Vigilauntie: A Memoir, Innit - 'Hilarious, heartbreaking and inspiring' Sathnam Sanghera
Meera Syal
Sep 2026 · Weidenfeld & Nicolson · Narrated by Meera Syal
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8 hr 55 min
Unabridged
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'A delight' Caitlin Moran
'A sharp, unbeatable, timeless wit' Jameela Jamil
'Hilarious, heartbreaking and inspiring' Sathnam Sanghera
'Dashed with magic' Richard E. Grant
Meera Syal is one of Britain's best loved comedy legends. Now, for the first time, she tells her story.
Meera recounts those chance remarks that have changed the course of her life - everything from 'don't sit with your legs apart!' (the despairing cry of Meera's aunties) to 'an Asian comedy show? Are Asians funny?' (the depressing response to the idea that would become Goodness Gracious Me).
With her trademark warmth and humour, she shares stories from growing up as the only brown girl in her beloved Midlands town, to her grandfather's attempts to arrange her marriage; from to her working life as an actress and writer, to her journey to motherhood and the changing attitudes towards women she has experienced over her career.
Meera's story is also the story of a changing Britain - revealing lives deeply affected by the partition of India in 1947 and the reverberations of history into the present.
Vigilauntie is a memoir with heart: touching, compelling and very, very funny.
'Tender, riveting, beautiful and deeply vulnerable' Nikita Gill
'An absolute joy' Jo Brand
'Read it. Love it. Cry and laugh' Anita Anand
'A sharp, unbeatable, timeless wit' Jameela Jamil
'Hilarious, heartbreaking and inspiring' Sathnam Sanghera
'Dashed with magic' Richard E. Grant
Meera Syal is one of Britain's best loved comedy legends. Now, for the first time, she tells her story.
Meera recounts those chance remarks that have changed the course of her life - everything from 'don't sit with your legs apart!' (the despairing cry of Meera's aunties) to 'an Asian comedy show? Are Asians funny?' (the depressing response to the idea that would become Goodness Gracious Me).
With her trademark warmth and humour, she shares stories from growing up as the only brown girl in her beloved Midlands town, to her grandfather's attempts to arrange her marriage; from to her working life as an actress and writer, to her journey to motherhood and the changing attitudes towards women she has experienced over her career.
Meera's story is also the story of a changing Britain - revealing lives deeply affected by the partition of India in 1947 and the reverberations of history into the present.
Vigilauntie is a memoir with heart: touching, compelling and very, very funny.
'Tender, riveting, beautiful and deeply vulnerable' Nikita Gill
'An absolute joy' Jo Brand
'Read it. Love it. Cry and laugh' Anita Anand
'A delight' Caitlin Moran
'A sharp, unbeatable, timeless wit' Jameela Jamil
'Hilarious, heartbreaking and inspiring' Sathnam Sanghera
'Dashed with magic' Richard E. Grant
Meera Syal is one of Britain's best loved comedy legends. Now, for the first time, she tells her story.
Meera recounts thos...
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About the author
Dame Meera Syal FRSL is a multi-award winning writer and actress. She has written three novels: Anita and Me, (1996) Life isn't all Ha Ha Hee Hee (1999) and The House of Hidden Mothers (2015). Her screenplays include Bhaji On The Beach, and the film adaptations of her first two novels. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created Goodness Gracious Me and by portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, Ummi, in The Kumars at No. 42 and has become one of the UK's best known creatives . She was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) in the 1997 New Year Honours and in 2003 was listed in The Observer as one of the 50 funniest acts in British comedy. She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to drama and literature. In 2023, she was awarded the BAFTA Fellowship, its highest accolade, for her distinguished career on screen. In 2024, she starred in The National Theatre's production of a new play, A Tupperware of Ashes.
Dame Meera Syal FRSL is a multi-award winning writer and actress. She has written three novels: Anita and Me, (1996) Life isn't all Ha Ha Hee Hee (1999) and The House of Hidden Mothers (2015). Her screenplays include Bhaji On The Beach, and the film adaptations of her first two novels. She rose t...
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