Actor
Meera Syal
- Born: 27 June 1961, Wolverhampton, England
- Estimated net worth: $3 million
Meera Syal is a British actress, comedian, and writer known for her work in television and film. She gained recognition for roles in 'Goodness Gracious Me' and 'The Kumars at No. 42'. Syal has a reputation for her sharp wit and ability to blend comedy with…
Meera Syal: best films and shows
About Meera Syal
Meera Syal is a British actress, comedian, and writer known for her work in television and film. She gained recognition for roles in 'Goodness Gracious Me' and 'The Kumars at No. 42'. Syal has a reputation for her sharp wit and ability to blend comedy with poignant social commentary, making her a beloved figure in British entertainment.
- Born
- 27 June 1961, Wolverhampton, England
- Known for
- Acting
- Height
- 5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
- Spouses
- Hamish Jenkinson (2006-present)
- Children
- 2, Teo Jenkinson, and a daughter
- Parents
- Kewal Syal, and Shanti Syal
- Estimated net worth
- $3 million
Fun facts about Meera Syal
- Meera Syal was awarded an OBE in 2015 for her services to drama and literature.
- She was the first woman of South Asian descent to write and star in a British sitcom.
Famous Meera Syal quotes
“It's a bit like a family, really.”
“I think it's important to tell stories that resonate.”
“This is not just a job for me; it's my passion.”
Meera Syal: coming up
- Prodigies (TV, Dahlia)10 February 2027
Credits and dates: TMDB.
Meera Syal filmography
Cast (180)
| Year | Title | Character | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2027 | Prodigies TV | Dahlia | |
| 2026 | Phony TV | Sharla | |
| 2026 | Lysistrata Movie | Lysistrata (voice) | |
| 2025 | The Revenge Club TV | Rita Eggleston | 6.4 |
| 2025 | Tinsel Town Movie | Cassandra | 5.8 |
| 2025 | National Theatre at Home: A Tupperware of Ashes Movie | Queenie | |
| 2025 | Uncanny Post Mortem TV | Self | |
| 2024 | Absolutely Fabulous: Inside Out Movie | Self / Suzy | 7.3 |
| 2024 | Our Tiny Islands TV | Self - Narrator | 10.0 |
| 2023 | Samosa & Sons Movie | Rai Bahadur | 2.0 |
Show 170 more creditsShow fewer
| Year | Title | Character | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | The Canterville Ghost Movie | Lucretia Otis (voice) | 6.7 |
| 2023 | Mrs Sidhu Investigates TV | Mrs. Sidhu | 6.6 |
| 2023 | The Smeds and the Smoos Movie | Aunt Smed (voice) | 6.8 |
| 2022 | The Almond and the Seahorse Movie | Dr. Falmer | 4.9 |
| 2022 | The Devil's Hour TV | Dr Ruby Bennett | 7.2 |
| 2022 | The Sandman TV | Ric the Vic | 7.8 |
| 2022 | Roar TV | Anu | 5.6 |
| 2021 | The Wheel of Time TV | Verin Mathwin | 7.6 |
| 2021 | Beena and Amrit TV | Amrit | |
| 2021 | Spin Movie | Asha | 6.9 |
| 2021 | Diana's Decades TV | Narrator | 6.0 |
| 2021 | We Are Lady Parts TV | Sister Squire | 7.5 |
| 2020 | Dragon Rider Movie | Subisha Gulab (voice) | 6.9 |
| 2020 | Between the Covers TV | Self | 5.5 |
| 2020 | Comedians: Home Alone TV | Reena | |
| 2020 | Code 404 TV | Elizabeth Churchland | 6.7 |
| 2020 | Kate & Koji TV | Dr Ayesha Radwan | 6.1 |
| 2019 | Yesterday Movie | Sheila Malik | 6.7 |
| 2019 | Back to Life TV | Gaia | 7.4 |
| 2018 | Nativity Rocks! Movie | Nina | 3.9 |
| 2018 | The Nutcracker and the Four Realms Movie | Cook | 6.1 |
| 2018 | Patrick Movie | Miss Phillips | 6.7 |
