BACK ON THE CASE

Parminder Nagra returns in DI Ray - but Rachita is a changed woman. The actress reveals what she has in common with her character, why this series feels different and the importance of Asian representation on TV

She shot to fame in Bend It Like Beckham, cracked America as ER's Dr Neela Rasgotra, and now she's at the helm her own detective drama Parminder Nagra can't help but feel like it's all a fluke.

The actress is returning a lead in the hit cop show DI But having found fame alon Keira Knightley in 2002's Be Like Beckham without ever having attended drama sch Parminder, 49, admits she's always felt a little like an imposter.

"I didn't go to drama school so I feel like I slipped in through the back door," says Parminder.

"I just went on this gut feeling like, 'This seems alright, I'll keep doing this."" Huge successes have followed but, like most actors, Parminder admits there have been tough times when she's questioned her choices.

She adds, "There were moments of no work, when I went, 'Oh God, what am I doing?""

Luckily, she kept going, and in doing so has inspired other British Asian women to join the entertainment industry.

One of those was screenwriter and actor Maya Sondhi, who created DI Ray. As a teenager, Maya recalls being inspired by a young Parminder, as well as other trailblazers such as Meera Syal and Nina Wadia.

"For me, it was really important to see you," Line Of Duty actor Maya, 41, tells Parminder. "I saw you, Meera, Nina, and I was like, 'Oh, brown women on screen? We can do this? OK! I might have work if I go to drama school!' The representation in that film [Bend It Like Beckham] was so important for me." Parminder also worked with Meera and Nina, who cast her in their groundbreaking comedy sketch show Goodness Gracious Me, which aired from 1998 to 2000.