BBC Radio Wales orders Beena And Amrit sitcom from Priya Hall

ExclusiveMonday 6th June 2022, 8:26pm by Jay Richardson

Beena And Amrit. Image shows from L to R: Amrit (Shobna Gulati), Beena (Priya Hall)
  • Priya Hall's autobiographical sitcom Beena And Amrit has been commissioned by BBC Radio Wales
  • The stand-up stars as the frustrated Beena, forced to look after her free-spirited mother Amrit, played by Shobna Gulati
  • However, a television version with Meera Syal starring alongside Hall has not got beyond the pilot

BBC Radio Wales has commissioned Priya Hall's loosely autobiographical sitcom Beena And Amrit to series, British Comedy Guide can exclusively reveal.

The stand-up plays the eponymous Beena in the comedy, while dinnerladies star Shobna Gulati voices her mother Amrit, following a successful pilot last year.

However, a possible television version for BBC One Wales, which was also piloted in 2021 and featured Meera Syal in the maternal role, is not going ahead. A BBC Wales spokesperson told BCG that "there are no plans to develop the project further for TV at this current time."

Written by Hall with Sarah Breese (Bravo Two Charlies) and Pravanya Pillay, with script-editing by Gareth Gwynn (Welcome Strangers), four radio episodes of Beena And Amrit have been ordered, with the first scheduled to air on June 13th.

Beena is a recent politics graduate with the world seemingly at her feet, until she's forced to move home to the south Wales valleys and look after her irresponsible 40-year-old mother, who has just divorced her stepdad.

Soon enough, Beena frustratedly finds herself playing referee between the mischievous, free-spirited Amrit and her Indian, conservative extended family. Comedians Morgan Rees and Pravanya Pillay co-star in the series, along with Sonya Fricker. Dan Thomas (The Golden Cobra) produces and Sara Allen is executive producer.

Currently writing on the revival of Jack Whitehall's BBC sitcom Bad Education, Hall is a team captain on the BBC Wales panel show What Just Happened? and has supported Katherine Ryan on her Missus tour.

Hall recently shared writing tips for the BBC.

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