Meera Syal CBE
Actor
Meera Syal is an actress, author and journalist much-loved for her brilliantly funny performances in television programmes such as the iconic and multi award-winning Goodness Gracious Me and Emmy Award-winning The Kumars at No.42.
Bio
Acclaimed West Midlands born actor, screenwriter and author Meera Syal CBE is arguably best known for her comedy creations in the long-running, multi-award winning BBC series Goodness Gracious Me and Emmy Award-winning The Kumars at No. 42. On the big screen, Meera has starred in family favourite Paddington 2, Marvel’s Doctor Strange, and Danny Boyle’s 2019 musical rom-com Yesterday.
Meera’s acting career has continued to flourish across stage and screen. She has been on our television screens in popular shows such as Broadchurch, Doctor Who and Absolutely Fabulous, and more recently has starred in the British thriller The Devil’s Hour, Wheel of Time (both Amazon Prime) and Mrs Sidhu Investigates (Acorn TV).
A popular face on stage, Meera’s many theatre credits include Beatrice in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Much Ado About Nothing, The Nurse in Kenneth Branagh’s Romeo & Juliet and, most recently, Dotty in the West End transfer of Noises Off.
In 2015, Meera was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to drama and literature and, in 2017, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. Meera also received the BAFTA Academy’s highest honour in 2023, a BAFTA Fellowship Award.
Outside of acting
Meera has written several novels including Life Isn’t All Ha Ha Hee Hee, and the semi-autobiographical Anita & Me. Her childhood experiences growing up in a small Black Country mining community, as literally “The Only Asians In The Village” provided the backdrop to the latter. It won a Betty Trask Award and was later adapted into a film starring Meera herself. The novel is now also a recommended text on the school curriculum.
Meera is a proud ambassador for Breast Cancer Care and The Alzheimer’s Society, and the long standing patron of Newham Asian Women’s project which provides refuges and advice for women and children escaping domestic violence.
Meera is a popular after-dinner speaker and awards host who can provide unique and witty insight into women’s and cultural events.
