Kumars creator dies

At the age of just 40...

Goodness Gracious Me writer Sharat Sardana has died at the age of 40.

Meera Syal and Sanjeev Bhaskar said they were ‘stunned and completely broken hearted’ about his death at Whipps Cross University Hospital

In a statement, the couple, who also worked with Sardana on The Kumars at Number 42, said: ‘He was not just a gifted writer and a long-standing colleague and friend. We were part of each other's extended families and losing him feels like losing a brother.

‘There is so much he should have and could have done, though we're grateful and so very proud of what he achieved in his all-to-brief life.’

Sardana reportedly collapsed at his father’s home earlier in the week, suffering from a streptococcal virus.

Jon Plowman, who produced Goodness Gracious Me for the BBC, said: ‘It's a very sad day for comedy to lose a writer who managed to help comedy break through in the way that Goodness Gracious Me did.

‘He never forgot that comedy should be funny first and provocative second. This is a truly shocking loss.’

Published: 30 Jan 2009

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