Meryl Streep and Taika Waititi lead all-star readings of Roald Dahl for charity

Cate Blanchett and Lupita Nyong’o are also involved in the initiative

Meryl Streep and Taika Waititi (Getty)

A group of celebrities including Meryl Streep, Taika Waititi and Benedict Cumberbatch are giving readings of Roald Dahl’s novel James and the Giant Peach, in a new series that raises money for the coronavirus relief effort.

The series, which is airing on YouTube, also features readings by Chris and Liam Hemsworth, Ryan Reynolds, Cate Blanchett and Lupita Nyong’o, among many more.

Waititi narrates the story, while the other celebrities voice the characters. In episode one, the Hemsworth brothers play Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker. Streep and Cumberbatch take on the roles of the villains in the second instalment.

The initiative is intended to raise money for global health non-profit Partners in Health.

Waititi said James and the Giant Peach, in which a little boy goes on an adventure with enormous, magical insects, is a “wacky, wonderful tale” about “resilience in children, triumph over adversity and dealing with a sense of isolation which couldn’t been more relevant today”.

He added: “Being an adult child myself and having read James and the Giant Peach to my girls multiple times, I’m excited to be able to partner with my friends, the Dahl team and PIH and retell this story to help those most in need right now.”

It was recently announced that a roster of celebrities, including Daniel Radcliffe and David Beckham, would read JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone in its entirety.