The voice of Smeagol, from Lord of the Rings and Hobbit movies was done by Andy Serkis. He has just read the entire Hobbit novel, using different voices on Youtube. Around 15,000 viewers watched the first hour of his reading, dubbed the “Hobbitathon”.
“So many of us are struggling in isolation during the lockdown. While times are tough, I want to take you on one of the greatest fantasy adventures ever written, a 12-hour armchair marathon across Middle-earth, while raising money for two amazing charities which are doing extraordinary work right now to help those most in need,” Serkis said in a statement posted to the GoFundMe page. He already raised £100,000 in just a few hours.
It is expected that Serkis will be reading all day, for around 12 hours. The live reading of the novel will likely stay up on YouTube for awhile.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor of the Good e-Reader News Publication and the Good e-Reader Bookstore. He has been chronicling the e-reader and publishing industry since 2007, the year the Kindle was first released. His stories have been picked up by the New York Times, Washington Post and various online news sites.