Meera Syal's Asian Comedy Story

Diversity in comedy - whether stand-up or sitcom - is taken for granted nowadays, but the first part of Meera Syal's Asian Comedy Story provided a reminder that racial stereotypes were a regular feature of popular mainstream entertainment only 30 or so years ago.

There are those who would argue that TV shows such as Mind Your Language and It Ain't Half Hot Mum were of their time, but Syal and her peers were left feeling that Asians were being laughed at, not laughed with.

The comedian, writer and actress may not have had anything particularly revelatory to say, but her reflections on how the British Asian comedy scene developed still made for entertaining and informative listening.

Of particular significance was the 1979 anti-racist uprising in London's Southall, which resulted in the Asian community having more of a voice, both politically and culturally. Gradually, opportunities arose for a new generation to offer their own style of multicultural satire. Indeed, Watermans Arts Centre in Brentford became something of a home for Asian comedy, as a host of artists, including Sanjeev Bhaskar and musician Nitin Sawhney, regularly performed there.

Bhaskar pointed out that the same ethos behind a lot of this comedy - to "let our politics inform our comedy, rather than our comedy inform our politics" - also inspired the sketch writing for the radio and TV versions of Goodness Gracious Me, featuring the talents of Syal, Bhaskar, Kulvinder Ghir and Nina Wadia. This old-fashioned variety show with an Asian spin was a big hit, attracting a mainstream audience who simply appreciated the project for being original and funny.

Like many television comedies past and present, Goodness Gracious Me began its journey on radio before making the move to TV. It was first broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996 and, while some of the material might now seem out of date, a good deal of the writing stands the test of time.

Unfortunately, the same quality cannot be found in many of the current radio comedy shows that pop up on a weekly basis, penned by writers who seem to underestimate the skills required to create a decent sketch show.

Lisa Martland, The Stage, 12th July 2012

BBC Asian Network recording reviewed

8,000 people applied for the 300 tickets to this BBC radio recording - while the content was resolutely mainstream, resonating with everyone, albeit stronger with those who shared a background with the comics.

Steve Bennett, Chortle, 1st May 2012