Cherry, from Glasgow, impressed the casting team with her striking similarities to the character of Katie Morag, both in looks and personality.
Don Coutts, director on Katie Morag, said: "We were looking for someone very special to bring Katie Morag to life and we’re confident that we have found that person in Cherry. We were looking for someone with energy, humour and courage to play the feisty wee character of Katie Morag and we think that Cherry has all three of these attributes in spades! Cherry has many happy memories of coming to the island where we are filming for her holidays and we're really looking forward to working with her in the months to come.”
The casting team searched the length and breadth of Scotland to find the right person to play Katie Morag with any interested children invited to take part in auditions in Glasgow, Edinburgh and Stornoway. Cherry took part in the Stornoway auditions after being put forward by her parents David and Jill. She has connections to the Isle of Lewis, the location for the series, as her grandmother was born, and still lives, on the island.
Cherry said: “I was over the moon when I found out that I had got the part of Katie Morag and couldn’t stop jumping around! I have read all the books and absolutely love the stories. I’ve been coming to the Isle of Lewis on holiday for years and I can’t wait to go back there to start filming.”
The CBeebies series is based on the hugely popular series of books by Mairi Hedderwick which relate the adventures of this feisty red-headed girl who lives with her family on the magical island of Struay. The stories celebrate the intrinsic sense of community, the preciousness of the environment and the universal tensions and joys of family life.
Filming for Katie Morag's 26 episodes will start at the end of April on the Isle of Lewis and will continue until August, using both studio facilities on the island as well as the backdrop of the beautiful Hebridean landscape.
Produced by Scottish indie Move On Up, the series is expected to be shown on CBeebies later this year.