In Harry Potter: Behind The Magic, Ben Shephard goes behind-the-scenes of this global phenomenon to reveal just what went into making the new film, Harry Potter And The Order Of The Phoenix.

The programme features exclusive chats with cast members including Evanna Lynch who plays new character Luna Lovegood; Imelda Staunton who plays Professor Umbridge and Daniel Radcliffe talks about Harry’s first screen kiss opposite Katie Leung who plays Cho Chang.

With exclusive access to Leavesden Studios where the films are made, Harry Potter: Behind The Magic takes viewers on a magical journey around the 180-acre set that covers every one of JK Rowling’s visions.

They include the permanent sets of Harry’s childhood home, Privet Drive, the Gryffindor Common Room, to the brand new scenes for this film of Number 12 Grimmauld Place and the infamous Ministry of Magic.

Some of the most breathtaking scenes in the new film take place at the Ministry Of Magic. It is the biggest set ever built for a Harry Potter film taking 22 weeks to build and including an actual working fountain, 42 glass oil lamps and 12 lifts that not only move up and down but back and forth. It was used for just two weeks before being blown to smithereens in the climax of the film.

Number 12 Grimmauld Place is the secret headquarters of the organisation The Order Of The Phoenix which is led by Dumbledore to fight the death eaters. It is an exact replica of a Georgian house in Islington, London, but in Grimmauld Place it appears by magic from between the two houses either side.

Actor David Thewlis plays Professor Lupin, a member of the Order. He describes the set: “It’s like the most decrepit run down stately home; like an old Chelsea town house that was run by someone out of Pink Floyd, and it’s really gone to seed.”

One of the new characters in the fifth film, Professor Dolores Umbridge, is played by Imelda Staunton. Described by Director David Yates as a ‘genetic splice between Doris Day and Freddie Kruger’, she is sent to Hogwarts by the Ministry of Magic to stop Harry and Dumbledore corrupting the students with the idea that Voldemort has returned.

Daniel Radcliffe said: “Harry really despises her. I think the most significant thing about Umbridge is that she is a baddie coming from a place where the goodies are supposed to be.

“She’s from the Ministry of Magic, which is supposed to be on the side of right, and in this film obviously isn’t. And Umbridge is sort of the Angel of Evil.”

Imelda said: “I don’t think she is evil, per se. She really believes these kids are being exposed to terrible magic and she has to help them.”

Another new, integral character to the fifth film is Hogwarts’ student Luna Lovegood, played by Evanna Lynch. Producer David Heyman reveals they auditioned almost 20,000 people for the role and said: “There were some incredible people, but only one Luna.”

As a huge fan of the Harry Potter books, Evanna has an encyclopaedic knowledge of JK Rowling’s creation.

“I read the books when I was eight and since then I’ve been obsessed with them. That’s what I’m known for at home. Everyone would know me for being the Harry Potter fan. I was at the front of the queue for the last two books,” said Evanna.

One of the main features of the film centres on seeing the wizards duel with their wands in amazing fight scenes. In order to make it look convincing on screen, the actors were taught to wand duel by choreographer Paul Harris, who then teaches Ben Shephard how to wand duel like a true wizard.

Paul said: “We’ve been careful not to allow it to get too flouncy, and it’s quite violent.”

Jason Isaacs, who plays Death Eater Lucius Malfoy, said: ”Sirius and I have a fabulous wand battle, and in order to do that they brought in a dance coach and a fight coach. They invented a vocabulary of physical grammar of what you can and can’t do with the wands – five attacks and five defences.”

Helena Bonham-Carter plays fellow Death Eater Bellatrix Lestrange, and during her fight scenes she even got a wand blister.

“It wasn’t enough just striking a pose,” said Helena. “You really had to do it with intent to hurt.”

It’s not only the adult wizards who get some high octane stunt action in this film; the young Hogwarts’ pupils get a taste of doing stunts themselves during their scenes as members of the DA - Dumbledore’s Army.

“They’re like a guerrilla group of young wizards,” said director David Yates. “Who practice magical skills to help them defend themselves.”

They practice in secret in the Room of Requirement, which the set designers built walled with mirrors and intricate metal work. After the stunts were filmed, it took five special effects artists three months to remove all the crew’s reflections from the mirrors.

All of the crew’s hard work on set is rewarded by priceless moments during filming, and none came with more anticipation for the fifth film than Harry’s first on screen kiss - between Daniel Radcliffe and Katie Leung who plays Harry’s love interest Cho Chang.

Katie said: “I was so nervous, I was a bag of nerves; sleepless nights, the lot. People would continuously come and tell me when it was happening and how they were going to be there watching.

“Everyone who’s worked with Dan was just dying to see this scene, because they wanted to see him grow in to a young adult.”

Daniel said: “The first few takes were the worst. I was pretty nervous and we wouldn’t say anything to each other afterwards, we’d just behave like eight year-olds and get the giggles!”

ITV1 7th July