Move over Homer, meet the Moores

THE Moore family from Leicestershire may sound like your average British family: dad’s a car salesman who loves the Osbournes and his teenage son is a keen DJ.

But this “typical” British family has been plucked from thousands to become the stars of a ground-breaking animation series.

Children’s television channel Nickelodeon began its search for a British family to act as the prototype for the cartoon in July last year.

The family, from Shepshed, is headed by dad, Robert, 50, a second-hand car salesman and mum, Tania, 35, former air hostess who is currently an admin assistant at Loughborough University.

They have four children: Jack, 15, is a keen DJ and runs a mobile disco; Roberta, 11, whose lifetime ambition is to meet Duncan from Blue; Eliza, nine, a gymnast with a passion for disco dancing; and Jemimah, three, described by her mother as “a cross between a whirlwind and Houdini”.

When Tania found out her family was to be immortalised in their own cartoon, she said: “The whole family is gobsmacked. We feel like superstars and can’t wait to see our cartoon. The neighbours are going to be blown away.”

The trials and tribulations of their family life will be shown every weekday evening.

A spokeswoman for the show said that it should appeal to British viewers because it would reflect every aspect of “normal” life.

She said: “This is a real life family doing everyday things. Shows like The Simpsons are not at all like a real-life family. There is nothing on television at the moment that kids can watch and learn from.”

Howard Litton, Nickelodeon’s director of programmes, said: “The Moore family caught the judges’ eye as a result of their entertaining personalities, their wacky approach to life and the scope for excellent storylines. We felt they epitomised the typical British family.”

Meet the Moores screens at 5pm, May 5, on Nicktoons TV.