''Tandoori Nights'' is a television

sitcom A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...

that was broadcast on

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network operated by the state-owned enterprise, state-owned Channel Four Television Corporation. It began its transmission on 2 November 1982 and was established to provide a four ...

between 1985 and 1987. It consisted of two series of six episodes each. The series was directed by

Jon Amiel Jon Amiel (born 20 May 1948) is an English director who has worked in film and television in both the UK and the US. After receiving a BAFTA Award nomination for the BBC series ''The Singing Detective'' (1986), he went on to direct films, includ ...

and written by

Farrukh Dhondy Farrukh Dhondy (born 1944) is an Indian-born British writer, playwright, screenwriter and left-wing activist who resides in the United Kingdom. Education Dhondy was born in 1944 in Poona, India, where he attended The Bishop's School, and obtai ...

. It is the story of two rival restaurants in London, and starred

Saeed Jaffrey Saeed Jaffrey (8 January 1929 – 15 November 2015) was a British-Indian actor. His career covered film, radio, stage and television roles over six decades and more than 150 British, American, and Indian movies. During the 1980s and 1990s he wa ...

Tariq Yunus Tariq Yunus (16 October 1946 – 26 August 1994) was an Indian actor known for his role as chef Alaudin in television sitcom '' Tandoori Nights''. Biography As a young man (his brother being the politician Kunwar Khalid Yunus), Yunus gaine ...

Rita Wolf Rita Wolf (born Rita Ghose, ) is an American British actress born in Kolkata, India. US theatre credits include premieres of work by Tony Kushner ("Homebody/Kabul" at NY Theatre Workshop, also at BAM) and Richard Nelson ("The Michaels" at The Pu ...

and

Zohra Sehgal Zohra Mumtaz Sehgal (born Sahibzadi Zohra Mumtazullah Khan Begum; 27 April 1912 – 10 July 2014) was an Indian actress, dancer, and choreographer. Having begun her career as a member of a contemporary dance troupe, she transitioned into acting ...

. It was Channel 4's first Asian comedy series. After the sitcom had been commissioned to be written, Farrukh Dhondy himself became Channel 4's commissioning editor for multicultural programmes.

Meera Syal Meera Syal FRSL (born Feroza Syal; 27 June 1961) is a English comedian, writer, playwright, singer, journalist and actress. She rose to prominence as one of the team that created '' Goodness Gracious Me'' and portraying Sanjeev's grandmother, ...

wrote an episode for the sitcom (4 July 1985). ''Tandoori Nights'' traded on some pre-existing Asian stereotypes: an

Indian restaurant Indian cuisine consists of a variety of regional and traditional cuisines native to India. Given the diversity in soil, climate, culture, ethnic groups, and occupations, these cuisines vary substantially and use locally available spices, her ...

setting; a conniving businessman (Jimmy Sharma, played by Saeed Jaffrey) who views dating white women as '

social climbing A ''parvenu'' is a person who is a relative newcomer to a high-ranking socioeconomic class. The word is borrowed from the French language; it is the past participle of the verb ''parvenir'' (to reach, to arrive, to manage to do something). Origi ...

'; a rebellious daughter (played by Rita Wolf); and a bumbling servant-fool (Alaudin, played by Tariq Yunus).

Plot summary

Jimmy Sharma is the owner of Jewel in the Crown, a Tandoori restaurant on

Brick Lane Brick Lane (Bengali: ব্রিক লেন) is a street in the East End of London, in the borough of Tower Hamlets. It runs from Swanfield Street in Bethnal Green in the north, crosses the Bethnal Green Road before reaching the busiest ...

East London East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the f ...

. His rival is The Far Pavilions, the restaurant across the street.

References

External links

* * * 1980s British sitcoms 1985 British television series debuts 1987 British television series endings Asian-British culture Channel 4 original programming Channel 4 sitcoms {{UK-tv-prog-stub