On our side of the pond (the rioght-hand side), Stephen Fry has read Harry Potter; haven't heard them, but I'd expect it to be very good. Many UK actors have excellent reading voices, though some are a surprising disapointment. The late Michael Hordern did the voice-over on the BBCs Paddington Bear tv series, as well as voicing Gandalf in the marvellous 80s Lord of the Rings dramatisation, and a brilliant Jeeves to Richard Briers' equally brilliant Wooster, both on Radio 4. Shame MH never did any books; don't know about RB; Michael Frayn is v good. Who's the tall snooty woman, cut-glass accent, big hair, who works with Victoria Wood? She's the one who wasn't too brill on the Pratchett (see my other post). And Jane Asher[? -- does all those cookery books for kids] has done some wonderful children's stories, perfectly good enough for adult consumption. Some of the Patrick O'Brians have been done well by Robert Hardy. Stephen King (there -- he's an American!) reads his own works really well (the Maine accents are very convincing!)

Steve