Actor Johnny Flynn, who has been cast as Lucius Malfoy in HBO's forthcoming Harry Potter series, has said private schools should be "burnt to the ground" after describing a traumatic experience at boarding school as a child. The 43-year-old, born in South Africa, said he was sent away to school aged seven and was bullied, and has since spoken of developing nervous tics that he later linked, through therapy, to what he called "boarding school syndrome". His comments add a prominent voice to the ongoing debate about the influence of privately educated figures in British public life.

Flynn made the remarks while discussing his role in the second series of MobLand alongside Tom Hardy, noting that he, Hardy and executive producer Guy Ritchie were all privately educated, and argued it was problematic when "the only stories being told are by the same set of public school guys". He attended Pilgrims' School in Winchester from age eight on a music scholarship before moving to Bedales School. Pilgrims' said it was "saddened" by accounts of difficult experiences and that its safeguarding and pastoral approach had evolved significantly. Despite his views, Flynn is set to play Lucius Malfoy, taking over from Jason Isaacs, when HBO's new adaptation premieres on Christmas Day.