# Rishi Nair
**Rishi Nair** (full name Rishi Kumar Nair; born 1991) is a British actor known for playing Sami Maalik on the [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4) soap opera *Hollyoaks* (2017–2021) and Reverend Alphy Kottaram, the third lead vicar of the ITV detective drama *Grantchester*, from series 9 (2024) through the show's eleventh and final series in 2026.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5607406/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1991, Ealing, London, England[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5607406/) |
| Breakthrough role | Sami Maalik, a series regular on *Hollyoaks*, 2017–2021, credited with 256 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5607406/) |
| Lead role | Reverend Alphy Kottaram in *Grantchester* series 9–11 (2024–2026), 22 episodes; also executive producer on series 11[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5607406/) |
| Award | Best Actor (Film, TV & Drama) at the Eastern Eye Art, Culture and Theatre Awards (ACTAs) 2025, for *Grantchester*[2](https://www.easterneye.biz/rishi-nair-wins-best-actor/) |
| Film work | Stephen Alderton in *Brian and Charles* (2022)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5607406/) |
| Upcoming | Daniel in the *Monarch of the Glen* reboot for 5 and Masterpiece PBS, announced for 2027[3](https://www.viacomcbs-mediahub.co.uk/press-releases/5-unveils-cast-for-brand-new-monarch-of-the-glen-series) |
## Early life
Nair was born in the west London borough of Ealing and grew up in an Indian family; he has described being brought up in a Hindu household.[4](https://www.easterneye.biz/indian-origin-vicar-played-by-rishi-nair-takes-centre-stage-in-grantchester/) His agent's CV also lists the stage role of Amit in *Bring On The Bollywood* and Taregh in *My Brothers and Sisters*.[5](https://theartistspartnership.co.uk/artist/rishi-nair/)
## Hollyoaks and early television
Nair's television debut came in 2015 with appearances in episodes of the [BBC One](https://www.edgepedia.org/bbc-one) police procedurals *Silent Witness* and *New Tricks*; his agent's CV also credits a role in the BBC drama *Capital* directed by Euros Lyn.[5](https://theartistspartnership.co.uk/artist/rishi-nair/) In 2017 he joined *Hollyoaks* as Sami Maalik, debuting in the role that September, and remained a series regular until 2021.[6](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/rishi-nair.html) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5607406/) One of the character's storylines involved kidney failure and an on-screen transplant, a plot that some viewers later confused with the actor's own life; the storyline was fictional and happened to the character, not to Nair.[7](https://cultureobserver.uk/blog/rishi-nair-actor-hollyoaks-grantchester/)
Between soap roles he built a string of guest parts across British television and streaming: Maajid in the ITVX horror comedy *Count Abdulla* (2023), a Met Officer in Netflix's *Treason* (2022), Adnan in [Acorn TV](https://www.edgepedia.org/acorn-tv)'s *[Whitstable Pearl](https://www.edgepedia.org/whitstable-pearl)*, Neel Siddiqui in ITV's *Grace*, and roles in Netflix's *The Duchess* and PBS Masterpiece's *The Marlow Murder Club* (2024, as Shamil Malik).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5607406/) • [2](https://www.easterneye.biz/rishi-nair-wins-best-actor/) On film he played Stephen Alderton in the 2022 comedy *Brian and Charles*, produced by BFI, Film4, and [Focus Features](https://www.edgepedia.org/focus-features), and Ali in *The Forbidden Note* (2016).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5607406/) • [5](https://theartistspartnership.co.uk/artist/rishi-nair/)
## Grantchester
In 2023 ITV announced that [Tom Brittney](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-brittney) was leaving *Grantchester* and that Nair would join as the new vicar, Reverend Alphy Kottaram, taking over from Brittney's Will Davenport in series 9.[8](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/print/pdf/node/34021) Alphy is the third lead vicar in the show's run, after James Norton's Sidney Chambers (series 1–4) and Brittney's Will Davenport (series 4–9), and the first who was not white.[9](https://www.wgbh.org/foundation/highlights/2026-05-18/the-three-vicars-of-masterpieces-grantchester) • [10](https://www.tvinsider.com/1141341/grantchester-season-9-new-vicar-alphy-kottaram-rishi-nair/)
**A memorable entrance.** Nair's first day on set was also his first scene, in which Alphy, mistaken for a burglar by Detective Inspector Geordie Keating ([Robson Green](https://www.edgepedia.org/robson-green)), punches him. "It was my first day on set, and my first scene. So it's already pretty nerve-wracking joining this big huge show, and then the first job you've got to do is punch the other lead," Nair told TVLine.[11](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/grantchester-rishi-nair-new-vicar-alphy-shirtless-scene-secrets-1235272878/) An improvised scene about football that he performed with Green at his chemistry read made it into the show.[12](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/grantchesters-rishi-nair-reveals-shocking-060000043.html)
The character, a charismatic, working-class vicar who arrives in a red convertible, carries an ingrained mistrust of the police from growing up as a man of color in Britain in the 1940s and 1950s.[9](https://www.wgbh.org/foundation/highlights/2026-05-18/the-three-vicars-of-masterpieces-grantchester) Nair said portraying the racism Alphy met in the 1960s village was important, but that he did not want the character's color to become the overriding theme of the season.[4](https://www.easterneye.biz/indian-origin-vicar-played-by-rishi-nair-takes-centre-stage-in-grantchester/) To prepare, he attended [Church of England](https://www.edgepedia.org/church-of-england) services in London and Liverpool to watch vicars preach, and immersed himself in early 1960s music.[4](https://www.easterneye.biz/indian-origin-vicar-played-by-rishi-nair-takes-centre-stage-in-grantchester/)
