BBC Two has ordered a one-off TV film based on the critically acclaimed memoirs of journalist Sathnam Sanghera.
The Boy With The Topknot is described as “a humorous, touching and emotional story of a second-generation Indian growing up in Britain and how he juggles his family, love life and career.”
The 90-minute drama will be adapted by The Five writer Mick Ford.
Sathnam Sanghera commented: “I’m delighted that The Boy With The Topknot is being adapted for screen. Delighted and of course a little trepidatious. The latter because the book is obviously a personal exposition of my childhood and family, and delighted because it’s a story I want people to know about and understand. I feel absolutely confident that the BBC and Parti along with Kudos will handle the themes explored in the book with great warmth and sensitivity, and because ultimately, my family’s story is one of hope.”
Diederick Santer, Kudos Executive Producer added: “Mick Ford’s glorious script digs deep into Sathnam’s memoir, and I can’t wait to bring his very special story to the BBC audience.”
Producer Nisha Parti said: “I am so thrilled that the BBC have commissioned this drama. Growing up, I never had the opportunity to watch these kinds of stories being told on TV and have worked hard with the BBC and Kudos to bring that story to life for the screen. Very much looking forward to producing my first film for the BBC on a project that I feel so passionately about.”
The official synopsis reads: “Born to Punjabi parents in the West Midlands, the book is his account of his childhood in 1980s Wolverhampton, and facing up to a bunch of painful family secrets and truths in his twenties – not least that his father and sister had suffered from schizophrenia – and that he was going to defy expectations of an arranged marriage.”
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