BBC announces voice cast for CBeebies animated sitcom Nikhil & Jay

BBC Children’s and Education announces the cast of new animated family sitcom Nikhil & Jay, based on books by Chitra Soundar and following the adventures of two Indian-British brothers and their adorable family.

British Tamil actress Charithra Chandran leads an authentic voice cast as Nikhil and Jay’s mother Amma. Charithra is best known for her roles in Alex Rider, How to Date Billy Walsh, her stage debut in Instructions for A Teenage Armageddon and as debutante Edwina Sharma in the hit historical drama Bridgerton. She will star in the upcoming season of Dune Prophecy.

Charithra Chandran says: “It’s really wonderful to see a programme like this on the BBC and to see my culture represented like this. I never experienced anything like this growing up.”

Making their voice acting debut in the title roles are 7-year-olds Shiv Senthilkumar and Sai Ganesh Nadesan, who lend their voices to Nikhil and Jay respectively and are proud of their Tamil heritage.

A full cast of promising new talent as well as experienced actors includes Janine Duvitski as Nana (Old Jack’s Boat, One Foot in the Grave, Abigail’s Party, Benidorm); Mark Benton as Grandpa Jim (Early Doors, Waterloo Road, Christmas Lights, Catterick, Shakespeare and Hathaway, The Syndicate); and stand-up comedian and Sunday Times bestselling author Tez Ilyas, who voices his friend and neighbour Mr Awan. Ben Harris plays the boys’ father Appa, Janaki Sabesh voices Grandma Ammamma, Ravi Swami voices Grandpa Thatha and Harriet Carmichael plays the family cat Max. Cast by Michelle Jones Brilliant Casting.

Kate Morton, Senior Head of Commissioning at CBeebies, said: “Seeing your own life and all its traditions and values ​​reflected on screen is so important for little ones and their development as they learn to understand the world around them. Nikhil & Jay will bring viewers from different cultures together with heartwarming stories from the lives of British Asian families.”

Nikhil & Jay follows the adventures of two young brothers whose mother is of Indian descent and father of English descent. With both Indian and English grandparents, their lives are a rich mix of customs, traditions, festivals, food and music. Nikhil & Jay celebrate the similarities and differences with fun and relatable stories that authentically portray British-Asian dual heritage children and are full of warmth, heart and humor.

Produced by King Banana TV (Yakka Dee!, Meet the Experts), Paper Owl Films (Pablo, Happy The Hoglet), executive produced and distributed by CAKE (Angry Birds Summer Madness and Supa Team 4) and with support from Northern Ireland Screen, Nikhil & Jay is based on the book series by award-winning author Chitra Soundar, who is also executive producer and writer of the series, ensuring cultural authenticity at every level. A diverse team of writers, animators, composers and directors make up Nikhil & Jay’s talent off-screen. Nikhil & Jay will launch on CBeebies later this year.

HM4