Editing Meera Syal (section)

== Personal life ==
Syal married journalist Shekhar Bhatia in 1989; they divorced in 2002. Their daughter, Milli Bhatia, is associate director of the [[Royal Court Theatre]].<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/theatre/director-milli-bhatia-south-asian-stories-young-vic-chasing-hares-b1013286.html |title=Milli Bhatia on how raving and activism influence her work and directing Chasing Hares at the Young Vic |work=The Evening Standard |date=20 July 2022 |access-date=3 April 2023}}</ref> In January 2005, Syal married her frequent collaborator, [[Sanjeev Bhaskar]], who plays her grandson in ''The Kumars at No. 42''; the marriage ceremony took place in [[Lichfield]] register office, Staffordshire.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/4205873.stm |title=Entertainment &#124; Family wedding for Kumars stars |work=BBC News |date=25 January 2005 |access-date=23 August 2013 |archive-date=9 June 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609121219/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/4205873.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> They have a son, born in 2005.

In 2004, Syal took part in one episode of the [[BBC]] series ''[[Who Do You Think You Are? (British TV series)|Who Do You Think You Are?]]'', which investigated her family history.<ref name="wdytya MS">{{cite episode|title=Who Do You Think You Are? with Meera Syal|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/get_started/wdytya_s1_celeb_gallery_09.shtml|series=Who Do You Think You Are?|series-link=Who Do You Think You Are? (British TV series)|network=[[BBC]]|station=[[BBC Two]]|airdate=7 December 2004|access-date=23 December 2019|archive-date=18 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200818130842/https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/familyhistory/get_started/wdytya_s1_celeb_gallery_09.shtml|url-status=live}}</ref> Syal discovered that both her grandfathers were supporters of the [[Indian independence movement]]: one as a [[communist]] [[Media of India|journalist]], the other as a [[Punjab]] protester who was briefly imprisoned in the [[Golden Temple]].<ref name="wdytya MS" />

Syal's brother is investigative journalist Rajeev Syal, who covers [[Whitehall]], writing stories for ''[[The Guardian]]''.<ref name="Nick McGrath">{{cite news |author=Nick McGrath |url=https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/09/meera-syal-my-family-values |title=Meera Syal: My family values &#124; Life and style |newspaper=The Guardian |date=8 October 2010 |access-date=23 August 2013 |archive-date=30 December 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230235209/http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/oct/09/meera-syal-my-family-values |url-status=live }}</ref>

In February 2009, Syal was one of a number of British entertainers who signed an open letter printed in ''[[The Times]]'' protesting against the [[persecution of Baháʼís]] in Iran.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/yaran-special-report/voices-of-support|title=Voices of support|publisher=Bahá'í World News Service|access-date=23 August 2013|archive-date=7 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131207111039/http://news.bahai.org/human-rights/iran/yaran-special-report/voices-of-support|url-status=live}}</ref>

In January 2011, Syal took part in the BBC Radio 4 programme My Teenage Diary, discussing growing up as the only British Asian girl in a small English town, feeling overweight and unattractive.