MEERA SYAL

Meera Syal was born near Wolverhampton in 1963 to Punjabi parents. She studied English and Drama at Manchester University, where, frustrated at not being chosen for roles in the student theatrical productions, she co-wrote and performed in the semi-autobiographical play 'One of Us', about a young Asian girl who wants to be an actress and runs away from home, rejecting her Indian Heritage and becoming infatuated with a white female friend.

'One of Us' won the National Student Drama Award and lead to an offer of an Equity card and a seven year acting stint at the Royal Court Theatre in London. It also resulted in a call from the BBC for whom Meera wrote 'My Sister Wife', a three-part series. Meera has also written the script for the film 'Bhaji on The Beach', co-written and appeared in the popular comedy series 'Goodness Gracious Me' and 'Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee' which have been adapted into a film and BBC TV series respectively.

She was awarded the MBE in 1997 and won the Commission for Racial Equality 'Media Personality of the Year' Award in 2000 as well as the EMMA 'Media' Award in 2001.

Top