Nick Higham speaks to Meera Syal, an actress best known for her comedy roles in Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No. 42. She is also a screenwriter and successful novelist.

Her third novel, and first in 16 years, is called The House of Hidden Mothers, which she was inspired to write after viewing a documentary about India's multi-billion pound surrogacy industry. She describes the book as a 'thriller', following the stories of two women: Shyama, a British-Asian woman who is desperate for a child, and Mala, an Indian who needs money and agrees to become a surrogate. Show less