
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Meera Syal MBE (born Feeroza Syal on 27 June 1961) is a British comedienne, writer, playwright, singer, journalist, producer and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created Goodness Gracious Me and became one of the UK's best-known Indian personalities portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, Ummi, in The Kumars at No. 42. She was awarded the MBE in the New Year's Honours List of 1997 and in 2003 was listed in The Observer as one of the fifty funniest acts in British comedy. Description above from the Wikipedia article Meera Syal, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- June 27, 1961 (65)
- Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, England, UK
- Actor, also writer and producer
- 65 on MovieCove · 142 credits in all
What are Meera Syal's films like?
Across their 25 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 1 · Wry 1 · Earnest 18
A split, not a type: Light 12 · Serious 3 · Dark 5
A split, not a type: Grounded 13 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 2
Gentle 8 · Charged 10 · Intense 2
Steady 12 · Shifting 6 · Whiplash 2
Straight-faced 4 · Some laughs 12 · Funny 4
Slow burn 9 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 0
Casual 13 · Engaged 5 · Full focus 2
A split, not a type: Easy watch 11 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 5
Resolved 16 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 3
Roles they play
- Shadowas Sunita in Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee (2005)
- Allyas Rashmi in Mad Sad & Bad (2009)
- Mentoras Lopa in All in Good Time (2012)
- Heroas Mrs Sidhu in Mrs Sidhu Investigates (2023)
Moods and endings
- Happy9
- Bittersweet6
- Tragic2
- Ambiguous8
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Meera Syal's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 48 of their 65 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Prime Video (17).
- Horrible Histories (2009) · actor
- A Little Princess (1986) · actor
- Silk (2011) · actor
- Midsomer Murders (1997) · actor · free
- Kingdom (2007) · actor
- The Devil's Hour (2022) · actor
- Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee (2005) · actor, writer, producer
- Fat Friends (2000) · actor
- Band of Gold (1995) · actor
- The Job Lot (2013) · actor
- The Wheel of Time (2021) · actor
- Forgive and Forget (2000) · actor
- +5 more
- Broadchurch (2013) · actor · free
- A Little Princess (1986) · actor · free
- Midsomer Murders (1997) · actor · free
- The Musketeers (2014) · actor · free
- Kingdom (2007) · actor · free
- Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee (2005) · actor, writer, producer · free
- Fat Friends (2000) · actor · free
- Band of Gold (1995) · actor · free
- The Canterville Ghost (2023) · actor · free
- You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger (2010) · actor · free
- Patrick the Pug (2018) · actor · free
- Absolutely Anything (2015) · actor · free
- +4 more
- Broadchurch (2013) · actor · free
- Doctor Who (2005) · actor · free
- Silk (2011) · actor · free
- New Tricks (2003) · actor · free
- Midsomer Murders (1997) · actor · free
- The Musketeers (2014) · actor · free
- Kingdom (2007) · actor · free
- Fat Friends (2000) · actor · free
- Band of Gold (1995) · actor · free
- Patrick the Pug (2018) · actor · free
- Absolutely Anything (2015) · actor · free
- Boon (1986) · actor · free
- +1 more
- BritBox
- Acorn TV, show their 2 titles on Acorn TV
- BBC Select, show their 2 titles on BBC Select
- Shout! TV, show their 2 titles on Shout! TV
- BFI Player, show their title on BFI Player
- Cinemax, show their title on Cinemax
- Howdy, show their title on Howdy
- OUTtv, show their title on OUTtv
- PBS Masterpiece, show their title on PBS Masterpiece
- Sundance Now, show their title on Sundance Now
- Wonder Project, show their title on Wonder Project
Subscription and free streaming for Meera Syal's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
142 credits, 65 with a MovieCove page; 35 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

Prodigies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

Phony(2026)
Lysistrata (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2026)

The Revenge Club (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

Tinsel Town(2025)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
National Theatre at Home: A Tupperware of Ashes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2025)

Samosa & Sons(2023)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Canterville Ghost(2023)
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Mrs Sidhu Investigates(2023)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all shows
The Smeds and the Smoos(2022)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
The Devil's Hour(2022)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
The Sandman(2022)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
Roar(2022)
Midcredits score: 7th percentile of all shows
The Wheel of Time(2021)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows
Beena and Amrit (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

Spin(2021)
Midcredits score: 58th percentile of all films
Diana's Decades(2021)
Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all shows (provisional, few ratings)
We Are Lady Parts(2021)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Dragon Rider(2020)
Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films
Comedians: Home Alone (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

Code 404 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2020)

Kate & Koji(2020)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows
Yesterday(2019)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Back to Life(2019)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows
Nativity Rocks! (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Patrick the Pug(2018)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
To Provide All People(2018)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
The Homestay (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)

The Split(2018)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all shows
Paddington 2(2017)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Brexit Shorts: Just a T-shirt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

Riviera(2017)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all shows
Walliams & Friend (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

Doctor Strange(2016)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
A Midsummer Night's Dream - Live at Shakespeare's Globe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all films
Better Than the Original: The Joy of the Cover Version (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

Better Than the Original: The Joy of the Cover Version (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

