What links The Lord of the Rings to Lenny Henry and the Beatles?

As Middle-earth buffs get ready for the new Rings of Power extravaganza, we follow Tolkien down the rabbit hole and find Orson Welles, Michael Gambon and the Fab Four

You might think it is time for something different after all the fantasy worlds in pop culture in recent decades, stretching from the Lord of the Rings trilogy of the early 2000s to Game of Thrones. Another way of seeing it: let’s just do it all over again. Monday brought the premiere of HBO’s lavish Game of Thrones prequel, House of the Dragon (Sky Atlantic). Next week comes The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The massive-budget series based on JRR Tolkien’s universe is financed by one of the world’s own dork Dark Lords, Jeff Bezos, through Amazon.