British Chinese TV show Wok will release its first full length episode on Monday.
Wok is a television sitcom comedy created by British Chinese actor Bruce Chong and Chris Chung, inspired by Chong’s own life story. Set in east London, the show centres around a family-owned takeaway and the cultural challenges facing Bruce and those around him.
Characters include Bruce (Chong), a typical everyday British Chinese Londoner, his fierce tiger mom Yuet (Daphne Chung) and his flamboyant father Chong (Wai Wong), as well as his little sister Mei Mei (Kimberly Nguyen). The Li family run the takeaway together and encounter a number of situations that many of the Asian diaspora will relate to.
In the pilot, Bruce is accepted into university after two years of trying. He then decides that his family celebrations is the opportune moment to announce that he has a girlfriend to his traditional parents and consequently invites her over. What’s more, a rival takeaway offers trouble down the road.
Chung, who directed Wok, also worked with Chong on the award winning short film Handuken. In a press release, influences listed for Wok include Fresh Prince of Bel- Air, Modern Family, The Office, Malcom in the Middle, PhoneShop, Fresh off The Boat and Desmond’s.
“I share a cultural connection with Wok by recognizing parents who originated from elsewhere, in this case, the Li parents who migrated from Hong Kong to London in raising their children,” says Chung. “I can identify myself with Bruce’s character as a person searching for an identity within the vast metropolitan, which is London.”
Wok’s first 20 minute episode will be available on Monday 29 January via the show’s Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/woktvshow/videos/978037575607634/