The Brink (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

Amar Akbar & Tony (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

National Theatre Live: Behind the Beautiful Forevers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2015)

Absolutely Anything(2015)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
The Boy in the Dress(2014)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all filmsOriginal Comedy Shorts (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

The Musketeers(2014)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all showsThe Kumars (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2014)

Psychobitches (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

Family Tree(2013)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows
The Job Lot(2013)
Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all shows
Love Matters (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

Broadchurch(2013)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Hunted(2012)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows
Much Ado About Nothing (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

All in Good Time(2012)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Silk(2011)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Little Crackers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

Tinga Tinga Tales (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
Desert Flower(2009)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
Mad Sad & Bad(2009)
Midcredits score: 15th percentile of all films
Horrible Histories(2009)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Grandpa in My Pocket (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

Minder (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

Beautiful People (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2008)

Phineas and Ferb(2007)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Jekyll (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

Jhoom Barabar Jhoom(2007)
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
Kingdom(2007)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
The Amazing Mrs Pritchard (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

Scoop(2006)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 49th percentile of all filmsUncle Max (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2006)

The F Word (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
The Secretary Who Stole £4 Million (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)

Monkey Trousers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2005)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows
Doctor Who(2005)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
King of Bollywood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

New Tricks(2003)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
Murder Investigation Team (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

Anita and Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)
Bitches & Beauty Queens: The Making of Miss India (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

All About Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2002)

The Jury(2002)
Midcredits score: 75th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
The Kumars at No. 42 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

Treasure (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

Linda Green (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

Bedtime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

Double Income, No Kids Yet (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

In Deep (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)

Aladdin: The ITV Pantomime (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

Fat Friends(2000)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all shows
Forgive and Forget(2000)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all films
The Strangerers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

Bad Girls (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

Holby City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
Girls' Night(1998)
Midcredits score: 66th percentile of all films
Goodness Gracious Me (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

Flight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

Sixth Happiness(1997)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Holding On (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Wavelength (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

Keeping Mum (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

Midsomer Murders(1997)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
Crossing the Floor (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

Beautiful Thing(1996)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all filmsDegrees of Error (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

Band of Gold(1995)
Midcredits score: 71st percentile of all shows
It's Not Unusual (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

A Nice Arrangement (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

Jo Brand Through the Cakehole (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

O Mary This London (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

Memsahib Rita (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)

Bhaji on the Beach(1993)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Absolutely Fabulous(1992)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all showsGummed Labels (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

Sean's Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

My Sister-Wife (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)

Soldier Soldier (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

The Real McCoy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)
Kinsey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1991)

Drop the Dead Donkey (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)

Interviewers From Hell (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

Sammy and Rosie Get Laid(1987)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
A Little Princess(1986)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all showsTo Have and to Hold (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

Handsworth Songs (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1986)

Boon(1986)
Midcredits score: 22nd percentile of all showsBlack Silk (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole Aged 13¾ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

Tandoori Nights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

Screen Two (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)

Majdhar (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

The Bill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1984)

Natural World(1983)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Taggart(1983)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all shows
The South Bank Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)
Career shape
Star power in the 98th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 141 titles, 140 of them dated from 1978 to 2026; peak year 2015.

Biggest box office
Yesterday (2019)

Highest rated
Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet (2016)

Most popular right now
Roar (2022)
Film career
Peak 2015 · steadily prominent in film for years. Top draw in 2 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1996Screen debut· Beautiful Thing
- 2019Career best· Yesterday
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
How do Meera Syal's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 50th percentile, the median of all 31; across their 20 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up27
- 50th to 74th17
- 25th to 49th12
- Below 25th8
Shape of the crowd
27 of their 64 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved12
- Divisive2
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser27
- Broadly Agreed2
- Mixed20
Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 18 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 49. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Meera Syal's work okay for kids?
Across a limited sample of up to 4 MovieCove titles with content scores.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted.
Who does Meera Syal work with?
People who share at least 2 of Meera Syal's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Sanjeev Bhaskar shares the most, 3.
Actors
- Sanjeev BhaskarShared titles: Dragon Rider (2020), Absolutely Anything (2015), Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee (2005)See all 3 shared titles with Sanjeev Bhaskar

- Derek JacobiShared titles: Tinsel Town (2025), Branagh Theatre Live: Romeo and Juliet (2016)See all 2 shared titles with Derek Jacobi

- Rebel WilsonShared titles: Tinsel Town (2025), The Almond and the Seahorse (2022)See all 2 shared titles with Rebel Wilson

- Craig ParkinsonShared titles: Mrs Sidhu Investigates (2023), Desert Flower (2009)See all 2 shared titles with Craig Parkinson

Producers
- Tim BevanShared titles: Yesterday (2019), Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987)See all 2 shared titles with Tim Bevan

Mixed roles
- Eddie IzzardShared titles: The Almond and the Seahorse (2022), Absolutely Anything (2015)See all 2 shared titles with Eddie Izzard

- Ayub Khan-DinShared titles: All in Good Time (2012), Sammy and Rosie Get Laid (1987)See all 2 shared titles with Ayub Khan-Din

