Stylist sat down with Vasan, who also played the deadpan but hilarious police officer Gladys Moss in recent hit Wicked Little Letters, to discuss comedy, one-liners and funny women.

Veep

“Veep is a political satire that follows the Vice President of the US, Selina Meyer (played by Julia Louis-Dreyfus), who is constantly trying to put out political fires while balancing her professional and personal life. It’s so well written and packed with incredible comedians – it’s definitely my favourite political satire.

“Not only is it hilarious, but it’s so acutely observed. There are several storylines that feel so outrageous and out of this world but, weirdly, have happened later on in reality, especially with Trump’s presidency. It’s like West Wing, but really funny, and Julia is one of my comic heroes – she’s brilliant.”

The Office (US)

“One of my most rewatched comedies. It’s quite something to be able to take a show like the original version of The Office, which people love and recognise, and make it into its own world. It feels the opposite of the British show, taking that hopelessness and turning into that classic American earnestness. It’s just such a brilliant show, and I keep re-watching it, knowing that when I finish it I’ll go back to the beginning and watch it all over again.”

I Love Lucy

“I Love Lucy was a formative show for me that I used to watch when I was growing up in Singapore. It used to come on before the news and evening shows, and it formed part of my ritual every day after school. I’d run from the bus to our apartment and my mum would leave the door open and put the TV on, because I Love Lucy would come on as I’d come through the door.

“I’d sit there bewitched by the show, and my mum would pop some food in front of me and I’d sit there, mindlessly eating while absorbing this black-and-white comedy. It’s the first major memory I have when it comes to seeing a funny woman on screen, and it ignited my love for comedy.”

Freaks And Geeks

“It’s got such an incredible soundtrack, and that’s the main reason why the show has stayed with me so long. It was created by Paul Feig and Judd Apatow, who went on to become these huge comedy titans – Freaks And Geeks is just a staple in the comedy world. It’s one of the best coming-of-age teenage/high school dramas. It’s so beautifully observed, and you feel that teen cringeness among all the characters.”

Chewing Gum

“Michaela Coel is a star, but I don’t think Chewing Gum gets enough credit for how incredible and groundbreaking it was as a comedy. She has the creativity and imagination to create such powerful and hilarious television, and Chewing Gum is one of my favourite British comedies of recent years. There’s such affection between all the characters – you can tell that they’re all written with so much love – but also an affection for where Coel grew up in London.”

My Cousin Vinny

“I watched this film as a kid and had it on a VHS tape, and I would watch it again and again – along with The Sound Of Music. A nostalgic choice for me, but it’s a courtroom drama-comedy that follows Vinny, an inexperienced lawyer, who steps in to defend his cousin Billy and his friend Stan in his first-ever trial after the pair are accused of murdering a convenience store owner. It’s so fun, warm and sweet, and I love that Marisa Tomei won the Oscar for Best Actress in a Supporting Role, as at the time comedies weren’t particularly represented in awards – especially not funny women.”

Marcel The Shell With Shoes On

“I remember seeing this cute stop-motion animation online of a shell just going about its day-to-day business, and it was hugely popular. Jenny Slate and the other creators ended up making a whole film which I thought would be cute and whimsical, but it’s so profound and beautifully written. The film is about loss, grief and human connection, reminding us that we’re all tiny, vulnerable people trying to get on with our lives. It’s one of my favourite things I’ve seen.”

Four Lions

“This film shouldn’t work on paper, at all – but it really does. It’s such a smart and transgressive film, it almost feels like it’s in the same vein as Blackadder and those types of comedies. It takes something like an extremist ideology that’s trying to be villainous and diabolical and turns it into something you’re able to laugh at – it’s such a powerful way to expose it, without falling into negative or harmful stereotypes. It’s a British comedy classic, for sure.”

We Are Lady Parts S2 will air on Channel 4 from Thursday 30 May

Anjana Vasan on the second season of We Are Lady Parts and the comedies she can’t stop watching