Who is Rishi Nair? Meet Grantchester's new leading man

Nair is the third actor to step up to the leading role, taking over the reins from Tom Brittney, who announced he was stepping back from his role to focus on new projects back in July 2023.

Nair recently revealed that Brittney offered him some advice about taking on the part, telling Radio Times magazine: "It’s great to see what James [Norton] has gone on to do. And I imagine Tom’s going to be exactly the same and go on to do really well.

"Unfortunately, Tom and I never had any scenes together, but we were in Cambridge in the same week. We sat in the hotel lobby for a couple of hours with a bottle of wine.

"He gave me some great advice about working on the show, and a lot of advice on looking after Robson Green! I’m sure that advice came from James initially, and has worked its way to me now."

Wondering who Nair is and what else he's been in? Read on for everything you need to know.

Who is Rishi Nair?

Rishi Nair is an actor who is best known for starring in BBC police procedural Silent Witness.

How old is Rishi Nair?

The actor is 34 years old.

What has Rishi Nair previously starred in?

Nair made his acting debut in 2011 short film Crossed Paths, but his big break came in 2015 when he landed a role as a 'heavy' to James Farrar’s Dead Fallon in Silent Witness.

He also starred in an episode of New Tricks that year, and went on to land a role in Hollyoaks in 2017.

He played lawyer Sami Maalik on the Channel 4 soap, and was involved in a number of storylines during his stint on the show, including a far-right radicalisation plot.

He went on to star in various shows and films including The Duchess, Netflix thriller Treason and ITV’s horror comedy Count Abdulla.

What has Rishi Nair said about joining Grantchester?

Nair previously revealed that his entrance into the ITV show will explore his character’s experience with racism.

Speaking about how Alphy, who is of South Asian Indian descent, is greeted with hostility by his new parishioners, Nair said at a press event: "There's a scene where I walk into the pub and everyone stops drinking and looks at me like I'm some sort of alien.

"Grantchester now is a very white town, and in 1962 you can imagine someone like Alphy walking into that village would have been difficult."

He continued: "But Alphy's also this character who... he's not stupid, he knows what he's going into, he's grown up in London, which is more multicultural than Grantchester, but he's still had to experience these issues growing up.

"This was the first time I did any period [drama] and, for me, it was really important that we did address that and that it was played out in the series."

He added: "I think we would have really missed the trick and not played the truth of society if I just came into 1962 Rochester and everyone's just absolutely lovely to me and no one bats an eyelid, because that's not what would have happened.

"He's moved to Grantchester and he has this thing about him where he really loves to prove people wrong and tries to take on a challenge, and I think he goes into Grantchester and he expects all of this.

"So when these things happen to him he knows and he kind of tries to kill people with kindness, almost, and he wants people to judge him by his actions and not by the way he looks.

"Obviously, that takes time, initial reactions are people are judging him by the way he looks, and then as they get to know him I think that changes and he takes real pride in that."

Meanwhile, talking about his casting in the show, Nair told Radio Times magazine: "Hopefully, seeing someone of colour like myself playing a lead will make young kids think this is something that’s viable for them and gives them the drive to go to drama school – rather than it just being a fantasy that may never happen."

Is Rishi Nair on Instagram?

Yes, he can be found at the handle @rishinair.

Is Rishi Nair on Twitter?

Yes, the actor is also on Twitter and can be found at the handle @RishiNair21.

Grantchester airs on Wednesdays on ITV1 and ITVX.

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