Goodness Gracious Me revived for new special
Goodness Gracious Me, the hit British Asian sketch show which ran from 1998 to 2001, is to be revived for a new one-off special.
The comedy, which starred Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Syal and Nina Wadia, was a major hit for the BBC in the late 90s. The format, which started life as a Radio 4 show in 1996, ran for three series on BBC Two and the stars also toured the most popular characters via a live theatre show.
The programme was widely praised for its funny scripts and also for helping to bring British Indian culture to a mainstream audience.
The show was last seen on television in 2001 for the special 'Back Where They Came From', but a new episode is now to be filmed to tie in with BBC Two's planned 50 year anniversary celebrations. All four of the stars are confirmed as taking part in the new special.
The BBC says: "To celebrate 50 years of comedy on BBC Two the original cast of the award-winning Goodness Gracious Me are back for a special one off edition of the ground-breaking British Asian sketch show featuring new characters alongside some favourites from the original series in a wealth of brand new sketches."
Like the original series, the new episode is due to be filmed in front of a live studio audience. Producers have booked Teddington Studios on the 22nd March. To apply to be in the audience visit BBC Tickets
Further details on the special are currently under wraps, but it is possible some of the show's popular characters - including The Coopers and Robinsons, The Bhangra Muffins, the competitive mothers, Guru Maharishi Yogi, and the serial dinner dater - could be seen again.
Sanjeev Bhaskar and Meera Syal also recently revived their comic chat show The Kumars At No. 42. A six part series, under the shortened title of The Kumars, has just finished on Sky1.
Last August Goodness Gracious Me was the subject of Radio 4 show The Reunion. The discussion, which involved Syal, Sanjeev and producers Anil Gupta and Jon Plowman, looked the influence of the programme. This episode is still available to listen to online
The new special will be shown as part of BBC Two's 50th anniversary programming later this season. The celebrations are also expected to include a look back at The Fast Show, one of BBC Two's other hit sketch shows.
The below video, featuring the iconic satirical 'going for an English' scene, has been voted as one of top 10 British comedy sketches of all time: