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November 20, 2023

Daniel Radcliffe stunt double David Holmes calls for better wheelchair access at gigs

He was partially paralysed during an on-set accident for the Harry Potter films in 2009

Stunt double David Holmes, who stood in for Daniel Radcliffe in the Harry Potter films but was paralysed during an on-set accident, has criticised the lack of access for disabled people at music venues around the country.

Holmes, who remains good friends with Radcliffe, is the subject of a new documentary on Sky and NOW called David Holmes: The Boy Who Lived. In it, he describes the accident in January 2009 during a pre-production test for Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows that left him seriously injured and partially paralysed. Despite his condition worsening since then, he has taken up car racing, launched a production company and started a podcast with Radcliffe which aims to raise awareness of the risks stunt actors face. However, he has struggled to attend music events with friends who are also wheelchair users.

“Finding tickets for two wheelchair users to be next to each other in a concert is rare as rocking horse shit,” he told NME in an exclusive interview. “It’s hard for people with a disability to engage and get those experiences when we’re fighting 1500 wheelchair [users] and there’s only five spots in the accessible area.”

He continued: “I tried to go and see [DJ and producer] Fred Again.. at Brixton Academy, an inaccessible venue, just before he blew up. It broke my heart because he’s now the most in-demand person.”

He told NME that “one day, I will get in a bed and I won’t get out of it”, but he is determined to accomplish much before then. Currently, he is keen to start working on is a wheelchair-accessible music festival.

“I want to call it Fest-able,” he said. “It needs to be on the right grounds. And we would like wheelchair spots all the way down on a gradual slope with flat areas and then the centre of it. So no one stands up in front of wheelchair users – and then the standing bit would be right in front of the stage.

“I watch Glastonbury every year and cry. I would love that connection, the community of people that brings people together… When you’ve lost as much feeling as me, anything that makes you feel… you’re reaching for. Music does that for me.”

He added: “Me and my friends are all wheelchair users… And you can’t get five of us together and all get a ticket [to a gig] and all go and share that experience together.”

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