Lam stays young voicing never-ageing cartoon characters such as Doraemon

Doraemon, the Japanese cartoon character created by Hiroshi Fujimoto, turned 40 this year and has a devoted following in Hong Kong. Age might not have added a single wrinkle to the robotic cat, but Lam Pou-chuen, who has provided his voice in Cantonese for more than 20 years, will turn 60 in October.

A TVB voice actor since 1971, Lam said he had dubbed more than 100 different characters for the station's films and television series, but believed working on cartoon characters' scripts made him feel younger. 'I often laugh at the jokes in those cartoons,' said Lam (pictured), whose 31-year-old daughter also dubs animation films for TVB.

He said there was never a dull moment when he dubbed the Japanese cartoon cat. 'I love Doraemon because he always helps others. I never think about changing jobs or retiring. Every day's a fresh beginning for me.'

Lam is helping celebrate Doraemon's 'Big 4-0' by hosting voice-acting workshops at Tsuen Wan Plaza's The Mega-World of Doraemon Movie exhibition, which opened yesterday and features giant figures and video clips of Doraemon characters until August 31.

Customers who spend more than HK$300 at the mall will be eligible to enter Lam's afternoon classes on August 14 and August 15.

Lam also offered wannabe voice actors a couple of tricks of the trade. 'The key is to express different tones in various situations, and also act quickly to catch the characters' mouth movements,' he said. Read those lips.