A young West Yorkshire actress has been tipped as a rising star, joining a vanguard of young northern actors breaking down barriers in the industry.
Iyla Sundarsingh McKaig, 18, from Cleckheaton, has done a string of TV shows in the UK, with her last cast role in the Netflix-hit Toxic Town.
Her agent, Stacey Burrows said the talented young actress has recently had a glut of auditions, attracting the attention of leading casting directors.
Stacey Burrows, founder of Articulate Agency, said: “Iyla’s first Articulate role was a few episodes of Emmerdale when she first started with us. She started acting at the age of just four, and is a long-standing student in the Articulate Drama School. We’re proud to now represent her in the agency. I’ve worked with some incredible young talent. Iyla is one to watch. She will go far.”
Founded in 2013 by former lawyer, Stacey Burrows, Articulate Agency has grown into one of the UK’s leading acting agencies, with a reputation for casting breakthrough roles for young acting talent. Articulate also runs established acting schools across the Yorkshire region.
Articulate represents another fast-rising Cleckheaton star, 9-year-old Matilda Firth.
Matilda has featured in major Hollywood films, including Wolf Man starring Julia Garner. Matilda also had roles in the 2024 sci-fi feature film Subservience, starring Megan Fox, the folk horror Starve Acre and in the second series of Nicole Kidman’s Hulu series, Nine Perfect Strangers.
Iyla said: "Yorkshire actors are more than just the place they come from. There's real talent if you look at actors like Dominic West, Jodie Whittaker, Sean Bean in films and shows like Phantom Menace, The Crown, Lord of the Rings, Doctor Who. We have so much more to offer to global productions, and it's so nice to see that really being recognised now.
Iyla, of mixed Indian-British heritage, joins a wave of teenage actors from Articulate Agency breaking down class and race barriers in the TV and film industry.
Yousef Naseer, 19, is a South Asian young star from Bradford who has had prominent roles in the BBC’s Virdee, and BBC’s Man Like Mobeen, after several roles in children’s TV, including CBBC’s The Dumping Ground.
The Baildon-based agency works with the top UK and US casting directors, producers and show runners to secure high-profile, career-making roles, including major Hollywood opportunities.
Its talent star across all major TV networks, including Netflix, Sky, ITV, Hulu, Amazon Prime, Disney+, HBO, and the BBC, as well as independent and major UK and US film studios, and are trusted by Disney, Universal, and Fox.
After working in Emmerdale, at 15, Iyla played the part of Usma as a series regular in CBBC’s Jamie Johnson (series 7).
The young actress has just finished her final exams this June and is now focussing on acting full-time.
Iyla added: “I would love to be cast in roles that would allow me to tell global stories. I absolutely love directors like Wes Anderson. To be able to tell stories so beautifully like that would be a real dream."
