Meera Syal is an experienced and critically acclaimed author who is most known for her work on radio and television, most notably in Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No 42. Syal has been juggling her acting and writing jobs since she was a student in Manchester. She now lives in London with her husband and two children. Syal made her television debut in 1989 in the comedy series The Good Life about a young married couple who move to a small town. Her character, Neena, was one of the few female characters not based on a real-life person. Instead, she was a composite of several women whom creator Paul Abbott had encountered while working as a local government social worker in Oxfordshire. Neena is used by Abbott as a vehicle through which he can make social commentaries on life in the small town. For example, she is baffled when men don't come forward to meet her husband at the church wedding because "it's against the law for prisoners to get married." In addition to her role in The Good Life, Neena has appeared in other TV comedies including A Bit of a Do, Shooting Stars, My Wife and I, and Not Safe for Work.