Shobna Gulati wants to write her own TV show because there isn't enough diversity on screen.
The former 'Coronation Street' actress - who played Sunita Alahan for 12 years - admits she has struggled to land acting work since leaving the ITV soap earlier this year due to her Indian heritage and is considering penning her own show to combat the lack of roles available to people from different ethnic backgrounds.
She said: "Opportunities are not easy and anyone who says the colour of my skin doesn't affect me within British society would be lying. I'm not going to lie any more. I'm going to say yes, it does affect me but it doesn't define me.
"I don't have access to every part for a woman of my age because of the cultural background I'm from. But I think there should be more representation on screen and not just being there for token purposes, saying nothing and ticking a box - [but] being there for a reason."
The 46-year-old star - who also starred in hit comedy 'Dinnerladies' - has been inspired by American TV actress Mindy Kaling, who is also of Indian descent, to write her own show after the comedienne launched her sitcom 'The Mindy Project' last year to rave reviews in the US.
Speaking to the Daily Star newspaper, she said: "It's brilliant and Mindy Kaling wrote that herself. I think we should have leads here that are reflective of Britain today. The US seems to think of character before culture, and that's where my writing base comes from too. US TV has inspired me."
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