Editing Meera Syal (section)

== Early life ==
Syal was born on 27 June 1961 in [[Wolverhampton]] and grew up in [[Essington]], [[Staffordshire]], a mining village a few miles to the north. Her [[Indian people|Indian]] [[Punjabi people|Punjabi]] parents, Surinder Syal (father) and Surinder Kaur (mother), came to the United Kingdom from [[New Delhi]].<ref>[https://www.bbc.co.uk/whodoyouthinkyouare/past-stories/meera-syal.shtml Meera Syal] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200203090612/http://www.bbc.co.uk/whodoyouthinkyouare/past-stories/meera-syal.shtml |date=3 February 2020 }}, ''[[Who Do You Think You Are? (British TV series)|Who Do You Think You Are?]]'', BBC</ref> When she was young, the family moved to [[Bloxwich]], north of [[Walsall]].

This landscape, and the family's status as the only Asian family in the small [[Midlands]] mining village of Essington, were later to form the backdrop to her novel (later filmed) ''[[Anita and Me]]'', which Syal described in a 2003 [[BBC]] interview as semi-autobiographical.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2002/10/23/meera_syal_anita_and_me_interview.shtml |title=Films – interview – Meera Syal |publisher=BBC |access-date=23 August 2013 |archive-date=25 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925051052/http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2002/10/23/meera_syal_anita_and_me_interview.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> She attended [[Queen Mary's High School]] in nearby [[Walsall]] and then studied English and Drama at [[Manchester University]], graduating with a [[First-class honours|Double First]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Roz Laws |url=http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/walsall-comedian-meera-syal-opens-222642 |title=Walsall comedian Meera Syal opens up her teenage diaries |newspaper=Birmingham Mail |date=10 January 2011 |access-date=23 August 2013 |archive-date=17 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131217225711/http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/local-news/walsall-comedian-meera-syal-opens-222642 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="independent1">{{cite news |author=Jonathan Owen |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/meera-syal-i-didnt-want-to-reach-50-and-be-full-of-regrets-7717628.html |title=Meera Syal: 'I didn't want to reach 50 and be full of regrets' – Profiles – People |newspaper=The Independent |date=6 May 2012 |access-date=23 August 2013 |archive-date=9 January 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140109215441/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/meera-syal-i-didnt-want-to-reach-50-and-be-full-of-regrets-7717628.html |url-status=live }}</ref>