HBO’s documentary David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived will focus on the life of Daniel Radcliffe’s ‘Harry Potter’ stunt double. The upcoming special debuts on November 15, 2023, at 9 p.m. ET on HBO and will also be available to stream on Max.
David Holmes is a former gymnast who served as headliner Radcliffe’s stunt double, starting with the Sorcerer’s Stone film. His journey in the franchise, however, came to a tragic conclusion while shooting the Deathly Hallows Part 1 following a set accident. The stuntman reportedly broke his neck while performing a stunt and was paralyzed from the chest down.
The documentary will feature “candid personal footage shot over the last decade along with behind-the-scenes material from Holmes’ stunt work.” It also includes “scenes of his current life.” The upcoming special aims to deliver his story via interviews with the former stuntman, Daniel Radcliffe, and his family, among others.
David Holmes accident: What happened to Daniel Radcliffe’s ‘Harry Potter’ stunt double?
BBC reported that David Holmes, who was Daniel Radcliffe’s Harry Potter stunt double for ten years, sustained a severe spinal injury. The incident occurred on set during the shooting of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1 (2010). The stuntman broke his neck while performing a stunt. He was paralyzed from the chest down.
The outlet further stated that Holmes, a teenage gymnast from Essex, England, was 11 years old when he was chosen to play Radcliffe’s stunt double in the first adaptation. He served his role until the stunt rehearsal accident changed his “life forever” in January 2009. The now-42-year-old has been paralyzed from the chest down ever since.
According to The Independent, in a 2014 interview with The Mirror, Holmes revealed details about the incident that changed his life forever. The ex-stuntman said that he was practicing a flying scene at Warner Bros Studios, Leavesden. A high-strength wire pulled him backwards during a “jerk back” stunt to recreate the effects of an explosion-like scene. Sadly, he was thrown into a wall, and the accident immediately broke his neck.
The outlet stated that the stunt double remained at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore, northwest London, for six months. There, he learned about his paralysis and limited movements in his arms and hands.
David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived: Release date, plot, and more about the HBO documentary
Variety reported that the HBO documentary, David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived, premieres on November 15, 2023, at 9 p.m. ET. The project is directed by British filmmaker Dan Hartley. It arrived three years after Daniel Radcliffe and his Harry Potter stunt double, Holmes, started their podcast Cunning Stunts in 2020. Radcliffe also serves as an executive producer in the documentary film apart from making a prominent feature in the same.
The outlet further reported that HBO’s official synopsis for the upcoming special says, “The film is a coming-of-age story of stuntman David Holmes, a prodigious teenage gymnast from Essex, England, who is selected to play Daniel Radcliffe’s stunt double in the first ‘Harry Potter’ film, when Daniel is just 11. Over the next 10 years, the two form an inextricable bond, but on the penultimate film a tragic accident on set leaves David paralyzed with a debilitating spinal injury, turning his world upside down.”
It further reads, “As Daniel and his closest stunt colleagues rally to support David and his family in their moment of need, it is David’s extraordinary spirit of resilience that becomes their greatest source of strength and inspiration.”
The documentary is an HBO Documentary Films production in collaboration with Sky Group and Lightbox/Ripple. It also airs on Sky Documentaries on November 18, 2023.
