Hopefully the 6th season will be as good as the earlier ones. Any "desi" can easily correlate to the humor and the situations. My personal favorite is the "Indian (It is or This is Indian)" series.

AZ Abhi -- No need to put the word "desi" in quotation marks at Sepia Mutiny! Swagatam.

brit-celebrities

My favorite one was with Patrick Stewart, when the family keeps reminding Sanjeev to talk about his stage acting, but then he shows up in a Star Trek outfit. Hilarious.

Zoë Wanamaker is the only name that I don't recognize. And you might not recognize Joanna Lumley's name, but you should know her work. She was Patsy on Absolutely Fabulous!

Actually, we know Zoe too, as Madam Hooch, Quidditch coach extraordinaire.

For anyone who liked the DCI Jane Tennyson (Helen Mirren) series, Zoe Wanamaker did a good turn as the wife or girlfriend of a guy who turned out to be a serial killer.

I think she was also on Broadway, or Off-Broadway, not too long ago.

They showed an ad on BBC America last night for the new series and there's a cute clip of Sanjay saying to George Hamilton "You actually planned it to be brown. Welcome to the community!"

Tamasha, it's interesting that Patrick Stewart played along with that riff. A friend of a friend working on the B'way version of The Tempest that he was in promised to introduce me after the show for an autograph etc. and he plus Stewart's bodyguard warned our little coterie repeatedly NOT to ask about Star Trek (something I wan't interested in anyway), and wouldn'tya know it, some did! Man, you shoulda' seen the scowl on his face.

OTOH, he was absolute sweetness and light to me and actually mildly flirtatious (eyes and smile), and I blushed like a ninny.

Zoe Wanamaker played the mum from the comedy series 'My Family'. I'm not sure if it airs across the pond. It's hilariously funny, so if it is not available for viewing there you guys are really missing something.

stupid question, but indulge me. Is the show real or is it set-up? Some of the lines are way to good to be spontaneous. Is that really a family, or a bunch of improv-actors?

"Zoe Wanamaker played the mum from the comedy series 'My Family'. I'm not sure if it airs across the pond. It's hilariously funny, so if it is not available for viewing there you guys are really missing something."

it's on bbcamerica daily from around 4:40-6pm (except for the past few days, maybe they've run out of new episodes for now). funny show, especially robert lindsay (of horatio hornblower fame) and wanamaker.

On-topic:

Netflix has only one DVD of the show. What's up with that???

Off-topic:

A friend of a friend working on the B'way version of The Tempest that he was in promised to introduce me after the show for an autograph etc. and he plus Stewart's bodyguard warned our little coterie repeatedly NOT to ask about Star Trek (something I wan't interested in anyway), and wouldn'tya know it, some did! Man, you shoulda' seen the scowl on his face.

I saw Captain Picard on Broadway a year back in an excellent poduction of Pinter's "Caretaker". Somehow I was lucky to be there on a day when they have a Q&A session after the show. As soon as it started, some stagehand asked if Picard wanted anything to drink. Within picoseconds of Picard saying, "Tea", someone from the audience yelled out,"Yes, Earl Grey. Hot!".

The good captain was not amused.

Speaking of Patrick Steward, a couple of months ago, they did this experiment in Stratford where they woke people up in the morning by playing nice (atleast from the podcast) classical music from hot air balloons. Most of the town liked it; the one person who complained and told them to shut up? Patrick Stewart.

Speaking of Patrick Steward, a couple of months ago, they did this experiment in Stratford where they woke people up in the morning by playing nice (atleast from the podcast) classical music from hot air balloons. Most of the town liked it; the one person who complained and told them to shut up? Patrick Stewart.

Duh...He probably thought it was the sound of a Romulan invasion or displaced tachyon particles. I mean, hell, that's what I'd think.

For a good time, they should host Shatner!

One of the things I really like about the show is that the "Brit-celebs", even though sometimes I don't know who they are, seem to be more aware of brown culture, and so they play along with the Indian jokes and one-liners. It certainly makes the show much more entertaining.

Sa,

Some of the lines are way to good to be spontaneous.

Apparently it's a combination of scripted lines and spontaneous jokes, although from what I understand the guests don't necessarily know all the details of what they're going to be subjected to.

Is that really a family, or a bunch of improv-actors?

They're all actors. The two main protagonists are writers/comedians/actors most well-known for their role in Goodness Gracious Me.

Oh man! I'm dying here... thanks for posting this guys...

Oai! rub dey vaaste! Ai kee hoya

I BEG yore paahrdun..

KingSIngh

Asians or Indians/Pakistannis have a higher profile in Uk akin to Blacks and Italians in America. It would be odd for them not to know some brown culture. The US idea of UK is out of date. WHites only make up 50% of Lonodn, for example. The rest are Black and Brown, mostly.

By the way I am not anti muslim

For example in terms of the guys that have been arrested, they see themselves as Muslims first. It should be as English Born and Bred, followed by Pakistanni- Punjabi and then any separating ideology. The latter causes conflict. We are all Human first and all the above later, layers like an onion has, but still the one thing.

And I am not anti muslim. If anyone had heard my interview with Nikki Bedi this Monday on BBC Asian Network 7th August ( Monday 2hrs 10 mintues into the programme, see web), one would know I am trying to use the old Punjabi culture to put across secular ideas and unity. Bigger names like Gurdas Mann are trying this with Punjabi films such as Waris Shah.

In the UK most muslims are from Punjab Pakistan, and it has been from this group that the educated radical Punjabi/Pakistanni Muslims have decided after seeing the Palistinian thing go on for years, Afghanisatna dand then Iraq, to culturally ties themselves ( apart from religious commonality there is none) with the arabs and thus are veering towards this skewered violent and wrong point of view. Further explanation is at the post entitled London terrorist threat or something

Rupinder:

It is doubtful that Muslims originally from Mirpur area (majority of the Pakistanis in the UK), although nominally 'Punjabi', have much in common with Sikhs originally from Jallandhar/Hoshiarpur (home districts of the vast majority of UK Sikhs). The variety of Punjabi spoken is different, and from what little I can make out, the culture is very different. Yes, Muslims from Lahore and other areas of central Punjab in Pakistan have a lot of cultural similarities with Indian Punjabis, but they are not heavily represented in the UK.

The program is amazingly funny and I not only enjoy watching but my family too.I humbly request to be sent a link where I can see some of the clips of this praiseworthy program. Sanjeev and the old lady,don't remember her name, are fabulous. please mull over my request.
thanks