The Kumars at No. 42 (2001–2006)

Sanjeev Kumar is an aspiring chat-show host. He has celebrity guests round to his house (no. 42) to talk to them, but it all falls apart when his family cut in on the action. The celebrity ... See full summary »

Creators:

Sanjeev Bhaskar, Richard Pinto, Sharat Sardana

Stars:

Sanjeev Bhaskar, Vincent Ebrahim, Indira Joshi

5 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Sanjeev Bhaskar	...	Sanjeev Kumar (53 episodes, 2001-2006)
Vincent Ebrahim	...	Ashwin Kumar (53 episodes, 2001-2006)
Indira Joshi	...	Madhuri Kumar (53 episodes, 2001-2006)
Meera Syal	...	Sushil 'Ummi' Kumar (53 episodes, 2001-2006)

Storyline

Sanjeev Kumar is an aspiring chat-show host. He has celebrity guests round to his house (no. 42) to talk to them, but it all falls apart when his family cut in on the action. The celebrity guests spend far more time speaking to Sanjeev's 'mother', 'father' and 'grandmother' (played by Sanjeev Bhaskar's 'Goodness Gracious Me' colleague, Meera Syal), and usually insulting Sanjeev in punjabi.

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Plot Keywords:

british asian | actor shares first name with character | character name in title

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Genres:

Comedy | Talk-Show

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

12 November 2001 (UK)

Also Known As:

Curry curry talkshow

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Hat Trick Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min 30 min (53 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Although Meera Syal plays the grandmother of Sanjeev Bhaskar's character, she is only three years older than him (almost to the day). While in production for The Kumars, Syal and Bhaskar married.

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Quotes

Sushil Kumar: [to David Hasselhoff about Bay Watch] There were lots of characters on that show with plastic breasts.
Sushil Kumar: Not to mention the women.

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Connections

Referenced in The Big Read (2003)

User Reviews

A modern sophisticated comedy for Britain as it is in the 21st Century

The clever aspect of the Kumar comedy is it is a reflection of the attitudes and position of many people of Asian descent in modern Britain, part of British life but with a hint of Asian culture. The family is associated with Indian culture and religion(they have nothing to do with Pakistan and the 'P' word is the British racist equivalent of the American 'N' word).

The great aspect of the series is that we can watch the comedy knowing that the humour is safe and is usually directed against the pretentions of the son and his celebrity aspirations. The Grandmother is a brilliant creation of Meera Syal a gifted creative actor and writer, the comedy lines are usually hers, though the mother and father can easily aid the sons frustrations. Never do interviews with the guest celebrities conclude without a family intervention, usually witty but always funny.

Its perhaps not for those who like the very laddish and moronic humour of other British comedy or the 1950's-1990's racist and homophobic humour which no longer has a place on modern British television. It avoids direct political comment and attacks on British racism, yet becomes in itself a comment on the (partial) success of anti-racist campaigns in modern British life, though reflects sadly current worship of celebrities.

Its a cult show, but one that entertains many of its more sophisticated viewers and there are millions of those in Britain.