Dame Meera Syal FRSL is a multi-award winning writer and actress. She has written three novels: Anita and Me, (1996) Life isn't all Ha Ha Hee Hee (1999) and The House of Hidden Mothers (2015). Her screenplays include Bhaji On The Beach, and the film adaptations of her first two novels. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created Goodness Gracious Me and by portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, Ummi, in The Kumars at No. 42 and has become one of the UK's best known creatives . She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1997 New Year Honours and in 2003 was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to drama and literature. In 2023, she was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship, its highest accolade, for her distinguished career on screen. In 2024, she starred in The National Theatre's production of a new play, A Tupperware of Ashes.

I can't remember the last memoir I enjoyed so much. Hilarious, heartbreaking and inspiring, it is a fearless celebration of finding your voice, breaking the rules, and being liberated to sit, unapologetically, with your legs apart

Dame Meera Syal FRSL is a multi-award winning writer and actress. She has written three novels: Anita and Me, (1996) Life isn't all Ha Ha Hee Hee (1999) and The House of Hidden Mothers (2015). Her screenplays include Bhaji On The Beach, and the film adaptations of her first two novels. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created Goodness Gracious Me and by portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, Ummi, in The Kumars at No. 42 and has become one of the UK's best known creatives . She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1997 New Year Honours and in 2003 was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to drama and literature. In 2023, she was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship, its highest accolade, for her distinguished career on screen. In 2024, she starred in The National Theatre's production of a new play, A Tupperware of Ashes.

I can't remember the last memoir I enjoyed so much. Hilarious, heartbreaking and inspiring, it is a fearless celebration of finding your voice, breaking the rules, and being liberated to sit, unapologetically, with your legs apart