New Tricks producers have promised the final series will go out with a bang, and it’s possible guest star Meera Syal will light the fuse!
Meera stars in the final ever episode of New Tricks as Baroness Samira Khan. A former mental health activist turned politician, the Baroness is a cool customer with deep political reach. She’s annoyed when UCOS gets uncomfortably close to her past as they investigate the reopened murder of Greg Collins, a one-time fellow mental health campaigner stabbed to death on New Year’s Eve 1999.
Samira’s calm, charming and completely in control, and the UCOS team take an instant, instinctive dislike to her! The feeling is mutual, however, and it looks like the Baroness will use her political influence to shut UCOS down. But that doesn’t make her Greg Collin’s killer, does it?
Speaking about the final episode Tamzin Outhwaite said: “I loved working with Meera. She takes a step away from comedy to play a very snippy Baroness with some dodgy dealings!”
Tamzin, who plays UCOS boss Sasha Miller, added: “Sarah-Jane Potts and Lorraine Ashbourne also star in the final episode, and all three were great to work with. They’re fantastic actors and we have some really emotional scenes in this episode. New Tricks is definitely going out on a high.”
Meera career recap:
- Wolverhampton born Meera became a household name with BBC2’s groundbreaking Asian-English sketch show Goodness Gracious Me (1998). Her husband Sanjeev Bhaskar and EastEnders’ Nina Wadia also starred.
- Although barely recognisable as granny Ummi in The Kumars at No. 42 (2001-06) and The Kumars (2014) Meera received a BAFTA nomination for the role in 2003.
- There’s more to Meera than her comedy work. She wrote award-winning novel Anita and Me. She’s also starred in hit shows Fat Friends, Holby City, Doctor Who and Broadchurch.
- Meera was made a CBE in the 2015 New Year Honours for services to drama and literature.
The final episode of New Tricks screens on BBC1 at 9pm on Tuesday, October 6.
New Tricks The Complete Collection DVD box set, including the 12th and final series, is available to buy from 12th October.
