Christopher Lee is the only cast member who met Tolkien in person.

Howard Shore can be seen standing behind Legolas in the drinking game scene on the Extended Return of the King.

The first person to join the Lord of the Rings fan club in October 2001 and earn himself a place in the credits was... Elijah Wood.

When Legolas says, in Return Of The King, that "The stars are veiled", stars are clearly visible. It's probably an Elvish metaphor.

The fact that Gandalf sleeps with his eyes open comes from a brief mention to that effect in the book.

Women who lusted after Sean Bean on set were dubbed "Beanstalkers". Why, one would consider becoming one just to earn that title!

The production had to build spare sets in case of rain on most locations, so tight was the shooting schedule.

Some effects shots for the Special Edition were finished after the film won the Oscar.

The Mayor of Wellingon threw (fake) severed heads from the walls of Minas Tirith when visiting the set.

The Southron pirates in Return Of The King include DoP Andrew Lesnie, producer Richard Porras, Weta's Richard Taylor and Peter Jackson among their number.

Elijah Wood had Alka Seltzer tablets in his mouth so he'd foam when Shelob stabbed him.

The first internet trailer for The Fellowship Of The Ring was viewed by a then-record 1.7m people in its first 24 hours.

Shelob is based on a New Zealand spider called a "tunnelweb".

Peter Jackson is scared of spiders.