Animated family sitcom Nikhil & Jay, following the adventures of two dual heritage brothers and their loveable family, has been nominated for Rockie Awards 2025 under the animation-preschool category. The series is currently airing on CBeebies.
The 2D preschool show of 52 x 11 mins duration is produced by award-winning producers King Banana TV (Yakka Dee!) and Paper Owl Films (Pablo), and executive produced and distributed by CAKE. It is based based on award-winning author Chitra Soundar’s book series of the same name.
She was born in Chennai, India, and now lives in the UK. The story of Nikhil and Jay are inspired by her dual heritage nephews. Her writing comes from a place of knowledge and lived experience.
“Nikhil & Jay was born out of a desire to represent dual heritage children, like my nephews, in books and on screen. When I meet children in schools and libraries, I’m delighted to see how much all children identify with the stories – whether they have dual heritage, or they have Asian heritage, and those who have their grandparents close by or far away. It’s also my enormous privilege to tell stories that bring to light my Tamil culture, to families across the UK and the world,” Soundar shared.
The official synopsis reads: Nikhil & Jay follows the funny, relatable stories of two brothers, Nikhil and Jay, who live in a multicultural family. With mum, Amma, who is Indian Tamil by heritage, dad, Appa, who is English and with both Indian and English grandparents, their life is a rich blend of customs, traditions, festivals, food and music. Nikhil & Jay is full of curiosity, joy and a cheeky sense of adventure!
Nikhil is a seven year old caring older brother who is skilled at art and loves to solve problems! He loves facts and going on missions with his catchphrase “Let’s go go go!” Jay is a five year old cheeky charmer! He is imaginative, energetic, enthusiastic and loves everything from space rockets to butterfly fairies!
The voice cast of Nikhil & Jay includes Shiv (Nikhil), Sai Ganesh (Jay), Charithra Chandran (Amma), Ben Harris (Appa), Harriet Carmichael (Max), Janine Duvitski (Nana), Mark Benton (Jim), Janaki Sabesh (Ammamma), Ravi Swami (Thatha) and Tez Ilyas (Mr Awan).
Leading a diverse team as the director of Nikhil & Jay, BAFTA winning director, writer and producer Nandita Jain ensures the series is infused with authentic experience. Soundar also executive produces and writes for the show.
The prestigious Rockie Awards International Program Competition (with 45-year legacy) recognises excellence in global television and digital content. Entries from more than 45 countries compete each year, and winners are selected by an international industry jury of 150+ senior entertainment and media professionals. The Rockies are open to genres and platforms including drama, non-fiction, digital, kids, youth and podcasts. Category winners, including the grand jury prize will be announced at a ceremony that will be presented at the Banff World Media Festival in June 2025.
