Audiobooks by Meera Syal

Goodness Gracious Me: The Complete Radio Series 1-3

Nothing escaped the eye of the satirical eye of Britain's phenomenally successful all-Asian sketch show that was Goodness Gracious Me. The complete BBC Radio series 1-3 fore-ran the award-winning BBC TV series that ran in the late 1990s, and features the same cast. Prepare for your heart to pound in the Indian recreation of Brief Encounter, sing along to the profound words of wisdom with Fifty Ways to Leave your Mother, and enjoy pop classics such as Hindi People and Punjabi Girl. Along with the discovery that The Royal Family are actually Indian, there are a ton of characters to enjoy- the Guru, Smeeta Smitten, the Coopers, Mrs I-Can-Make-it-at-Home and Mr Everything-Comes-from-India. If you don't like your comedy to be really, really bland (like a good English) then Goodness Gracious Me is the satirical series for you.

Anil Gupta, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar (Author), Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Syal, Nina Wadia, Sanjeev Bhaskar (Narrator)

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Anita and Me

Nine-year-old Meena can't wait to grow up and break free from her parents. But, as the daughter of the only Punjabi family in the mining village of Tollington, her struggle for independence is different from most. Meena wants fishfingers and chips, not chapati and dhal; she wants an English Christmas, not the usual interminable Punjabi festivities - but more than anything, she wants to roam the backyards of working-class Tollington with feisty Anita Rutter and her gang. Blonde, cool, aloof, outrageous and sassy, Anita is everything Meena thinks she wants to be. Meena wheedles her way into Anita's life, but the arrival of a baby brother, teenage hormones, impending entrance exams for the posh grammar school and a motorcycling rebel without a future threaten to turn Anita's salad days sour. Anita and Me paints a comic, poignant, compassionate and colourful portrait of village life in the era of flares, power cuts, glam rock, decimalisation and Ted Heath. It is a unique vision of a British childhood in the Seventies, a childhood caught between two cultures, each on the brink of change.

Meera Syal (Author), Meera Syal (Narrator)

Audiobook

Anita and Me

Nine-year-old Meena can't wait to grow up and break free from her parents. But, as the daughter of the only Punjabi family in the mining village of Tollington, her struggle for independence is different from most. Meena wants fishfingers and chips, not chapati and dhal; she wants an English Christmas, not the usual interminable Punjabi festivities - but more than anything, she wants to roam the backyards of working-class Tollington with feisty Anita Rutter and her gang.Blonde, cool, aloof, outrageous and sassy, Anita is everything Meena thinks she wants to be. Meena wheedles her way into Anita's life, but the arrival of a baby brother, teenage hormones, impending entrance exams for the posh grammar school and a motorcycling rebel without a future threaten to turn Anita's salad days sour.Anita and Me paints a comic, poignant, compassionate and colourful portrait of village life in the era of flares, power cuts, glam rock, decimalisation and Ted Heath. It is a unique vision of a British childhood in the Seventies, a childhood caught between two cultures, each on the brink of change.

Meera Syal (Author), Meera Syal (Narrator)

Audiobook

The House of Hidden Mothers: A Novel

Shyama, a forty-eight-year-old London divorcee, already has an unruly teenage daughter, but that doesn't stop her and her younger lover, Toby, from wanting a child together. Their relationship may look like a cliche, but despite the news from her doctor that she no longer has any viable eggs, Shyama's not ready to give up on their dream of having a baby. So they decide to find an Indian surrogate to carry their child, which is how they meet Mala, a young woman trapped in an oppressive marriage in a small Indian town from which she's desperate to escape. But as the pregnancy progresses, they discover that their simple arrangement may be far more complicated than it seems.

Meera Syal (Author), Meera Syal (Narrator)

Audiobook

The House of Hidden Mothers

'Dazzling. Intense and gritty at times, sparkling and hilarious at others. I found it absorbing, witty, joyous and moving...and that's all I really want from a book!' - JO BRAND Little India, East London: Shyama, aged forty-four, has fallen for a younger man. They want a child together. Meanwhile, in a rural village in India, young Mala, trapped in an oppressive marriage, dreams of escape. When Shyama and Mala meet, they help each other realise their dreams. But will fate guarantee them both happiness?... Brimming with warmth, wit and indignation, Meera Syal immerses us in a devastating story of friendship, family and the lengths women will go to have a child. THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN MOTHERS is her long-awaited third novel and shows Meera Syal at the height of her literary powers Meera Syal, CBE, is one of our most acclaimed actors and writers of stage and screen. She starred in the hit series The Kumars at No.42 and recently in the BBC film of David Walliams' The Boy in the Dress. She is currently in David Hare's play, Behind the Beautiful Forevers at the National Theatre, and in the latest series of Broadchurch. Meera Syal is also highly regarded for her funny, sharp and provocative fiction. Her earlier novels are ANITA AND ME and LIFE ISN'T ALL HA HA HEE HEE (now available as a re-issue). THE HOUSE OF HIDDEN MOTHERS is her long-awaited new novel. 'Brilliant. It is destined to be a bestseller. There is so much in it too. Beautiful writing, human frailty, love, vanity, friendship - but most importantly the shocking reminder of how woman are abused the world over.' - ESTHER FREUD

Meera Syal (Author), Meera Syal (Narrator)

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