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Actor Taj Atwal has revealed she mistakenly believed Kathy Burke was catfishing her in the latest episode of the Like This Love This podcast.
Each week a special guest tells Lucie McInerney about the books, movies, TV shows and podcasts they can’t stop raving about and why they love them so much.
This week, McInerney speaks to Atwal, 38, about her acting career and love of Burke’s BBC sitcom Gimme Gimme Gimme, created by actor and playwright Jonathan Harvey.
The show, which ran for three seasons between 1999 and 2001, featured Burke as the chaotic Linda La Hughes and her flamboyant housemate Tom Farrell, played by James Dreyfus and the frenzied activity in their north London flat.
Before discussing the show, Atwal revealed that Burke had heard she was a fan and got in touch with the Line of Duty star out of the blue.
“She sent me this really lovely email but thought I was being ‘Kathy Burke-fished’ because why would she even know me?” Atwal said with a laugh.
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Burke’s most famous roles include ‘Gimme Gimme Gimme’, ‘Kevin and Perry Go Large’ and ‘Nil By Mouth’ (Getty Images)
Atwal suspected that the email was legitimate due to the way Burke signed it off but she didn’t immediately reply.
“I didn’t email back for so long,” she said. “I was freaking out and I screamed my house down. Who would have thought that little me would ever have any dialogue with Kathy Burke?”
Atwal added that she and her best friend would binge watch Gimme Gimme Gimme when they were younger.
“I have really lowbrow humour and I don’t think you could get away with a comedy like this now,” she added. “In the simplest terms, I think it’s absolutely hilarious, iconic and brilliant. They go on these outrageous escapades with each other and it’s just light relief from everyday life. It’s one of the few series I can watch time and time again and still have big belly laughs.”
She also credited Burke for inspiring her to become an actor. “I think people always wanted me to have another actress that I could look up to, that was similar in appearance but her career has always been like what I want to have.”
Taj Atwal began her on screen career in 2012, breaking through thanks to roles in TV shows like Miranda and Stella. She will be well known to many for her parts as PC Tatleen Sohota in Line of Duty, Roxy Varma in The Syndicate and Maya in the Apple TV+ comedy Trying.
She has also starred alongside Liam Neeson, Guy Pearce and Monica Bellucci in the 2022 thriller Memory and in stage productions of East is East and Rita, Sue and Bob Too.