British actor Andy Serkis, perhaps most famous for bringing The Lord of the Rings' Gollum to life, has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for COVID-19-related charities by streaming himself reading the entirety of The Hobbit.
More than 650,000 people joined what Serkis called a Hobbitathon, raising nearly $550,000 for Best Beginnings and NHS Charities Together.
"So many of us are struggling in isolation during the lockdown," Serkis said.
"While times are tough, I want to take you on one of the greatest fantasy adventures ever written — a 12 hour armchair marathon across Middle Earth whilst raising money for two amazing charities which are doing extraordinary work right now to help those most in need in the UK."
Serkis reprised his role of Gollum in style during the stream, and provided unique voices for a number of other characters, while people followed along on YouTube and Facebook for almost 12 hours.
Earlier this year, Serkis was honoured at the British Academy of Film and Television Awards and presented with the award for Outstanding British Contribution to Film.
Along with The Lord of the Rings, Serkis has also starred in King Kong, Planet of the Apes and some Star Wars films.
