'Meet the Magoons' is a brand new comedy written and directed by Hardeep Singh Kohli, and starring Hardeep Singh Kohli, his brother Sanjeev Kohli, Nitin Ganatra and Paul Sharma. It's the story of a group of mates for whom ketchup, chaos, country slices, tandooris, turbans and transvestites are all in a day's work. The action is set around The Spice, a Punjabi curry house in Glasgow, where the day-to-day running of the business comes second to the cock-ups and cover-ups of the Magoons. If they're not encountering drug-smuggling samosa suppliers, they're being busted by an all-female police hit squad!

'Manager man' Nitin [Nitin Ganatra] is the hapless Magoon, forever trying to prove his managerial prowess but constantly letting his Dad down with his skill for "f****** about". Paul (Paul Sharma) is the "Welsh waiter" who infuriates Nitin by being everything Nitin's dad wishes Nitin was. Surjit [Sanjeev Kohli] is the most chilled out of the Magoons, with a fondness for colourful shirts and long anecdotes told in a style some would call relaxed, most would call dull. Then there's Hamish [Hardeep Singh Kohli], the King of Trivia, specialising in pop and the eighties, which proves to be a valuable asset in many a Magoon crisis.

Watched over by Nitin's stetson-wearing, line-dancing dad [Vincent Ebrahim] and Alan the chef [Moray Hunter], the Magoons fill their days with talking rubbish, concealing their assorted mishaps, and generally trying to surf an increasing wave of chaos.

Meet the Magoons first came to life as a Channel 4 Comedy Lab in 2002. Writer/director/star Hardeep Singh Kohli has recently written White Bhaji, a screenplay for Gruber Films, which he will also direct. He has been a Writer In Residence for BBC Television and is also working on a Channel 4 Education series Hardeep Does… which takes a fresh and funny look at subjects including race, sex and religion.

EPISODE SYNOPSES

Stairway To Havan (Channel 4, Friday 19 August)

It's the annual Indian restaurant five-a-side football tournament and the Magoons are representing The Spice. Alan the Chef - unpredictable at the best of times - has declared he won't play on a Sunday, so Nitin's gay friend Imran (Ronny Jhutti) is roped in, much to Paul's dismay. Despite the bickering and a mix-up with the team's outfits, the boys show some unexpected skill - but the road to victory is never smooth…. neither is the prayer ceremony to bless the new restaurant oven.

Seven for Eight, or Eight for Seven (Channel 4, Friday 26 August)

There is confusion in The Spice over the number of diners expected that evening - is it 7 people at 8 o'clock or 8 at 7 o'clock? Unsurprisingly, Nitin isn't exactly in control of the situation. As well as forgetting the stag party booking for 37 at 7.30pm, Nitin has unwisely allowed the old restaurant tables to be taken away before the new ones arrive. And to top it off, this is no ordinary stag party.

The Samosa Triangle (Channel 4, Friday 2 September)

The Magoons are sent by Nitin's Dad to collect samosas from a new supplier, Dolly Pathan (Seeta Indrani). She's won Dad over with her sweet potato and honey samosas and has encouraged him to sharpen up his corporate marketing tactics and invest in samosas embossed with the name and logo of The Spice. But in typical Magoon fashion, things are never as easy as they seem, and before long the boys attract the attention of an army of policewomen. Can a mutual love of trivia get the Magoons out of a sticky situation?

Around The World In Eaty Ways (Channel 4, Friday 9 September)

Nitin devises a series of themed evenings for The Spice called "Around The World In Eaty Ways" - Chinese, Russian and French nights, where the likes of Borscht Bhuna will be served. Chef Alan goes on strike - he refuses to be part of any 'novelty catering' - and Nitin turns to his old mate Giles Chan (Paul Courtenay Hyu) to help him out for the Chinese evening. But will the customers embrace the themed-food or will the Magoons be thrown into another disaster? Is Indian food really more than coriander and a random selection of curry pastes?

Devi Does Dallas (Channel 4, Friday 16 September)

Nitin's latest hair-brained scheme to drum up customers for The Spice is to hold a "Kurry Karaoke" night where the choice of dish is linked to a specific karaoke song - a King Prawn Dopiaza buys you Frank Sinatra's "My Way" and a side order of pilau rice will get you a humble Carpenters song. But is sourcing the equipment from a dodgy has-been called Dallas (Tony Slattery) going to be the best way to get the party started? Meanwhile, Paul has to prove his pulling-power when the boys challenge him to secure a date for the evening.

A Previous Engagement (Channel 4, Friday 23 September)

The Magoons have been invited to a relative's engagement party, where Nitin's Dad has high hopes of setting Nitin up with Priya (Sonali Naipaul Chapman), a young girl from Suffolk. On their way to the function the Magoons are instructed to pick up the entertainer - Selina the Snake Woman (Rae Hendrie) - who Nitin's Dad has hired to entertain the guests. Things take a bizarre turn when Selina turns out to have dated Nitin for six weeks, and claims to have once been engaged to Paul. With the distinct whiff of a bunny boiler about her, Selina tries to win back the terrified Paul. Meanwhile Nitin can't believe Paul could be more desirable than him and in turn pursues Selina … landing him in a very slippery situation.

CAST LIST

Nitin - NITIN GANATRA
Paul - PAUL SHARMA
Surjit - SANJEEV KOHLI
Hamish - HARDEEP SINGH KOHLI
Nitin's Dad - VINCENT EBRAHIM
Alan - MORAY HUNTER
Imran - RONNY JHUTTI
Dolly Pathan - SEETA INDRANI
Giles - PAUL COURTENAY HYU
Dallas - TONY SLATTERY
Selina - RAE HENDRIE
Priya - SONALI NAIPAUL CHAPMAN
Policewoman - ASHLEY JENSEN
Mr Corrigan - TONY ROPER