Adil Ray

Bumbling, bumptious Mr Khan adds entrepreneurial restaurateur to his CV by opening a fried chicken shop. There's just one problem: he's dipped deep into the Khan pension fund to pay for the finger-licking franchise, so has to keep it a secret from his wife, even as he recruits family and friends as staff. Will Mrs Khan's new obsession with tango help him dance around the subject? Adil Ray's broad Brummie sitcom continues, with Ronni Ancona guest-starring as an amorous fast-food-fryer with designs on Amjad.

Adil Ray has received death threats and online abuse

Actor reveals he has been bombarded with abuse from those who think it makes fun of Islam and stereotypes Asians.

The return of Adil Ray's sitcom about a British-Pakistani family for a fourth series could be seen as a triumph of hope over experience. The comedy about a self-important Asian community leader from Birmingham has taken a battering from critics who've deemed it retrograde and unfunny. Expect more of the same tonight, when the Khans enjoy a family day out to a stately home to look at some of its Indian treasures. Mr Khan (Ray) hopes to hobnob with its owner, Lord Anstruther (Seventies sitcom star Peter Bowles), but his social climbing is undone by Naani's sticky fingers.

Alongside Citizen Khan's broad comedy, there are usually a few zingers from its characters about their view of the Raj. Most importantly, the programme offers a refreshingly upbeat view of British Muslim life which as Ray has pointed out in the past, is a counter-narrative to Islamic extremism. It fits nicely into the tradition of British sitcoms featuring blockheads who have their pomposity pricked, and if Khan's biggest offence is a lack of laughs, well, that never stopped My Family or Mrs Brown's Boys. It's harmless, friendly fun for the whole family.

Radio Times review

The broad comedy about a pompous and deluded "community leader" returns, with guest stars in the new series including Ronni Ancona, Tyger Drew-Honey, Steve Furst and, in this episode, Peter Bowles, who conforms to type by playing the lord of the local manor.

The stately home has put on an exhibition of Indian treasures collected during the Raj, something that piques the interest of both Mr Khan (Adil Ray) and his mother-in-law Naani (Adlyn Ross). But while Mr Khan sees a chance to better himself by rubbing shoulders with the aristocracy, Naani wants to profit in a rather more direct way.

Evolution of TV for British Asians according to Mr Khan

The issue of immigration is rarely out of the headlines and it was no different fifty years ago, when thousands of Indians and Pakistanis came to Britain.

In response, the BBC launched its Immigration Programme Unit designed to help newcomers cope with everyday situations.

Adil Ray, star and creator of the sitcom Citizen Khan, looks at how those early shows developed into programmes that reflect the lives of British Asians today.

Adil Ray interview

Ahead of the fourth series of Citizen Khan on BBC One, I caught up with writer, creator and Mr Khan himself, Adil Ray for a chat about the new series.

Adil Ray plans to take Citizen Khan to the big screen

A film on the theme 'Citizen Khan Goes to America' would allow Ray to explore terrorism and airport security.

Adil Ray on the potrayal of Muslims on TV

Adil Ray is back with a fourth series of Citizen Khan - he explains why his BBC sitcom about a Muslim family is still as laugh-out-loud funny, and controversial, as ever.

Pointless Celebrities announces comedy special

Doon Mackichan, Nigel Planer, Adil Ray, Kevin Eldon, Nerys Hughes, Jeremy Dyson and The Chuckle Brothers are due to appear in a Comics edition of Pointless Celebrities. The episode will be broadcast on September 26 on BBC One.