Dumezweni and McElhone to read Canongate audiobooks

Olivier Award-winning actor Noma Dumezweni and "Designated Survivor" actress Natascha McElhone have been commissioned by Canongate to narrate two new audio titles for release this autumn: Father Christmas and Me by Matt Haig, and The Widow Basquiat by Jennifer Clement.

McElhone will give voice to Father Christmas and Me, the final book in Matt Haig’s popular children’s trilogy. The audiobook will be released alongside the hardback and e-book editions on 12th October. McElhone adds her voice to those of Stephen Fry and Carey Mulligan, who narrated the previous books in the series: A Boy Called Christmas and The Girl Who Saved Christmas. Haig's festive series has combined sales of over 150,000 copies and has been sold to more than 23 foreign countries.

Dumezweni, best known for playing the role of Hermione in "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child", will bring life to Jennifer Clement’s already published The Widow Basquiat. A "powerful and moving" exploration of the life of artist Jean-Michel Basquiat through the eyes of his muse, the audiobook will be released on November 11th. Basquiat is currently the subject of an exhibition at London's Barbican Centre, which will run until January 2018.

The news follows the promotion of Jo Lord to Canongate audio and online sales manager last month.