Nair stayed with the show to its end. ITV announced in July 2025 that *Grantchester* would conclude with series 11, and Nair served as an executive producer on that final series alongside Green, series creator Daisy Coulam, and Emma Kingsman-Lloyd.[13](https://www.whattowatch.com/news/grantchester-axed-after-11-seasons-reveals-itv-as-star-robson-green-thanks-everyone-whos-gone-on-this-incredible-journey) • [14](https://www.wpbstv.org/wpbs-to-broadcast-eleventh-and-final-season-of-grantchester/) The final season, set in 1963, centered on Alphy's relationship with the mother who gave him up for adoption, and the series ended its 11-season run on PBS on August 2, 2026.[15](https://www.tvinsider.com/1278470/grantchester-series-finale-ending-explained-geordie-alive-retired-rishi-nair/) Nair called the cancellation "bittersweet" but said ending felt like the right decision: "The show's in a really good place, and sometimes going out on a high is the smart move."[16](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/why-pbs-masterpiece-grantchester-star-rishi-nair-thought-ending-drama-was-right-decision)
## Recognition and upcoming work
In May 2025 Nair won the Best Actor (Film, TV & Drama) award at the Eastern Eye Art, Culture and Theatre Awards (ACTAs) for his performance as Alphy Kottaram.[2](https://www.easterneye.biz/rishi-nair-wins-best-actor/) In 2026 he appeared as himself in *Robson Green's Weekend Escapes* (season 4, episode 13), traveling with his *Grantchester* co-star to [Kielder Forest](https://www.edgepedia.org/kielder-forest) in [Northumberland](https://www.edgepedia.org/northumberland).[17](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt42417622/)
He is attached to two upcoming projects: the *Monarch of the Glen* reboot, a 6 × 60-minute reimagining produced by Ecosse Films and Masterpiece PBS for the channel 5, in which he plays businessman Daniel, announced for a 2027 premiere; and *Romeo. Hotel. Eleven: RH11*, in which he plays Jaye.[3](https://www.viacomcbs-mediahub.co.uk/press-releases/5-unveils-cast-for-brand-new-monarch-of-the-glen-series) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5607406/)
## References
1. [Rishi Nair, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm5607406/)
2. [Rishi Nair wins EasternEye Best Actor Award, Eastern Eye (23 May 2025)](https://www.easterneye.biz/rishi-nair-wins-best-actor/)
3. [5 Unveils Cast for Brand New Monarch of the Glen Series, Paramount Media Hub](https://www.viacomcbs-mediahub.co.uk/press-releases/5-unveils-cast-for-brand-new-monarch-of-the-glen-series)
4. [Vicar played by Rishi Nair takes centre stage in 'Grantchester', Eastern Eye](https://www.easterneye.biz/indian-origin-vicar-played-by-rishi-nair-takes-centre-stage-in-grantchester/)
5. [Rishi Nair, The Artists Partnership](https://theartistspartnership.co.uk/artist/rishi-nair/)
6. [Rishi Nair, Famous Birthdays](https://www.famousbirthdays.com/people/rishi-nair.html)
7. [Rishi Nair – Actor, Hollyoaks Star and Grantchester Lead, Culture Observer](https://cultureobserver.uk/blog/rishi-nair-actor-hollyoaks-grantchester/)
8. [Grantchester recommission for ITV for 10th Series, ITV Press Centre (20 June 2024)](https://www.itv.com/presscentre/print/pdf/node/34021)
9. [The Three Vicars of MASTERPIECE's Grantchester, GBH](https://www.wgbh.org/foundation/highlights/2026-05-18/the-three-vicars-of-masterpieces-grantchester)
10. [Grantchester: Rishi Nair Shares How He Prepared to Play New Vicar Alphy Kottaram, TV Insider (28 June 2024)](https://www.tvinsider.com/1141341/grantchester-season-9-new-vicar-alphy-kottaram-rishi-nair/)
11. [Grantchester: Rishi Nair Spills Secrets Behind New Vicar's Memorable Entrance, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/grantchester-rishi-nair-new-vicar-alphy-shirtless-scene-secrets-1235272878/)
12. [Grantchester's Rishi Nair reveals the shocking thing he had to do on set on his first day, Yahoo Entertainment](https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/grantchesters-rishi-nair-reveals-shocking-060000043.html)
13. [Grantchester axed after 11 seasons, WhatToWatch (8 July 2025)](https://www.whattowatch.com/news/grantchester-axed-after-11-seasons-reveals-itv-as-star-robson-green-thanks-everyone-whos-gone-on-this-incredible-journey)
14. [WPBS to Broadcast Eleventh and Final Season of Grantchester, WPBS](https://www.wpbstv.org/wpbs-to-broadcast-eleventh-and-final-season-of-grantchester/)
15. ['Grantchester' Boss & Rishi Nair Explain Series Finale Ending, TV Insider (2 August 2026)](https://www.tvinsider.com/1278470/grantchester-series-finale-ending-explained-geordie-alive-retired-rishi-nair/)
16. [Why PBS Masterpiece Grantchester Star Rishi Nair Thought Ending Drama Was Right Decision, CinemaBlend](https://www.cinemablend.com/television/why-pbs-masterpiece-grantchester-star-rishi-nair-thought-ending-drama-was-right-decision)
17. [Robson Green's Weekend Escapes, IMDbPro](https://pro.imdb.com/title/tt42417622/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › English actors: 2000s onward › Surnames N to P*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 11, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license