Meera Syal's second book 'Life isn't all Ha Ha Hee Hee' is being adapted for a primetime BBC1 series, Asians in Media can reveal. The three part drama will be going into production in November with a broadcast date expected to be March next year.

The writer and actor told AiM that they were in the process selecting the final cast from a short-list. BBC1 has commissioned the drama to be in 3 one hour parts.

"It will be practically an all Asian cast," she said, "And because it will be primetime, it will be a great opportunity for everyone."

The TV rights for the book were initally acquired by production company Hat Trick, which also made The Kumars at No 42. Meera Syal told AiM that the company "bought the rights to the book pretty soon as it came out." That was in 1999.

It had taken a while to get started on filming Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee she says, "since I was doing Bombay Dreams and Anita and Me (the film adaptation for her first book). So I've only just had the time to work on this".

Syal has also been with the BBC lately, presenting an episode on BBC2's Big Read and will soon be tracing her roots on BBC2's Who Do You Think You Are.

Filming for the Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee will be in Leytonstone where the book is based. She said that she was working with a "fantastic" writer called Abi Morgan on developing the TV adaptation.

Syal also recently came back from the USA where BBC America has been promoting Kumars At No 42. While the American version of the comedy series (with a Hispanic family) bombed, there are high hopes that the British series will follow in the footsteps of The Office which did extremely well. The Kumars will occupy the same slot the latter previously had. It will start broadcasting later this month.