Bradford’s rising star Isha Athwal lands major role in CBBC's new comedy series High Hoops

The show, which started filming in June and continues through mid-August, is set in Halifax, West Yorkshire, and follows the adventures of a girls’ basketball team at a secondary school.

Isha, a Year 8 pupil at Bradford Grammar School (BGS), has relocated from her home in Idle, Bradford to Halifax for the duration of the filming. With a chaperone and tutor on set, she balances her burgeoning acting career with her educational commitments during the week and returns home on weekends.

Twelve year old Isha said: “Landing this role was exciting and another achievement to add to my CV. It’s nice to be involved in a project for an older audience.”

Isha’s acting journey began at the age of five. Over the years, she has built an impressive resume, performing in feature films, advertisements and the popular CBeebies programme Biff, Chip and Kipper, where she portrayed Anneena. She is represented by Yorkshire stage school and casting agency Articulate and dedicates at least 12 hours a week to her drama and dance commitments around her studies at BGS.

Simon Hinchliffe, Headteacher at BGS, said: “We are extremely proud of Isha's accomplishments. She is a dedicated student who balances her academic and extracurricular commitments exceptionally well. Her role in High Hoops is a testament to her hard work and talent."

Isha landed her first on screen role in the feature film The Runaways at the age of six. Her extensive work to date includes adverts for Scruff-a-Luvs, Children in Need, Facebook Portal and Morrisons, along with voicing Frankie the cat in the award-winning Pip and Posy animation on Channel 5.

Her mother, Raj Kaur, said: “I’m so proud of Isha. She takes her responsibilities—whether in the classroom, in front of the camera or at home— seriously, all while having a great time. She’s been so excited about filming High Hoops since she was told she landed the role in February!"

In High Hoops, Isha plays the role of Zara, the school basketball captain who she described as ‘a bit nerdy with her own charm’. The 10-episode, 30-minute sitcom, written by Chris Grady and created by Sinead Fagan, a lifelong basketball player and coach, features a stellar cast including Peep Show’s Robert Webb and Isy Suttie.

The series revolves around the arrival of Aoife O'Neill, a tall, gaffe-prone, but unstoppable basketball player at a failing school. With themes of determination, finding your tribe and being true to oneself, High Hoops chronicles Aoife’s journey as she attempts to turn around her new school’s lacklustre basketball team.

Isha added: “It’s fantastic working with other great actors from all over the UK.”