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Harry Potter stars Oliver and James Phelps are bringing a little holiday magic — and a lot of dessert — to TV screens this season.
The twin actors, best known for their mischievous roles as Fred and George Weasley, are back to host season two of Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking, where they cheer on eight teams of bakers whipping up confections inspired by the wizarding world.
The Food Network competition, filmed at the nostalgic Warner Bros. Studios Leavesden (the same set where the brothers spent much of their childhood filming Harry Potter), has quickly become a sweet spot for fans looking to blend nostalgia with comfort-TV coziness.
Warner Bros. Discovery
“It’s like being friends from high school or college or something like that,” Oliver exclusively tells PEOPLE. “You may not see them regularly, but when you’re with each other, it’s like you’re back [to being kids].”
That sense of connection only deepened when the brothers reunited with their former Harry Potter castmate Afshan Azad, who joins the season as a guest judge. “She and I, 20-odd years ago, our banter was just brutal. It was just nonsense,” Oliver recalls with a laugh. “So much so, people used to think we didn’t like each other — but obviously we’re really good friends, we were just at it.”
When it came time to film Wizards of Baking, the old rhythm returned almost instantly. “We were like, ‘So should we be nice now or do we just…?’” Oliver remembers asking Azad. “And she said, ‘No, come on, let’s keep it up!’”
The brotherly humor didn’t go unnoticed by the crew. “We went back to how we were, so it was really funny,” adds James. “And then one of the producers in our ear was like, ‘Is everything okay?’” The twins laughed it off, explaining that for them, the teasing was simply a return to their “safe space.”
“There’s only a handful of people in the cast — well, in the world — who can relate to that specific time of their lives,” James says. “We were very lucky. It was pre-social media, it was pre-eyes of the world on you wherever you went. So we were very lucky to have been able to share that experience at that time.”
Between the friendly ribbing, nostalgia and smell of freshly baked goods wafting through the studio, the experience felt like a reunion wrapped in powdered sugar. “It’s wild to walk those halls again,” James says of returning to Leavesden. “There are moments where you catch yourself remembering scenes from the films, then you look over and someone’s frosting a giant golden snitch cake — it’s surreal in the best way.”
But for all the on-set sweetness, the brothers say the real joy came from learning kitchen tricks from the contestants. “They’d share little tips during breaks — things like how to get your meringue perfect or how to make your chocolate glossy,” says Oliver. “I can’t say we’ve mastered it, but we’ve eaten very well.”
Still, the best recipe might be the one they’ve perfected over the years: a mix of laughter, nostalgia and genuine friendship. “The magic of the show isn’t just the baking,” says James. “It’s that feeling of getting back together with old friends and remembering why it was all so special in the first place.”
So whether you’re tuning in for the sweets, the spells, or the Weasley-level humor, Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking has something for every kind of fan. After all, as the Phelps twins prove, some things — like good banter and great company — only get better with time.
Harry Potter: Wizards of Baking airs Sundays at 8 p.m. ET on Food Network, with episodes streaming the next day on Max and discovery+.
