Organised by BAFTA
Hear from award-winning actor, writer, comedian and BAFTA Fellowship recipient Meera Syal CBE, as she shares insights from her multifaceted career.
Hear from award-winning actor, writer, comedian and BAFTA Fellowship recipient Meera Syal CBE, as she shares insights from her multifaceted career spanning film, television and theatre, with credits including Goodness Gracious Me (1998-2018), The Kumars at No. 42 (2001-2006), Anita & Me (2002), Yesterday (2019) and Mrs Sidhu Investigates (2023).
Meera Syal CBE is an award-winning British actress, comedian and writer. Last year, she was presented with the BAFTA Fellowship at the 2023 BAFTA Television Awards with P&O Cruises, which is the highest accolade bestowed by BAFTA and recognises an outstanding contribution to the industry. Syal was also rewarded the much-coveted Lifetime Achievement Award at the Women in Film & Television Awards 2023.
Born in Wolverhampton, Syal began her career in theatre with roles spanning renowned productions, including the Royal Shakespeare Company's Much Ado About Nothing, David Hares’ Behind The Beautiful Forevers (National Theatre) and Kenneth Branagh’s production of Romeo and Juliet (Garrick Theatre). Her television credits as a writer/performer include the multi award-winning comedy series Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at Number 42, for which she received a BAFTA nomination. Syal can currently be seen in Amazon’s The Devil’s Hour and The Wheel of Time. She is also currently starring as the title role in Acorn’s Mrs Sidhu Investigates. Other television credits include The Split, Broadchurch, Back To Life and Code 404.
On the big screen, her film credits include Yesterday, The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, Paddington 2, Doctor Strange and Alice Through the Looking Glass.
Her credits as a screenwriter include the popular films Bhaji on the Beach, Anita and Me and My Sister Wife, for which she won two Asian Film Awards.
Syal's first novel, Anita and Me, won the Betty Trask Award and is the first novel by a British Asian writer to be included on the national school's curriculum. She is currently in the process of writing her memoir, which is due for publication by Weidenfeld & Nicolson in June 2025.
Members tickets are available from 9.30 GMT on Wednesday 21 February. Public tickets are available from 10.00 GMT on Friday 23 February.
This event will be live-captioned.
BSL interpretation is available on request. If you require BSL please contact us by Wednesday 13 March, 5pm. After this point, we will endeavour to support any requests but cannot guarantee interpretation will be available.
Running time: Approx. 90 minutes
Concessions:
All events with concession tickets available will have them clearly listed when purchasing and can be bought the same way as normal tickets. A limited number of concession tickets will be allocated on selected events.
To be eligible for a concessionary ticket, you must receive or hold one of the following:
- Senior – over 60
- Full-time Student
- Under 18
- D/deaf and Disabled
- Refugee Status
- Asylum Seeker Status
- Those receiving:
- Job Seekers Allowance
- Employment & Support Allowance
- Personal Independence Payment
Accompanying assistants, carers and companions can attend free of charge alongside any ticket purchase. Please email events@bafta.org ahead of booking to book this complimentary ticket.