Goodness Gracious Me (TV series)
Goodness Gracious Me is a BBC English language sketch show originally on BBC Radio 4 and later on BBC TWO, based on four Indian-British actors: Sanjeev Bhaskar, Kulvinder Ghir, Meera Syal and Nina Wadia. In the television version most of the "white" parts are played by Dave Lamb and Fiona Allen, while in the radio version the white parts were played by the cast themselves.
The title and theme tune are based on a hit song from the 1960 film The Millionairess (in which Peter Sellers impersonated an Indian doctor and Sophia Loren his patient) the show's signature tune is a bhangra arrangement of the song. The show's original working title was "Peter Sellers is Dead", but was changed because the cast generally liked Peter Sellers (in spite of this bit of racial stereotyping).
Many of the sketches explore the conflict and integration between traditional Indian culture and modern British life. Some reverse the roles to view the British from an Indian perspective while others poke fun at Indian stereotypes.
One of the more famous sketches features the cast "going out for an English" after a few beers. They mispronounce the waiters name, order the blandest thing from the menu (apart from one of them who opts for the safer option of a curry) and ask for 24 portions of chips. This parodies the often drunk English people "going out for an Indian", ordering chicken phall and too many papadums.
The cast casually drop Urdu and Punjabi slang phrases into their speech, in the manner of many Indians living in the UK.
Recurring characters
- "Cheque Please" - A man who is frequently seen taking different women out to dinner, but he always says something so tactless or offensive that she walks out at once, leaving him asking for the "Cheque please!"
- The competitive mothers - Two women who constantly argue about the respective accomplishments of their sons, becoming more and more exaggerated as they go along. Their discussions always end with one of them using their catchphrase, "Yes, but how big is his (followed by a euphemism for penis size)?"
- Mr "Everything Comes From India" - A man who insists that just about everything comes directly from India or was invented by Indians, including William Shakespeare, Leonardo da Vinci, shampoo and the Royal Family.
- The Kapoors (Coopers) and Rabindranaths (Robinsons) - Two snobbish nouveau riche couples who claim to be entirely English with no Indian blood whatsoever, but often give themselves away by using each other's real names, mispronouncing words or silly mistakes such as in one episode where they held a barbecue and served lemonade with sliced courgettes in it. However, they refuse to acknowledge their real ethnic heritage under any circumstances, and become very upset whenever anyone treats them like foreigners.
- Superhero Bhangra-Man
- "Skipinder, The Punjabi Kangaroo" - Redubbed footage of the old television show about Skippy the bush kangaroo, with the kangaroo being "voiced over" so that he can talk. Skippy, who now calls himself Skipinder, is always drunk, speaks in a Punjabi accent and frequently insults the other characters instead of rushing to their aid.
- The Bhangra Muffins - Two teenage boys who in every sketch seem to be having an intelligent discussion, albeit in their own "street" language, but it is then revealed that they are really doing something very silly or nonsensical (example: in one episode they are waiting in the audience at a taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show, leading to a conversation about the purpose of television and talk shows in society, but then the show starts and they find out they are actually watching an opera performance). Their catchphrase is "kiss my chuddies, man!" - "chuddies" a reference to underwear.
- sexy Bollywood superstar Chunky Lafunga ("lafunga" means "hooligan")
- "I can make it at home for nothing!" - A mother who is shown going out and about with her family, repeatedly decrying various things as wasteful, saying "I can make it at home for nothing!" For some reason, she always seems to need "a small aubergine" to be able to do so.
- The 'Innit' Girls - Two girls who complain about unwanted male attention and shout out rude comments at the men who walk past them, with the camera then pulling back to reveal why the men are there (eg. in one episode the girls are revealed to have gone to a gay bar, in another they are standing outside a men's public toilet)
- Guru Maharishi Yogi (based on Maharishi Mahesh Yogi) - A man who in different sketches is either shown giving completely made up lectures about Hinduism, or going door to door saying silly things to the people who answer. In one episode he resorts to handing out flyers for a double glazing company when a householder doesn't want to hear him talk about religion.
- Smeeta Smitten, Showbiz Kitten - A reporter who in every sketch claims to be at a movie premiere or showbiz party, but turns out to be somewhere ordinary, like queuing outside a video shop or public bathroom. She is then refused entrance, so to distract the viewers, she then says "Look, there goes Art Malik!" and points off - camera.
- Uncle "I Can Get It For You Cheaper!" - A man who shows up to greet his relations in unexpected places, such as at a funeral or during a kidney transplant operation, and then asks why they didn't come to him for help with the arrangements, because "I could have got it for you much cheaper!"
Seasons
Radio show
- 1996 June/July (4 eps)
- 1997 July/August (4 eps)
- 1998 May/June (6 eps)
Television show
- 1998 Jan/Feb - Season 1 (6 eps)
- 1998 Nov/Dec - Season 2 (6 eps)
- 1998 Dec - Christmas Special
- 1999 Theatre Tour
- 2000 Feb/Mar - Season 3 (6 eps)
- 2001 Feb - "Back Where They Came From" (Parts filmed in India)