Voice of Bart is crowd puller

Nancy Cartwright, voice of cartoon favourite Bart Simpson, ensured a sell-out at the international Animex festival organised by the University of Teesside and Middlesbrough Council yesterday.

Bart, the juvenile delinquent star of The Simpsons , has been a household name since the dysfunctional family launched its own show in 1990 after a successful run of short features on The Tracy Ullman Show .

The show marks its 300th episode on February 16 with Bart discovering that he was a child star named Baby Stink Breath in TV commercials and that Homer, his father, had squandered his son's earnings.

Ms Cartwright described her early acting career and the detailed processes involved in the development of a character voice to students and animation professionals from the region at Animex Talk!, the animation industry conference hosted by Teesside.

She said that a strong element in her agreeing to visit Teesside was the connection between the conference and the university, which gave her the chance to talk to animation students.

Chris Williams, principal lecturer in animation at Teesside, said: "Getting Nancy Cartwright to speak at Animex is a real coup. 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 that they portray."

Mr Williams said that the festival, which is in its fourth year, had attracted substantial funding from development agency ONE NorthEast and Middlesbrough's Community and Cultural Fund, with sponsorship from regional organisations.

Details: www.animex.net ; www.nancycartwright.com