Bart's voice heads for Britain

The Simpsons are TV's famous dysfunctional family

The voice behind one of the world's most famous cartoon characters is coming to the UK.

Nancy Cartwright, who is the voice of Bart Simpson in 'The Simpsons', will be visiting the University of Teesside's annual animation festival in January.

Ms Cartwright will be the top speaker at the Animex 2003 International Animation event, and will talk about her career as a voice-over artist.

Infamous throughout the world, juvenile delinquent Bart Simpson has been a household name since the famous family launched their own show in 1990.

Nancy Cartwright will talk about her life as Bart

Chris Williams, Principal Lecturer in Animation at the University of Teesside, said: "Getting Nancy Cartwright to speak at Animex is a real coup for us.

"As the voice of one of the most famous animated characters of all time, Nancy can offer unique insights into an actor's relationship with the cartoon characters they are helping to portray.

"I'm sure that her talk will be incredibly enjoyable and will appeal to people of all ages, although I can't promise she'll do the entire talk as Bart!"

Oscar winner Ray Harryhausen, the internationally famous pioneer of film animation, has also thrown his support behind Animex.

Mr Harryhausen - famous for films including Jason and the Argonauts, Clash of the Titans and One Million years BC - spoke at Animex in 2001 about his life in animation.

New technology

He said: "I had a delightful time speaking at Animex. I really enjoyed it and it's always important to meet and encourage young animators.

"They always ask me for advice, which is difficult to give because the technology has developed so much and we now live in very different times.

"I think it's marvellous that animation is now taught as a serious subject in many universities around the world."

Animex, now in its fourth year, runs from 28-31 January 2003 and is organised by the University of Teesside and Middlesbrough Council.