Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010 - Sanjeev Bhaskar

Kirsty Young's castaway this week is Sanjeev Bhaskar. A writer, comic and actor, Sanjeev has brought the British Asian experience into mainstream comedy with his television programmes Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No 42. Despite initial worries from the broadcasters, both attracted a loyal following and great critical acclaim.

This represented a turn-around in Sanjeev's fortunes: aged 30, he had been unemployed, single, depressed and living at home. Now he is enjoying great success professionally and is one half of a golden couple of entertainment - he is married to fellow writer and performer Meera Syal. "At times," he says, "it's felt like living someone else's life. But I'm not going to give it back to whoever owns it legitimately."

[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs]

Favourite track: The Waters of March by Susannah McCorkle
Book: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Luxury: A grand piano.

Published on Sunday, 12th October 2008.

Available Podcasts from Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010

Subscribe to Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010

We are not the BBC, we only list available podcasts. To find out more about the programme including episodes available on BBC iPlayer, go to the Desert Island Discs: Archive 2005-2010 webpage.