Meet Leeds's young TV spelling star to feature on Sky 1 new show

Ayushman Nath, 13, from Leeds. Picture: Sky.

And one young language star from Leeds is preparing to showcase his spelling skills when he goes word-to-word against a handful of other children on a new TV show.

Iosceles, heroglyphic and zeitgeist are just some of the words 13-year-old Ayushman Nath will be tested on when he appears on the first edition of Sky 1’s The Big Spell from Sunday.

Hosted by presenter Sue Perkins, 20 children aged between nine and 13 will battle it out the new programme in a series of challenges and games focusing on spelling.

The Big Spell S1
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Ayushman, Sanskriti, Tiarna, Jeswin — The Big Spell S1 SKY1, EP1 Ayushman, Sanskriti, Tiarna, Jeswin

Can you spell better than a nine-year-old? Take the test hereAyushman’s father Prithwiraj Nath, who lives near Seacroft, told the YEP: “I’m proud and excited.

“He has always been quite inquisitive. He wants to learn new things, whether it is new words or about scientific discoveries.

“I’m looking forward to seeing him on TV.”

The eight-part spelling showdown series will culminate in a finale show, where just one of the 20 youngsters will be crowned the country’s Champion Speller.

Year nine wordsmith Ayushman said: “I’m quite excited for the show to air.

“It’s a very good experience. It teaches you to be calm under pressure and work together in a team and it’s a really valuable experience.

“I made lots of friends too, that’s another bonus.”

While learning the intracies of each individual word can be daunting, Ayushman said he believes learning how to spell more words is improving his own writing skills.

He added: “Spelling is a very important part of academic studies.

“It’s very important to spell correctly and accurately.

“It helps me learn new words. You can use those words in school life to improve your own writing.”

Produced by Remarkable Television, The first installment of The Big Spell series will be shown on Sunday, from 5pm on Sky 1.

As well as Sue Perkins, the show’s presenting team is being bolstered by Joe Lycett and newsreader Moira Stuart.

The programme, based on a 2015 Australian series called The Great Australian Spelling Bee, follows 20 children across the eight-part series..

Celia Taylor, head of non-scripted commissions for Sky, said: “We’re a nation of talent show lovers and Sky 1’s The Big Spell is like no other out there.

“It has children at its heart, and with children comes touching innocence and loveable honesty that will make viewers laugh and cry during every episode.”