A Strath schoolboy has landed a starring role in top children’s television programme ‘MI High’.
Oscar Jacques from Auchterarder will play one of the new main spies in the teen spy-fi show: Tom Tupper, an electronics genius who can hack his way into the world’s most secure networks.
Decidedly different in look and feel from series one to five, series six introduces a fresh group of highly-efficient teen secret agents, including Oscar’s character, improved high-specification spy HQ and a whole new global network of devious and dastardly super criminals.
Produced by Kudos Brown Eyed Boy (Scotland) in Glasgow, the 13 episodes also feature a host of exciting new elements, including different locations, gadgets galore and a talented young cast who have been recruited after an extensive, nationwide search.
Executive producer Alison Jackson said: “The previous series of ‘MI High’ were hugely popular and a celebrated critical success but the highly-secret world of undercover intelligence is constantly changing and we wanted to reflect that in this new series.
“Our viewers will have all the action and humour they love from previous series but with a new team of courageous young agents, a hideous new group of villains wanting to take over the world and the very latest advancements in teenage spy technology and gadgetry.”
Oscar attends the Community School of Auchterarder and admits to being a bit of a computer geek himself: he can do a Rubik’s cube in under a minute.
But as for being a real life spy, the 15-year-old is not so sure.
“I definitely would not make a good spy,” he laughed. “I would sneeze at the wrong moment and the whole mission would be a failure.
“Plus I’m kind of clumsy and I talk too loud.
“I’m not at Tom’s level of computer geekiness but I spend a lot of time on my computer, trying to write websites and things and teach myself programming.
“I guess I’m like Tom in the respect that I don’t really like going outside.
“I like staying in, biscuits, cuppa tea and going on the computer.”
However, Oscar’s character Tom is perfect MI9 material: “He’s a technical genius and he knows it. He does like to gloat about it and he’s a bit of a joker.
“I’m quite similar to him in that I’m a bit of a show-off too – but I’m not that smart.”
Oscar had fun dressing up for the part: “For one of the episodes I had to wear a fantasy fiction costume with a cloak and wig. Because we were filming in a college it was quite odd to walk past people wearing it.
“It was difficult when you had to go up to the people at the reception desk to ask them where a specific room was because they don’t really expect someone in a strange costume to come and ask them for directions.
“It got kind of awkward sometimes. You could tell they wanted to ask me about it but they didn’t have the courage to ask why I was dressed up.”
You can see Oscar in action as Tom when the new series of ‘MI High begins on Monday, January 7, on CBBC.
