Now that Cereal is finally here, we thought you'd like to meet the main characters across the series. These brilliant illustrations were done by Aisling O’Reilly.
For more of her work head to her Instagram here!
And press play above to meet some of the amazing kids who are the voices behind the characters!
Listen to the show Fridays at 7pm on RTÉjr Radio or subscribe to the podcast here!
Firstly - What is The Novice?
A TV talent competition for Primary Schools that sees children invent products in the hope of winning a mentor and nationwide acclaim.
The Characters
Name: Rian O’Connor
Age: 15
Who he? A TY student doing work experience on a brand new TV series called The Novice. But, when things start to go wrong, Rian turns investigator and uses his behind the scenes access to get to the bottom of the mystery.
Likes: Greek Mythology, Asking Questions, The sound of his own voice.
Dislikes: Interruptions to his recording, Snoring and Beetroot
When he grows up he’s probably going to be: Presenter of PrimeTime
The Contestants
Names: Aoife & Katie
Age: 12
Who they? The frontrunners in the Novice, Aoife and Katie have invented a healthy Cereal Bar called Crunchems. Hugely popular in the competition, but they have a secret.
Likes: Aoife – Walks in the park, crushing her enemies / Katie – Aoife, her family
Dislikes: Aoife – Tin Foil / Katie – Clowns
When they grow up they’re probably going to be: Moguls in charge of a baking empire.
Name: Fergus Green
Age: 12
Who he? Inventor of The Bog Log, an environmentally sound toilet that turns waste into even better waste. He does not rate any of the other contestants.
Likes: Green Schools, Greta Thunberg, Quinoa
Dislikes: Climate Change, The other contestants, The Public
When he grows up he’s probably going to be: Leader of the Green Party
Name: Xander Delahunt O’Reilly
Age: 12
Who he? Inventor of Homework Helper, an App that lets you scan your homework then gives you all the answers. He’s a tech whiz, but doesn’t really like talking about it and isn’t that bothered about winning.
Likes: GTA, The MCU, Pizza
Dislikes: Questions
When he grows up he’s probably going to be: Owner of a multimillion Euro tech company.
Name: PJ and Clara
Age: 12
Who they? Twin brother and sister who really don’t want to be in the competition but did so to avoid detention with their teacher. Their product is Mood nail varnish that changes colour as you change temperament.
Likes: PJ – Adventure Time / Clara – Hunger Games
Dislikes: Their teacher, Ms Moriarty / The Novice
When they grow up they're probably going to be: Doing something other than this
The Grownups
Name: Harry O’Connor
Age: Playing age of 38-45 (actual age unknown)
Who he? Presenter of The Novice and broadcasting legend (with a slight detour into selling roller skates to middle aged men.) This show is his ticket back into the big time.
Likes: Walks in the countryside, Wallets and roller-skating
Dislikes: Failure, anyone else who’d doing better than him
When he grows up he’s probably going to be: Back on top!
Name: Ryan Tubridy
Age: 48
Who he? Presenter of The Late Late Show, RTÉ stalwart and also helpful mentor to Rian, a promising new podcast host who needs some tips on how to succeed in broadcasting.
Likes: Reading, Making Radio and Television, Walking
Dislikes: Brussel Sprouts
When he grows up he’s probably going to be: On air
Name: Ms Moriarty
Age: How dare you ask!
Who she? Sixth Class teacher in charge of the contestants but really would prefer to make it in showbiz and has a long singing and dancing show reel she might make you watch.
Likes: Summer Holidays, The Limelight
Dislikes: Kids who make nasty comments on Rate mo Mhúinteoir.
When she grows up she’s probably going to be: Out of this school and in the limelight.
Name: George and Georgia Delahunt O’Reilly
Age: Both in their mid forties
Who they? Parents of Xander but also incredibly successful tech business people.
Likes: Money
Dislikes: Tax
When they grow up they’re probably going to be: Richer still!
TUNE IN TO FOLLOW THE MYSTERY!
