The British Asian comedy, last seen on our screens in 2001, will return in a one-off, as part of BBC2's 50th-anniversary celebrations
Goodness Gracious Me, one of British TV's most successful Asian programmes, is to return for the first time since 2001.
The cast will reunite for a one-off special as part of BBC2's half-century celebrations. The news emerged after the BBC advertised for audience members to watch the filming. The advert read: "To celebrate 50 years of comedy on BBC2, the original cast of the award winning Goodness Gracious Me are back for a special one-off edition of the ground-breaking British Asian sketch show featuring new characters alongside some favourites from the original series in a wealth of brand new sketches."
The four stars – Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Nina Wadia and Kulvinder Ghir – all co-wrote the show, which began on Radio 4 in 1996 before transferring to BBC2 for three series in 1998. It became celebrated for its frank and very funny addressing of the cultural tensions and absurdities in British Asian life, from satirising the bland culinary tastes of the British to the ridiculous national pride of Mr Everything Comes From India.
The cast have had a number of successes since the show ended. Bhaskar and Syal, the show's creators along with writer Anil Gupta, married in 2005 and co-created the sitcom The Kumars at No 42 which ran for seven series; Bhaskar also appeared in Monty Python musical Spamalot and has made documentaries. Syal has guest starred in Holby City as well as adapting her novel Anita and Me for the big screen. Wadia, meanwhile, can be seen in EastEnders as Zainab Masood. Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 hours ago.
Goodness Gracious Me, one of British TV's most successful Asian programmes, is to return for the first time since 2001.
The cast will reunite for a one-off special as part of BBC2's half-century celebrations. The news emerged after the BBC advertised for audience members to watch the filming. The advert read: "To celebrate 50 years of comedy on BBC2, the original cast of the award winning Goodness Gracious Me are back for a special one-off edition of the ground-breaking British Asian sketch show featuring new characters alongside some favourites from the original series in a wealth of brand new sketches."
The four stars – Sanjeev Bhaskar, Meera Syal, Nina Wadia and Kulvinder Ghir – all co-wrote the show, which began on Radio 4 in 1996 before transferring to BBC2 for three series in 1998. It became celebrated for its frank and very funny addressing of the cultural tensions and absurdities in British Asian life, from satirising the bland culinary tastes of the British to the ridiculous national pride of Mr Everything Comes From India.
The cast have had a number of successes since the show ended. Bhaskar and Syal, the show's creators along with writer Anil Gupta, married in 2005 and co-created the sitcom The Kumars at No 42 which ran for seven series; Bhaskar also appeared in Monty Python musical Spamalot and has made documentaries. Syal has guest starred in Holby City as well as adapting her novel Anita and Me for the big screen. Wadia, meanwhile, can be seen in EastEnders as Zainab Masood. Reported by guardian.co.uk 3 hours ago.