Actress and writer Dame Meera Syal has revealed she was sexually assaulted in her mid-twenties by an older actor who promised to help boost her career.
The 65-year-old Goodness Gracious Me star spoke publicly about the 1980s attack for the first time in an interview with The Sunday Times Magazine, explaining that she chose not to report the crime because putting her parents through a criminal trial felt unbearable.
At the time of the assault, Syal was singing in a jazz band at a restaurant in Covent Garden, the central London entertainment district, while applying for waitressing jobs after her post-university stage acting roles dried up.
Facing financial uncertainty, she was about to leave London and return home to the West Midlands when an Asian actor she knew invited her to a party at his house in London.
Attack at London house
Neither Syal nor the magazine provided further details regarding the identity of her attacker, beyond noting that he was an older Asian man who was almost the same age as her father.
Upon her arrival at the house, Syal discovered there was only one other guest present. That guest departed shortly afterwards, leaving a confused Syal alone with the man.
Fearing it would be impolite to leave, Syal agreed to stay for dinner, admitting she felt safe because he was an older Asian man.
Straight after dinner, while they were mid-conversation, the man pounced on her and tried to rape her. Syal froze in fear but managed to clamp her legs together. He carried on and sexually assaulted her regardless.
Syal left the property afterwards, choosing not to report the crime to police or tell anyone about what had happened.
Life and career after the assault
"This is the first time I've spoken about this publicly," Syal told the magazine. "It completely changed my life and the direction of my career. I could have given up, but instead I sought out a group of south Asian writers."
"They encouraged me to write more, they found me a place to live, they healed me and awakened me politically," she added.
Syal explained that the assault ultimately led her to write the strong female characters featured in the BBC2 sketch show Goodness Gracious Me.
The hugely successful comedy, which transitioned from a BBC Radio 4 series, ran from 1998 to 2001 and proved to be her career breakthrough. Syal joined the writing team and was cast as various characters across the show.
New memoir and upcoming stage role
Decades after her comedy breakthrough, Syal has written her first non-fiction book, titled Vigilauntie: A Memoir - Innit?, which is set to be published on September 3.
The autobiography explores her family, heritage, and the influential women who shaped her life.
"I have sat around so many tables with friends where the conversations have been illuminating, joyous, heart-breaking and sometimes, life changing," Syal said of the memoir. "And I have walked away thinking, I really should have written some of that down."
Following a few years away from television screens after her appearance in the BBC drama The Split in 2022, Syal is currently rehearsing for a stage production of The Children. The play opens at the Lyric Hammersmith theatre in West London on Wednesday, September 2.
