Andy Serkis to conduct marathon reading of The Hobbit

Andy Serkis is to read the entirety of J.R. R. Tolkien's novel The Hobbit in an online charity performance.

The British actor, who starred as Gollum/Smeagol in The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, the movie adaptations of Tolkien's fantasy novels set in the fictional world of Middle-Earth, expects to read for 10-12 hours non-stop with no breaks.

Money raised from the 56-year-old's reading will be split between NHS Charities Together, a collection of non-profits helping Britain's National Health Service (NHS), and children's charity Best Beginnings.

Announcing the performance in a post on the GoFundMe website, Andy wrote: "Hi everyone, Andy Serkis here. I want to invite you to come with me on an Adventure... So many of us are struggling in isolation during the lockdown.

"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: Best Beginnings and NHS Charities Together."

Andy's reading will take place from 10 am BST on Friday. A link to the livestream will be posted on a GoFundMe page on the morning of the event.

He also promised fans a "special surprise" if they hit his $123,600 (£100,000) fundraising target.