The CBBC TV programme ‘Gifted’ is an action-adventure series, set in the city of Edinburgh that tells the story of a group of young Scottish teens who discover they each have unique superpowers, from telekinesis to invisibility and mind reading.
We caught up with Ollie Martindale who play Iain in the show, so he could tell us all about his time on set!
Tell us a little bit about yourself
I’m Ollie and I’m 17, I live in Edinburgh with my Mum, Dad and younger sister. I’ve just finished my Highers so will be going to University in September to study Finance.
Tell us a little bit when you were younger
I was diagnosed with SMA Type 3 when I was 2 years and 4 months old and went to Corstorphine Primary school. I really liked school, they were great. Throughout school I enjoyed hanging out with my friends. I didn’t need a wheelchair until I was a bit older. My school was really inclusive and they really gave me opportunities to be involved in the planning of sports days or holding the microphone so I could shout at other people.
Because I was in a wheelchair everyone knew me… that was really cool!
How did you get into acting?
When I was about 8 or 9 years old I joined the Pauline Quirke Academy (PQA) in Edinburgh. We learnt how to act covering comedy, TV and film. When I was in primary school I used to do magic. I always loved performing and my Dad used to say I was a natural on stage.
Have you always been keen to exploring acting?
My grandad actually wanted to be an actor and I knew that he thought it was great I also had this appetite. In 2017, as part of the PQA we travelled to the West End in London to do a Christmas performance. This then led me to get on to a CBBC programme just before COVID called ‘My Dog ate my Homework’.
How did the BBC series ‘Gifted’ come about?
After COVID, I took up wheelchair basketball as part of a club. While I was there the club got sent an advert looking for someone in a wheelchair to be involved in the programme.
Tell us a bit more about ‘Gifted’?
It’s originally based on a novel written by Marilyn Kaye. For the CBBC series we filmed 10 episodes (you can watch it on BBC iPlayer!). The filming was really cool, as the series is set in Edinburgh but was actually filmed between the SkyStudios and Glasgow. We filmed it over a 12 week period towards the end of 2024; 6 weeks before Christmas and 6 weeks after.
How did you balance school and the filming?
I was in S5 so we did have to try and balance school life and filming the series but we had a tutor on set. That was ok but we did have a really busy schedule!
Would you like to keep up acting?
Yes, I’m really keen to keep doing acting. I have an agent now so would like to balance going to University plus some future opportunities. There might be more series to come of ‘Gifted’ which would be cool.
Have you got a specific role that you’d love?
Nothing specific but I really liked having the superpower element being part of the Gifted show! It’s great to see people in wheelchairs on TV. I like how they cast genuine wheelchairs users not other actors pretending to be disabled.
What advice would you give to your younger self or anyone aspiring to act?
Just go for it; if you enjoy it just have a go!!
‘Gifted’ is available on BBC iPlayer. Filmed over 10 episodes, the programme follows a group of gifted school kids in Edinburgh discover they share special powers in Room 209. Together, anything is possible! Watch the series here.
