17 July 2023 , 23:01
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The stars of Goodness Gracious Me are reuniting amid rumours of a TV comeback.
Kulvinder Ghir, Nina Wadia and more of the cast and crew of the seminal British sitcom will all come together to celebrate the show's 25th anniversary later this year.
The UK’s leading festival of British South Asian Culture announced the exciting news on Tuesday, with the full line-up set to be revealed in September.
A Goodness Gracious Me reunion comes amid rumours the groundbreaking comedy could return to our screens for a fourth series in the future.
Nina Wadia, Kulvinder Ghir, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal as the 'Coopers' (BBC)Goodness Gracious Me originally aired on BBC Radio 4 from 1996 to 1998 and later televised on BBC Two from 1998 to 2001. In March 2014, the BBC announced that the award-winning comedy would return with a special episode as part of celebrations of 50 years of BBC Two.
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In 2017, Meera Syal revealed the Goodness Gracious Me team was planning a comeback, telling the RadioTimes: "We don’t want to redo something for the sake of it, but we’re discussing something. We’d like to bring our brand of humour back but in a different format. We have to be confident we’ve got the material and I think we have. We’re gathering it. That could well happen."
Actors Kulvinder and Nina will be joined by original script writer Sanjeev Kholi at the upcoming reunion to discuss why Goodness Gracious Me was such a watershed moment for actors from the British South Asian Community, and the legacy of the show 25 years later.
The BBC aired a Goodness Gracious Me India special 2015 (BBC)The original Goodness Gracious Me sitcom memorably lampooned British Asian stereotypes, in sketches such as the famous "Going for an English" send-up, and Sanjeev Bhaskar’s recurring character "Mr Everything Comes from India". The BBC series was the first of its kind, featuring an ensemble of British Asian actors, including Sanjeev's future wife, Meera.
Goodness Gracious Me's four lead stars Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kulvinder, Meera and Nina have gone on to win multiple awards for their acting including two Emmy Awards for The Kumars at No. 42 starring Sanjeev and Meera. Nina has scooped several comedy awards for her acting in EastEnders, while Kulvinder went on to star in several Hollywood films including Blinded by The Light alongside Gavin and Stacey actor Rob Brydon.
Tickets to the 25th Anniversary Reunion of Goodness Gracious Me as part of the 2023 DESIblitz Literature Festival will be £10 and will go on sale on Tuesday 18th July. The event will take place in Birmingham’s B Music (formerly Symphony Hall).