a joy to behold. Seeing the actual sets as they were filmed, we were able to enjoy the scale and detail of it all immensely. The Great Hall was my personal favourite, and my husband and I were honoured to be the chosen two to open the huge doors for us all to enter.

There were opportunities to learn about the writing, prop making, actors, costume design and even the animals that worked on set. There were captioned screens, interactive activities and immersive sets that made you feel like you had been transported to the world that JK Rowling created.

One perk of being led around with a BSL guide was that we were able to queue jump in order to stay with our guide and get the best, most accessible views of any screen showings. We were also given priority for all of the experiences, such as riding on a broomstick, sitting in the train carriages and having creative videos taken.

The only thing that wasn’t so accessible was the cafe area. As our interpreter went for a break and we lined up to grab a taste of the infamous Butterbeer, we found ourselves met with cashiers that were hard to lipread and without any screens to point to in order to state what we wished to order.

We were able to use our phone to indicate what our order was, but if the studios did want to improve their accessibility even more, I would encourage them to look at access for deaf customers when ordering food and drinks, especially as it was so busy.

I loved seeing the vehicles used in the Harry Potter films, walking around Privet Drive and even coming face to face with a Death Eater! The whole experience was vivid, exciting and ever changing as you moved from the first building to the second.

Our interpreter was able to share with us the top trade secrets about making Harry Potter, things that perhaps hearing visitors didn’t find out on the tour, and she also summarised lots of written text for us, telling us the juicy bits – so that we didn’t have to spend so much time reading display boards.

From stepping in front of the Esired mirror, taking a stroll in Dumbledore’s office, walking through Gringotts, dodging the Dark Arts in Diagon Alley and wandering through the Forbidden Forest to see the magical creatures… we were surprised and delighted by it all.

Our tour was summarised with a behind the scenes studio that delved into the making of each character, showing the silicone masks, costume design and finally the wonderfully grand model of the entire Harry Potter school and surrounding landscape.

We actually arrived at the studios at 6pm and by 10pm that evening, we were only just leaving the gift shop – and could have happily stayed much longer!

If you’re thinking about a trip to the studios yourself, you will not be disappointed. If you’re also deaf or a BSL user, make sure you contact them before hand to state your access needs and I’m sure you will be equally delighted by the whole experience.

I would visit the studio again in a heartbeat – and perhaps next time in full Harry Potter uniform!

By Rebecca A Withey

Disclaimer: this review is not a paid promotion nor did we receive any complimentary tickets to the studios.