Nikhil & Jay animated CBeebies sitcom reveals voice cast
- How To Date Billy Walsh star Charithra Chandran leads the voice cast for CBeebies animated sitcom Nikhil & Jay
- The cast list also features comic actors including Janine Duvitski, Mark Benton and Tez Ilyas
- Due to launch later this year, the comedy follows the adventures of two Indian/British dual heritage brothers
Animated sitcom Nikhil & Jay is coming to CBeebies later this year. Based on books by Chitra Soundar, it will follow the adventures of two Indian/British dual heritage brothers and their loveable family.
The two young brothers have a mum whose Indian by heritage and an English dad. The producers explain: "With both Indian and English grandparents, their life is a rich blend of customs, traditions, festivals, foods and music. Nikhil & Jay celebrates the similarities and differences with funny and relatable stories that authentically represent dual heritage British Asian children and are full of warmth, heart and humour."
British Tamil actor Charithra Chandran, who starred in How To Date Billy Walsh (pictured) and portrayed Edwina Sharma in Bridgerton, leads the voice cast as mum Amma.
She says: "It's really wonderful to see a show like this on the BBC and to see my culture specifically represented. I never had anything like this when I was growing up."
The series also features the comic talents of Janine Duvitski as Nana, Mark Benton as grandpa Jim and Tez Ilyas as friend and neighbour Mr Awan.
Ben Harris plays the boys' dad Appa, Janaki Sabesh voices granny Ammamma, Ravi Swami voices grandpa Thatha and Harriet Carmichael plays family cat Max.
Making their voiceover debuts in the title roles are 7-year olds Shiv Senthilkumar and Sai Ganesh Nadesan who voice Nikhil and Jay respectively and who are proud of their Tamil heritage.
Kate Morton, Senior Head of Commissioning for CBeebies, says: "Seeing your life and all its traditions and values reflected on screen is so important for little ones and their development as they make sense of the world around them. Nikhil & Jay will bring viewers together from across cultures with heart-warming stories of British Asian family life."
Nikhil & Jay will launch on CBeebies later this year.