| 2018 | To Provide All People Movie | District Nurse | 8.0 |
| 2018 | The Homestay Movie | Meera | 5.5 |
| 2018 | The Split TV | Goldie | 7.2 |
| 2018 | The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer TV | Self - Guest | 7.0 |
| 2017 | Paddington 2 Movie | Prosecutor | 7.5 |
| 2017 | Richard Osman's House of Games TV | Self - Contestant | 6.1 |
| 2017 | Brexit Shorts: Just a T-shirt Movie | Priri | 10.0 |
| 2017 | Riviera TV | Sonya Roche | 6.0 |
| 2017 | Our Lives TV | Self - Narrator | |
| 2017 | Don't Ask Me Ask Britain TV | Herself | |
| 2017 | We Have Been Watching TV | Self | |
| 2016 | Walliams & Friend TV | Various | 5.2 |
| 2016 | Doctor Strange Movie | Dr. Patel | 7.4 |
| 2016 | A Midsummer Night's Dream - Live at Shakespeare's Globe Movie | Presenter | 10.0 |
| 2016 | John Bishop: In Conversation with... TV | Self | 7.0 |
| 2016 | Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet Movie | Nurse | 8.0 |
| 2016 | Alice Through the Looking Glass Movie | Nobody (voice) | 6.6 |
| 2015 | Better Than the Original: The Joy of the Cover Version Movie | Narrator | |
| 2015 | Better Than the Original: The Joy of the Cover Version TV | Narrator | |
| 2015 | The Brink TV | Naeema | 7.0 |
| 2015 | Amar Akbar & Tony Movie | Honey | 6.0 |
| 2015 | National Theatre Live: Behind the Beautiful Forevers Movie | Zehrunisa Husain | 6.0 |
| 2015 | Absolutely Anything Movie | Fiona | 5.9 |
| 2014 | The Boy in the Dress Movie | Jaspreet | 6.3 |
| 2014 | Original Comedy Shorts TV | Unknown character | 6.0 |
| 2014 | All About TWO Movie | Self - Panellist | |
| 2014 | Duck Quacks Don't Echo TV | Self | 6.0 |
| 2014 | The Musketeers TV | Theresa | 7.1 |
| 2014 | The Kumars TV | Sushil 'Ummi' Kumar | 5.0 |
| 2013 | Crackanory TV | Self | 6.8 |
| 2013 | Psychobitches TV | Hera | 6.8 |
| 2013 | Family Tree TV | Chitra | 6.4 |
| 2013 | The Job Lot TV | Jamina McNulty | 7.3 |
| 2013 | Love Matters TV | Kuldip | 3.0 |
| 2013 | Broadchurch TV | Judge Sonia Sharma | 7.9 |
| 2012 | Hunted TV | Fatima Zahir | 6.7 |
| 2012 | Much Ado About Nothing Movie | Beatrice | |
| 2012 | All in Good Time Movie | Lopa | 5.9 |
| 2011 | Silk TV | Aisha Wiseman | 7.5 |
| 2010 | Little Crackers TV | Herself | 6.8 |
| 2010 | Tinga Tinga Tales TV | Owl (voice) | 8.0 |
| 2010 | You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger Movie | Dia's Mother | 5.9 |
| 2009 | Desert Flower Movie | Pushpa Patel | 7.6 |
| 2009 | Mad Sad & Bad Movie | Rashmi | 4.7 |
| 2009 | Horrible Histories TV | Storyteller | 8.0 |
| 2009 | Grandpa in My Pocket TV | Mrs Pointy Pencil | 7.5 |
| 2009 | Minder TV | Jess Robinson | 1.0 |
| 2008 | Beautiful People TV | Aunty Hayley | 6.8 |
| 2008 | When Were We Funniest? TV | Self | |
| 2007 | The Alan Titchmarsh Show TV | Self | 4.5 |
| 2007 | Phineas and Ferb TV | Baljeet's Mom (voice) | 7.9 |
| 2007 | Would I Lie to You? TV | Self - Panellist | 7.8 |
| 2007 | Jekyll TV | Miranda | 7.5 |
| 2007 | Jhoom Barabar Jhoom Movie | Satvinder’s mother | 4.1 |
| 2007 | Kingdom TV | Head Teacher | 7.1 |
| 2006 | The Amazing Mrs Pritchard TV | Liz Shannon | 6.5 |
| 2006 | The One Show TV | Self - Guest | 4.3 |
| 2006 | The One Show TV | Self | 4.3 |
| 2006 | Scoop Movie | Joe's Co-Passenger | 6.6 |
| 2006 | The Children's Party at the Palace Movie | Mary (The BFG) | 2.8 |
| 2006 | School's Out TV | Self | |
