Grantchester is set to welcome a fresh face, actor Rishi Nair, who will be stepping into the role of vicar Alphy Kotteram in the popular ITV period drama. But what do we know about this new addition?
The ninth season premiered earlier this month, bidding an emotional farewell to Tom Brittney, who portrayed the much-loved vicar Will Davenport for six years.
The third episode, scheduled for Wednesday, January 22, at 9pm on ITV and ITVX, will introduce viewers to Will’s successor, vicar Alphy Kotteram, played by Rishi Nair.
As Nair gears up for his grand entrance and celebrates his 34th birthday today, let’s delve into what we know about Grantchester’s latest recruit.
Actor’s mum
Born in Ealing in 1991, Nair has been quite private about his family life, but he has openly expressed his close relationship with his mother.
She was his guest at the National Diversity Awards 2018, where he credited her for his accomplishments.
Posting a snapshot of them together on the red carpet, Nair penned: “Everything that I am today I owe to this woman.
“She’s been so supportive of me in everything that I have ever chosen to do and has always been my number one fan!
“I felt immensely proud being able to take her to an event like this… My mum and I have both come a long way to be sitting in a grand cathedral at an awards ceremony surrounded by such inspirational people.
“Although, don’t be fooled by her innocent looks.. This same woman kept me out clubbing till 3am that night!”
Inside Grantchester’s Alphy star Rishi Nair’s life from early career side hustle to long-term romance (Image: ITV)
Actor Rishi Nair got engaged to his long-term girlfriend Natali in 2024. (Image: INSTAGRAM)
Side hustle
Nair, who currently stars in the popular ITV drama Grantchester, has not always found it easy to make a living solely as an actor and has needed to supplement his income.
In an interview with PBS, he revealed: “When you’re first starting off as an actor, you’re not working so often, so my side hustle was coaching football alongside my acting.”
According to the publication, Nair still plays football three times a week and considers it a vital part of his life.
He confessed: “I’m a big Man U [] fan. We haven’t said who Alphy supports yet, but I’m going to do everything I can to try and get him to be a Man U fan as well!”
Interestingly, football played a role in Nair’s “chemistry read” screen test with co-star Robson Green during his audition for the role of Alphy.
When the two actors first met, Green warmly greeted Nair with a hug, which instantly put him at ease.
Nair recalled: “Immediately, I just felt so calm. My nerves had gone.
“We sat down and had a conversation about football-nothing to do with acting or the scenes-we were just chatting for 10 minutes.
“It was such a lovely moment for me; it made me feel so comfortable and it was a sign of how things were going to progress for the rest of the season, not just with Robson, but the rest of the cast.”
Hollyoaks exit
Throughout his career, Nair has made appearances in an array of programmes and movies such as I’m Still Here, Silent Witness, The Forbidden Note, and The Duchess.
His big break arrived when he was cast as the determined lawyer Sami Maalik in Channel 4’s hit soap Hollyoaks, where he delivered stellar performances for four years before deciding to bow out.
Actor Rishi Nair portrayed Sami Maalik for four years in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks. (Image: CHANNEL 4)
Nair chose not to detail his reasons for leaving Hollyoaks but suggested it was simply the right “time” for a change, with hints at possible future comebacks.
Rishi reflected: “I will really miss everyone on the show. It’s like a big family so will definitely miss working with them.
“I don’t want to say this is goodbye forever because we never know what the future might hold but I feel like he’s left at a good time.
“We’ve seen him go full circle. He came to the village looking for revenge and was a bit of a villain at the beginning and we’ve kind of seen the real Sami and his soft side has come through.”
Romance
In terms of his personal life, last year was significant for Nair as he took a step forward by announcing his engagement to his long-time love Natali, with celebratory images of their engagement bash making rounds on social media thanks to guests posts.
The event was sprinkled with star presence, with his former Hollyoaks colleagues attending, among them actress Haiesha Mistry who shared the occasion on , exclaiming: “And just like that the Maaliks are back together! Such a heartwarming night celebrating love.”
The duration of Nair and Natali’s relationship remains unknown, but she has featured on his page multiple times over the years, with one of the earliest posts dating back to 2015.
Grantchester season nine continues every Wednesday at 9pm on ITV and ITVX.