Harry Potter New TV Show: 25 Castings That Must Happen

Retrospectively, Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia are two of the worst characters in both the books and the films, and that's not just because of how unlikable they are.

Possibly inspired by the exaggeratedly evil adults in Roald Dahl's books, both were OTT without having much depth, unlike most other Harry Potter villains. Sometimes, a more sympathetic side to Aunt Petunia was hinted at, but this wasn't ever really expanded on.

Similarly, despite excellent performances from Fiona Shaw and the late, great Richard Griffiths, they were one-note characters in the movies too. One hopes that they'll be better written in the show, and two actors who could definitely give more complex renditions of these characters are Mark Addy and Keeley Hawes.

Both look the part, and both have captured the right vibe on other occasions. Keeley Hawes is a very authoritative actress who recently gave a wonderfully nuanced turn as a toxic maternal figure in Russell T Davies' outstanding It's a Sin, while Mark Addy faultlessly captured the brutish energy Uncle Vernon needs in his performance as Robert Baratheon in Game of Thrones.

As for Dudley, they can just find a newcomer. And let's cross our fingers that they leave in his redemption in Deathly Hallows, unlike the movies did.