Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Meera Syal sets the stage for Harold Pinter season

by LAUREN CODLING

ACTRESS Meera Syal has spoken of her admiration for renowned playwright Harold Pinter as she prepares to star in a number of his sketches and monologues this month.


The Pinter at the Pinter season is celebrating the late writer, regarded as one of the most influential dramatists in British history.

A collection of Pinter’s monologues and short plays will be performed over a six-month period at the Harold Pinter Theatre in central London to mark the 10th anniversary of his death.

Syal is one of the performers starring in Pinter Three, alongside comedians Lee Evans and Keith Allen.

Describing his writing as “darkly funny”, Syal believes Pinter still resonates with audiences because he was able to write “something very deep and very light at the same time”.

“His monologues and sketches are sometimes two minutes long, but it is like he has written a full play, because they are so layered,” she told Eastern Eye last Friday (19). “He can say in one page what another writer would take a whole play to say and that is why his genius is still being admired now.”

Although the Goodness Gracious Me star said she had never met Pinter, she was an admirer of his work. However, Syal admitted she wrongly perceived his work as being very heavy. “I really underestimated the brilliance of his comedy writing,” she said.

Syal is due to feature in two monologues, two long sketches and in one of the main acts, A Kind of Alaska.

The star, who has extensive experience in theatre, has acted in several solo pieces before. In 2010, she starred in one-woman show Shirley Valentine. In 2001, she had a part in The Vagina Monologues, an array of soliloquys which focused on female sexuality.

“[Monologues] are one of the scariest things in the world to do, but you can really connect with an audience,” she said. “Every actor should do one.”

Last year, Syal made her musical debut on the West End stage, playing Miss Hannigan in Annie, a role that she revealed she found “joyful” to play. She won an Eastern Eye ACTA award in June for her portrayal in the musical.

The experience has made Syal hopeful that she could work on another musical in the future, and cited Marianne Elliott’s recent show Company as something she would aspire to work on.

In December, Syal will be working on her first pantomime, playing a mermaid in the children’s classic, Peter Pan. She said one of her earliest memories was attending a pantomime in Stoke-on-Trent when she was four years old. She was invited on stage with the actors and it was the first moment she realised she wanted to be in the entertainment industry.

“I remember that feeling of walking on stage, seeing the sweat on the actors’ faces, seeing the rips in their costumes and a feeling of being in a place that was alive and where you were communicating with people,” Syal recalled. “I felt like I’d come home.”

Having only watched two theatre shows by the time she was 18, Syal did not have much access to the arts when she was growing up.

Her daughter Milli Bhatia is, however, pursuing a career in theatre. She is currently working as a trainee director at the Royal Court Theatre in central London.

Syal, who is married to acclaimed actor Sanjeev Bhaskar, believes the family ties to the entertainment industry may have influenced her daughter’s career path.

“My kids were always exposed to the arts,” she said. “It is different when you grow up with parents in [the industry]. It normalises it.”

As the festival of Diwali approaches, Syal revealed that getting together with her family was the most important part of the holiday.

“The only irritating thing is you don’t get a day off for Diwali in the UK,” she added.

Pinter Three is on at the Harold Pinter Theatre from Thursday (25) until December 8

More For You

Val Kilmer

From Iceman to Jim Morrison, Val Kilmer's transformative performances cemented his place as one of Hollywood’s finest actors

Instagram/Getty Images

Hollywood legend: 5 most iconic roles of Val Kilmer

Val Kilmer wasn’t just an actor for all of us, right? He was like a force of nature. A man who didn’t just play characters but became them, leaving pieces of his soul on the screen every single time. With his passing in 2025, we lost one of the greats, but his performances? They’re immortal.

Here’s a tribute to the roles that made us laugh, cry, and sit in stunned silence, the ones that proved, again and again, that Kilmer was pure magic.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jennifer Lawrence & Cooke Maroney Welcome Their Second Child

Jennifer Lawrence spotted with husband Cooke Maroney

SplashNews.com/Christopher Peterson /

Jennifer Lawrence welcomes second child with Cooke Maroney

Jennifer Lawrence and her husband, Cooke Maroney, have welcomed their second child, expanding their family of three to four. The couple, who are already parents to their three-year-old son Cy, were seen taking a stroll in New York City just days after the baby’s arrival.

Although the couple has not publicly shared details about their new-born, insider sources have confirmed the news. The Hunger Games actress and Maroney have been married since October 2019, tying the knot in a private ceremony at the historic Belcourt of Newport mansion in Rhode Island.

Keep ReadingShow less
Adolescence

Netflix’s Adolescence quickly climbs the all-time charts, surpassing major hits like Stranger Things 3

Netflix

‘Adolescence’ surpasses ‘Stranger Things 3’ on Netflix in 17 days with 96.7 million views

Netflix’s latest limited series, Adolescence, has taken the platform by storm, racking up 96.7 million views in just 17 days. This unexpected success has pushed Stranger Things 3 down to the tenth spot on Netflix’s all-time most popular English-language TV series list, while Bridgerton Season 2 has dropped off completely.

Released on March 13, Adolescence follows the gripping story of 13-year-old Jamie Miller, played by Owen Cooper, who finds himself charged with the murder of a classmate. The series, directed by Philip Barantini and starring Stephen Graham, has connected with viewers worldwide, making its way into the Top 10 charts in all 93 countries where Netflix rankings are available.

Keep ReadingShow less
David Fincher Directs ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood’ Sequel

This sequel is shaping up to be one of the most anticipated film projects in recent years

Getty

'Once Upon a Time in Hollywood' sequel on Netflix: David Fincher helms film written by Quentin Tarantino starring Brad Pitt

David Fincher is set to direct a sequel to Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, with Quentin Tarantino penning the script for the follow-up to his Academy Award-winning film. The project, confirmed by Variety, does not yet have an official title but is being developed at Netflix, where Fincher holds a first-look deal. Brad Pitt will reprise his role as Cliff Booth, the stuntman with a dark past.

The film marks a particularly unique collaboration, not only due to one renowned filmmaker directing a sequel to another’s work but also because of its transition from theatrical release to a streaming platform. The original Once Upon a Time in Hollywood was released in 2019 by Sony Pictures, but Tarantino had negotiated a deal that would grant him ownership of the film’s underlying rights after a set period. The fact that this sequel is being developed under Fincher’s Netflix agreement suggests that Tarantino may already hold the sequel rights privately.

Keep ReadingShow less
Laapata Ladies

Kiran Rao’s critically acclaimed film is now under fire after a viral video compared its plot to Burqa City

Instagram

'Laapata Ladies' makers accused of plagiarism as similarity with Arab film 'Burqa City' surface

Kiran Rao’s Laapataa Ladies, which received critical acclaim and was selected as India’s official entry for the 2025 Oscars, is now facing accusations of plagiarism. A viral video circulating on social media has drawn comparisons between Rao’s film and Burqa City, a 2019 Arabic short film by French filmmaker Fabrice Bracq.

What’s the controversy?

Keep ReadingShow less