TWO Turkish actors met with the audience again in the successful comedy series ‘Pupil Referral Unit’ (PRU), which was broadcast on the BBC in the UK on Thursday, May 26.
20-year-old Ceyhun Jaye Ersavaş plays a student named Halil, and Ümit Ülgen plays his father Berdan.
Ceyhun Jaye Ersavaş
The main four characters of the series, Halil, Hanna, Jaeden and Belle, played by Ceyhun Jaye Ersavaş, are 4 15-year-olds with very different characters and their only common point is that they have to study at PRU together.
Leah Henry, who also made the casting for PRU last year, said that they received great attention from the Turkish community in the UK during the casting process and said that “Turkish cultural heritage is a big part of London and it is something that is not talked about in TV series that appeal to young people”.
Explaining that Ceyhun Ersavaş caught his eye in the first round of casting, Henry said, “He even wore his old school uniform. It was great. When we called him for the second time, we played him with Ümit Ülgen, who played his father, and their chemistry was great from the very beginning.”
Leah Henry also joked that Ersavaş was “a very talented, very hardworking, incredibly humble actor, and I can’t confirm or deny that the box of wonderful baklava he brought had an impact on his getting the role”.
Ümit Ülgen
The mother of 20-year-old Ceyhun Ersavaş is from a village near the city of Famagusta in Northern Cyprus. His father is from Samsun. However, Ersavaş said he was raised by his Indian stepfather since he was 7 years old. Stating that he wanted to be an actor since he was 5 years old, Ersavaş said that he also took acting training and that he also took part in a short film besides PRU.
Ersavaş also emphasized that he is proud to have brought the Turkish people and culture to British television. The hit comedy series aired on BBC Three on Thursday 26 May at 10 pm and all episodes are available as a box set on BBC iPlayer.