Syal, Bhaskar and Joshi in Kumars Rouass starring in Footballers' Wives

Laila Rouass, Ayesha Dharker and Meera Syal will play the lead roles in Syal's TV adaptation of her book Life Isn't All Ha Ha Hee Hee. AiM revealed in early August that the book was being turned into a three part primetime BBC1 drama.

Playing alongside the three women will be Sanjeev Bhaskar and Ace Bhatti. The supporting cast includes Lalita Ahmed, Indira Joshi, Rani Singh and comedian Inder Manocha.

The popular novel, published in May 2000, follows the life of three Asian women: Tania, Sunita and Chila, trying to deal with a changing cultural landscape. The three have been friends since their schooldays but find their bonds severely tested by men, marriage and careers.

Sunita, a former law student and activist, has married her university sweetheart Akash and is settled into an unsatisfied life of under-appreciated motherhood. Tania is a raven-maned beauty who has rejected marriage and anything traditionally Asian for a high-flying TV career and a compliant Indophile boyfriend called Martin.

Chila is an innocent, kind, funny qualification-less woman, with a glass animal collection and considered backward by her family. To everyone's amazement she snares Deepak, the richest and most eligible bachelor within a 50-mile radius.

Even more critically acclaimed than her debut with Anita and Me, Meera Syal's second novel deals with more than just the traditional vs modern culture debate, weaving in taboos, feminism, marital relations and, as ever, poignant humour.

Both Laila Rouass and Meera Syal have become regular fixtures on British TV. The former has become regular tabloid fodder since her high profile part in Footballers' Wives and has been touted for more roles, including a part in the American drama Sopranos and a fictional dramatisation of Sven Goran Eriksson's love life.

Meera will be back on TV in a few weeks with Indira Joshi and Sanjeev Bhaskar in the fourth series of the popular Kumars at No. 42. She will also be appearing in the BBC2 geneology series Who do You Think You Are. Ace Bhatti currently stars in the BBC Three drama Grease Monkeys.

Ayesha Dharker was recently with the New York's Broadway version of Bombay Dreams, the only actress to appear in both the British and American productions. Lalita Ahmed was previously seen most famously in Bhaji on the Beach as Asha the middle-aged wife, while Rani Singh is best known for her role in Eastenders for 3 years as shopkeeper Sufia Karim. Inder Manocha recently won an EMMA award for best comedian.

Filming is currently taking place and it is expected to appear on BBC1 in March next year.