| 2006 | Uncle Max TV | Snooty Neighbour | 7.5 |
| 2005 | The F Word TV | Unknown character | 6.2 |
| 2005 | Nigella TV | Self | 6.2 |
| 2005 | The Secretary Who Stole £4 Million Movie | Joyti De-Laurey | 9.0 |
| 2005 | 8 Out of 10 Cats TV | Self | 7.2 |
| 2005 | Monkey Trousers TV | Unknown character | 7.5 |
| 2005 | Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee TV | Sunita | 9.0 |
| 2005 | Doctor Who TV | Nasreen Chaudhry | 7.6 |
| 2004 | Who Do You Think You Are? TV | Self | 7.0 |
| 2004 | King of Bollywood Movie | Mrs Jones | 6.0 |
| 2004 | Parkinson TV | Self - Guest | 7.0 |
| 2004 | Derren Brown: Trick of the Mind TV | Self | 8.1 |
| 2004 | New Tricks TV | Baroness Samira Khan | 7.3 |
| 2003 | QI TV | Self | 7.9 |
| 2003 | Murder Investigation Team TV | DCI Anita Wishart | 7.0 |
| 2002 | Anita and Me Movie | Auntie Shaila | 6.0 |
| 2002 | Bitches & Beauty Queens: The Making of Miss India Movie | Narrator | 9.0 |
| 2002 | All About Me TV | Rupinder | 7.0 |
| 2002 | The Jury TV | Headteacher | 7.1 |
| 2002 | Johnny Vaughan Tonight TV | Self | 7.0 |
| 2001 | The Kumars at No. 42 TV | Unknown character | 6.0 |
| 2001 | Treasure TV | Voices | 6.0 |
| 2001 | Linda Green TV | Sukie | 7.4 |
| 2001 | Bedtime TV | Ruby | 4.3 |
| 2001 | Double Income, No Kids Yet TV | Katie | |
| 2001 | In Deep TV | Marta Drusic | 8.0 |
| 2000 | Aladdin: The ITV Pantomime Movie | High Priestess | 9.0 |
| 2000 | Fat Friends TV | Aysha Kapoor | 8.0 |
| 2000 | Forgive and Forget Movie | Judith Adams | 5.5 |
| 2000 | The Strangerers TV | Volunteer | 7.5 |
| 1999 | Loose Women TV | Self | 3.4 |
| 1999 | It's Only TV But I Like It TV | Self | 6.5 |
| 1999 | Bad Girls TV | Janan Hamad | 7.6 |
| 1999 | Holby City TV | Tara Sodi | 5.8 |
| 1998 | The Mrs Bradley Mysteries TV | Madame Marlene | 7.3 |
| 1998 | Girls' Night Movie | Carmen | 6.8 |
| 1998 | Goodness Gracious Me TV | Unknown character | 6.7 |
| 1998 | Parkinson TV | Self | |
| 1997 | Flight Movie | Tasleema | 8.5 |
| 1997 | Sixth Happiness Movie | Breathing Generator | 4.8 |
| 1997 | Holding On TV | Zita | 7.5 |
| 1997 | Wavelength TV | Mrs Kumar | |
| 1997 | Ruby TV | Self | 9.0 |
| 1997 | Keeping Mum TV | Tina Beare | |
| 1997 | Midsomer Murders TV | Clara Myerscough | 7.5 |
| 1997 | A Night in with the Girls Movie | Self | |
| 1996 | Crossing the Floor Movie | Reporter | 6.8 |
| 1996 | Beautiful Thing Movie | Miss Chauhan | 7.3 |
| 1995 | Degrees of Error TV | Dr. Jean Lowell | |
| 1995 | Band of Gold TV | Anne Denver | 5.5 |
| 1995 | It's Not Unusual Movie | Shushila | 7.5 |
| 1994 | Room 101 TV | Self | 6.6 |
| 1994 | A Nice Arrangement Movie | Sita | 6.5 |
| 1994 | Jo Brand Through the Cakehole TV | Various | |
| 1994 | O Mary This London Movie | Ranting woman | 8.0 |
| 1994 | Memsahib Rita Movie | Unumma | 8.0 |
| 1993 | GMTV TV | Self | 5.8 |
| 1992 | Absolutely Fabulous TV | Suzy | 7.6 |
| 1992 | Gummed Labels Movie | Mira | 8.0 |
| 1992 | Sean's Show TV | Trudy | 6.0 |
| 1992 | My Sister-Wife Movie | Farah Khan | 9.0 |
| 1991 | Soldier Soldier TV | Sangita Sharma | 6.9 |
| 1991 | The Real McCoy TV | Unknown character | 6.0 |
| 1991 | Kinsey TV | Val | |
| 1990 | Have I Got News for You TV | Self | 7.1 |
| 1990 | Drop the Dead Donkey TV | Barmaid | 7.0 |
| 1989 | Interviewers From Hell Movie | Unknown character | |
| 1988 | This Morning TV | Self | 5.2 |
