CARTOON favourite Bart Simpson is not known for his dedication to academia but that is not stopping the actress who does his voice coming to the University of Teesside, Middlesbrough.

Nancy Cartwright will be speaking at Animex, a four-day international celebration of animation in the New Year.

She has been the voice of tearaway Bart in the American show The Simpsons since it began in 1987, and has announced she will also be taking over as the voice of Chuckie in The Rugrats.

Fans of The Simpsons should already be aware of how diverse Nancy's voice is as she also speaks the parts of bully Nelson Muntz, god-fearing Todd Flanders and school wimp Ralph Wiggum.

Chris Williams, the university's principal lecturer in animation, said: "Getting Nancy Cartwright to speak at Animex is a real coup for us."

Nancy's book, My Life as a ten-year-old Boy, is now a best-seller and her talk - Will The Real Bart Simpson Please Stand Up - is on January 30.

Her achievements as an actor include credits in television, film and theatre. She is recognised as one of the world's leading voice-actors, and has received numerous awards for her performances.

Nancy's visit to the university follows that of animator Ray Harryhausen, who was in Teesside last month to collect an honorary degree.

He was given the award for his years in animation and for speaking at the Animex festival two years ago.

* Animex, which runs from January 28 to 31, is open to the public. Prices range from £10 to £50. For further more details ring (01642) 342678 or (01642) 342653.