Dame Meera Syal has described her role in the BBC sketch show Goodness Gracious Me as 'liberating', saying the series broke taboos about the Indian community and allowed South Asians to 'take ownership' of their representation.
The Wolverhampton-born actress, who grew up in Essington, reflected on the show's impact as it marked 30 years since its first radio broadcast on July 11. Speaking at BFI Southbank as part of the London Indian Film Festival, she said the programme was born from frustration with negative portrayals.
Turning the Tables on Stereotypes
'We had seen ourselves represented in so many bad ways, with blackface and the head waggling and the terrible accent,' Dame Meera said. 'We just felt we wanted to take ownership of all of that and turn it upside down.'
The 65-year-old rose to fame as part of the ensemble cast, which included Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kulvinder Ghir and Nina Wadia. The show, which started as a radio programme in 1996 before becoming a TV series from 1998 to 2001, is widely credited with placing Indian voices at the centre of British mainstream media.
Channeling 'Years of Rage' into Comedy
One sketch, which focused on the mispronunciation of foreign names, channelled 'years of rage' and 'micro-aggressions', Dame Meera explained. 'That was the release of the programme. Suddenly, you're in a room with people who understand the shorthand. It was like getting paid for group therapy.'
She noted that the audience for live shows was diverse, with 'a third to half' being non-Asian. The show's popularity, she said, was 'such a good sign of progress'. 'We were making the jokes this time. We weren't the butt of the jokes.'
A 'Liberating' Experience for Women
Dame Meera described playing characters that were 'ugly, funny, risque' as liberating. 'To break taboos and just be stupid sometimes. All of those things that women aren't usually supposed to do. Funny women are powerful, funny women are subversive, funny women are scary, and you don't see funny brown women.'
The show also featured guest appearances from stars including Dave Lamb, Fiona Allen, Amanda Holden and Emma Kennedy. Goodness Gracious Me explored British-Asian culture and the conflict of integration between Indian traditions and modern British life.