| 1987 | Sammy and Rosie Get Laid Movie | Rani | 5.7 |
| 1987 | A Little Princess TV | Anna | 7.7 |
| 1986 | To Have and to Hold TV | Janine | |
| 1986 | Handsworth Songs Movie | Voice Over | 5.9 |
| 1986 | Boon TV | Council Supervisor | 5.8 |
| 1985 | Black Silk TV | Mumtaz Khan | |
| 1985 | The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ TV | Mrs. Singh | 6.9 |
| 1985 | Screen Two TV | Farah Khan | 7.1 |
| 1985 | Screen Two TV | Ranting Woman | 7.1 |
| 1985 | Screen Two TV | Reporter | 7.1 |
| 1984 | Majdhar Movie | Rehana | 8.5 |
| 1984 | The Bill TV | Miss Choudry | 6.8 |
| 1984 | The Bill TV | Solicitor | 6.8 |
| 1984 | The Bill TV | Woman in Street | 6.8 |
| 1984 | The Bill TV | Linda Morgan | 6.8 |
| 1983 | Natural World TV | Narrator | 7.4 |
| 1983 | Taggart TV | Sharon Lal | 6.6 |
| 1978 | The South Bank Show TV | Unknown character | 5.6 |
| 1978 | An Audience with... TV | Self | 5.3 |
Crew (10)
| Year | Title | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Brexit Shorts: Just a T-shirt Movie | Writer · Writing | 10.0 |
| 2014 | Original Comedy Shorts TV | Writer · Writing | 6.0 |
| 2010 | Little Crackers TV | Writer · Writing | 6.8 |
| 2002 | Anita and Me Movie | Writer · Writing | 6.0 |
| 2002 | Anita and Me Movie | Producer · Production | 6.0 |
Show 5 more creditsShow fewer
| Year | Title | Role | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Goodness Gracious Me TV | Creator · Creator | 6.7 |
| 1994 | A Nice Arrangement Movie | Story · Writing | 6.5 |
| 1993 | Bhaji on the Beach Movie | Writer · Writing | 5.3 |
| 1992 | My Sister-Wife Movie | Writer · Writing | 9.0 |
| 1985 | Tandoori Nights TV | Writer · Writing | 6.3 |
Latest releases
- Tinsel Town2025 / TMDB 5.8
- National Theatre at Home: A Tupperware of Ashes2025
- Absolutely Fabulous: Inside Out2024 / TMDB 7.3
- Samosa & Sons2023 / TMDB 2.0
- The Canterville Ghost2023 / TMDB 6.7
Meera Syal in the news
Questions about Meera Syal
What are Meera Syal's most famous roles?
Meera Syal is best known for her roles in 'Goodness Gracious Me', 'The Kumars at No. 42', and her recent work in 'The Ex-Wife'.
Has Meera Syal won any awards?
Yes, Meera Syal received an OBE in 2015 and has been nominated for various awards, including BAFTAs, for her contributions to television and theatre.
When did Meera Syal start her acting career?
Meera Syal began her acting career in the late 1980s, initially performing in theatre before moving to television and film.
What is Meera Syal's net worth?
Meera Syal's estimated net worth is around $3 million, reflecting her successful career in acting, writing, and comedy.
What is one of Meera Syal's notable films?
One of Meera Syal's notable films is 'Bhaji on the Beach' (1993), which showcased her talent and contributed to her rising popularity.
Is Meera Syal involved in writing?
Yes, Meera Syal is also a successful author and playwright, with several published works that highlight her diverse talents.
What type of comedy is Meera Syal known for?
Meera Syal is known for her observational comedy that often addresses cultural identity and the experiences of South Asian communities in Britain.
What impact has Meera Syal had on British television?
Meera Syal has had a significant impact on British television by breaking barriers for South Asian representation and influencing the portrayal of diverse narratives.