And in that same world are several familiar faces – not least Gollum, who’s both in front and behind the camera this time, with actor Andy Serkis doubling up as second-unit director. (“Pete can tell me if he’s not happy with something,” he says. “I’m on a big learning curve!”).

Other returnees include Legolas (Orlando Bloom) and Galadriel (Cate Blanchett), the last two absent from the original novel but eminently eligible for face time, as Jackson explains: “We’re not just adapting The Hobbit; we’re adapting a lot of the additional material that Tolkien added to the appendices of The Lord Of The Rings.

“So we’re able to get a lot more into what was going on in the world outside of Bilbo and the dwarves – which is really why it’s ended up being two movies.”