The show stars a fictional British Indian family, including Madhuri and Ashwin Kumar, their thirty-something son Sanjeev, and Sushila, Sanjeev's grandmother (normally referred to as Ummi). The family live in Wembley, London, England. The show's central premise is that Sanjeev's parents have supported his dream of being a TV presenter by having a TV studio built on what used to be their back garden. Running jokes include Sanjeev's apparent social ineptitude and Ashwin's obsession with financial matters and tendency to tell long stories with no real point. It is also a regular conceit that the guests' appearance fees are paid in chutney. The show has an improvisational feel, though in reality much of the regular cast's performance is scripted. In the early episodes, only Meera Syal (Sushila) improvised to any great extent, though as the cast have become accustomed to their characters, the improvised content has increased. |
