Treasure Champs
Television viewers will recognise Oldham actress, Shobna Gulati, for ground-breaking roles in our most popular programmes. During our recent catch- up, she reminds me of her first featured role on television was in Victoria Woodβs popular comedy series, dinnerladies.
βIt wasnβt the most glamorous role Iβve ever played,β laughs Shobna. βBut it was my first big break and I later appeared in its reincarnation as a stage play. I learnt about working in front of cameras by simply watching Vicky and the castβ. With award-winning actors like Julie Walters, Anne Reid, Celia Imrie and Maxine Peake - itβs no wonder!
Featured roles followed in two of our most popular soaps for Shobna. But now, for the first time, sheβs entered the world of animation along with fellow actor and friend, Sanjeev Bhaskar, whoβs previously been in Paddington 2, The Kumars At No 42, and Unforgotten. They both appear as animated characters in the brand new CBeebies series, Treasure Champs.
βSanjeev and I have known each other since our boys were small,β Shobna explains. βItβs always a pleasure to work with someone you know as we are relaxed in each otherβs company.
In each episode, thereβs a traditional story from one of the main world religions. Both actors are providing the voices for comedic, animated figures called Barry and Kari. The series explores values like generosity and honesty aimed at children aged four plus using their lovable characters alongside heart-warming films.
βThatβs what appealed to me,β Shobna confesses. βAlso, I was able to choose which character I wanted to play.
Itβs made by a Manchester-based independent company, Three Arrows Media, which means Iβve been able to work and spend time in my hometown and see my family.β
Shobna, who was raised in Oldham, appeared on the Channel 4 Special, Empireβs Children, tracing her family's history during the partition of India. Her grandfather arrived from Bombay to Oldham where the family became part of the community in which her father was a doctor.
βGrowing up in Oldham then was difficult as there was a great deal of racism around, βShobna admits. βAlthough now thereβs an increased presence of ethnic minorities in the media β much as I would like to say racism has changed dramatically for the better - Iβm afraid it still exists in this country today.β
Divorced many years ago, Shobna has raised her 24-year-old son Akshay, who is now following in his motherβs footsteps. He teaches drama in London while studying for a career in theatre and Shobna hopes sheβs impressed on him her core values.
βWhen I was a child, along with my siblings, we were raised with a strict work ethic, which I hope Iβve passed on to Akshay. Weβre a family of high achievers. I went to Manchester Metropolitan University and studied drama and dance, as well as various languages, eventually becoming an actor and lecturer."
Perhaps best known for her role as Sunita Alahan, in Coronation Street, Shobnaβs now a household name. Sheβs also one of few actors to have appeared on both Coronation Street and its rival series Eastenders, as Ameena Badawi.
Film seemed a natural progression and Shobna appeared in the BAFTA-winning short film Shadowscan. In 2004, I nominated her for a Manchester Evening News Theatre Award for a wonderful performance in Dancing Within Walls at Contact. Other stage performances were the tour of Girlsβ Night and Pretend You Have Big Buildings at the Royal Exchange Theatre.
On television too, Shobnaβs appeared on Loose Women among others. She was in Where The Heart Is, New Street Law and Magnolia as well as the revival of Jackanory. When she finally left Coronation Street she wanted to do more comedy. So she appeared at the Royal Albert Hall in The Secret Policemanβs Ball. In a sketch with American actors Chevy Chase and Seth Green, she and co-star Nitin Ganatra are under the mistaken belief Guantanamo Bay is a holiday resort!
βIβve had the most amazing career which has lasted 32 years so far and afforded me wonderful opportunities,β Shobna reminisces. Sheβs made her debut as a film-maker, producing the short film Akshay, shortlisted for an award. Sheβs appeared on programmes as diverse as the BBCβs Celebrity Masterchef and Countdown. In 2016, she appeared in the ITV/Netflix series Paranoid while last year she played Saba in the British romantic comedy film, Finding Fatimah - and she shows no sign of slowing down.
A vocal supporter of Asian women's rights and various anti-racism campaigns, Shobna lectures and works with womenβs groups. βI wake each day not knowing what it will bring or where it will take me. Iβd no idea I would be voicing an animation and Iβve loved the experience of working on Treasure Champs where you are part of a team and view the world through the eyes of a child again.
βWhat next? Iβve no idea. I seem to live on trains at the moment. So, as the song says β Wherever I lay my hat - thatβs my home!β
Treasure Champs is on CBeebies