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Romesh Ranganathan

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This article is about the English comedian. For the Chief Justice of the Uttarakhand High Court, see Ramesh Ranganathan.

Romesh Ranganathan
Ranganathan in 2013
Born
Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan[1]

(1978-03-23) 23 March 1978 (age 46)[2]
Crawley, West Sussex, England
SpouseLeesa Ranganathan[3]
Children3[4]
ParentShanthi Ranganathan
Websiteromeshranganathan.co.uk Edit this at Wikidata

Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan[1] (born 23 March 1978)[2] is an English actor, comedian and presenter. He is known for his deadpan and often self-deprecating comedy.[5]

Ranganathan has made numerous appearances on television comedy panel shows, and in 2016 he co-presented It's Not Rocket Science on ITV, alongside Rachel Riley and Ben Miller.[6] He has also been a regular panellist on The Apprentice: You're Fired!, Play to the Whistle, and The Museum of Curiosity. He completed his first major tour, Irrational Live, in 2016 in which he performed in large venues such as the Hammersmith Apollo. In 2018, Ranganathan joined A League of Their Own as a regular panellist, replacing Jack Whitehall. He has presented comedy programmes Judge Romesh and The Ranganation, as well as starring in the travel programme The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan. His autobiography is entitled Straight Outta Crawley. In December 2021, Ranganathan began hosting the revival of The Weakest Link, replacing Anne Robinson as host.[7]

In 2020, Ranganathan won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Features for The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan; in 2021, he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Entertainment Performance for The Ranganation.[8][9]

Career

Ranganathan performing at the British Summer Time festival in 2015

Ranganathan started performing as a comedian whilst working as a mathematics teacher.[10] He started presenting Newsjack on Radio 4 Extra in March 2014.[11] He appeared on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice in 2014, during which he presented his homemade vegan chocolate brownies.[12]

Ranganathan has been a guest on several episodes of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.[13] He also has appeared on Would I Lie to You?, Holby City, Soccer AM, Russell Howard's Good News, Sweat the Small Stuff, The Last Leg, Virtually Famous, Have I Got News for You, QI, and Mock the Week. He was a contestant on the first series of Taskmaster and also appeared in the third episode of Jon Richardson Grows Up. He also performed at The Royal Variety Performance in 2015. In 2015, he presented a series for BBC Three, Asian Provocateur, in which he travelled to Sri Lanka to explore his ancestral country.[14] In October 2016, the second travel series was aired in which Ranganathan and his mother travel to North America to meet more of his relatives.

Ranganathan also joined The Apprentice: You're Fired! in 2015 as a regular panellist. The show is a spin-off from The Apprentice. In December 2015, he appeared in Josh Widdicombe's sitcom, Josh. In 2016, he co-presented It's Not Rocket Science, a new entertainment series for ITV, alongside Ben Miller and Rachel Riley. In 2017, he became the eleventh co-presenter to John Lloyd on the BBC Radio series, The Museum of Curiosity.

In 2018, Ranganathan joined Season 13 of A League of Their Own;[15] starred in his own 10-episode docu-comedy called Just Another Immigrant that premiered on Showtime June 8,[16] and presented Judge Romesh, an unscripted television show in which he decides the outcome of court cases between a claimant and a defendant. He also starred in his own series The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan where he travelled to rarely visited locations around the globe, with subsequent series aired in 2019 and 2020.

Ranganathan's autobiography, Straight Outta Crawley, was published in 2018.[17]

Personal life

Ranganathan was born in Crawley, West Sussex, to Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu parents.[18] He has a younger brother, Dinesh. He was raised as a Hindu and still identifies as one. He suffers from a right-sided ptosis, which caused lazy eye as a child.[19]

Ranganathan studied mathematics at Birkbeck College, University of London.[20] He taught mathematics at Hazelwick School in Crawley, and The Beacon School, Banstead, Surrey,[10] and was a freestyle rapper under the rap name "Ranga", once reaching the finals of the UK freestyle competition.[21] Ranganathan became a professional comedian in 2012.

Ranganathan is vegan, having been vegetarian up until 2013.[22][23][24] He is a supporter of Arsenal FC.[25]

His first name, stated on Ranganathan’s birth certificate, is Jonathan. Romesh is his middle name. He did not find this out until he started school. During his live show, Irrational, Ranganathan recalled that his parents explained to him that this was because they were concerned his name would otherwise sound too ‘ethnic’ when applying for jobs as an adult.[26]

He is married, has three sons,[27] and lives in Crawley.[28] He and his wife Leesa first met when they were both working at Hazelwick School, where she was a drama teacher.[29]

He stated that he got obsessed with getting tattooed and subsequently has tattoos with the names of his sons, Richard Pryor, Nas, the Roots, the Albanian flag and the Transformers’ Autobot logo on his body.[27]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2021 Cinderella Simon the Mouse Voice

Television

Year Title Channel Role Notes
2013 Holby City BBC One Darren Harrison 1 episode (Never let me go)
2013 Live at the Apollo[30] BBC One Himself Series 9, episode 3
2014 Damned Sky One Nitin Pilot (recast in Channel 4 reboot)
2015 The Apprentice: You're Fired! BBC Two Regular panelist 1 series
Taskmaster Dave Contestant 1 series
Josh BBC Three Guest role Series 1, episode 5
House of Fools BBC Two Butcher Brother 2 Series 2, episode 4
Yonderland Sky One Priest Series 2, episode 5
Live at the Apollo[31] BBC One Himself Series 11, episode 4
2015–16 Asian Provocateur BBC Three Presenter 2 series
2015–17 Play to the Whistle ITV Regular panelist 3 series
2016 It's Not Rocket Science ITV Co-presenter 1 series
2017 Comic Relief BBC One / BBC Two Co-presenter
Anthony Joshua vs Rob & Romesh[32] Sky One Co-presenter with Rob Beckett One-off special
Romesh: Talking to Comedians[33] BBC Three Presenter 1 series
Comedy Playhouse: Mister Winner[34] BBC One Ajay One-off comedy
2018 Just Another Immigrant Showtime Docuseries
The Reluctant Landlord Sky One Romesh 2 series
The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan[35] BBC Two Presenter 3 series and Christmas special
Judge Romesh[36] Dave Presenter 2 series
A League of Their Own Sky One Team captain Series 13
Romesh's Look Back to the Future[37] Sky One Host One-off comedy panel show
2019 Rob & Romesh Vs...[38] Sky One Co-presenter with Rob Beckett 3 series
Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast[39] Channel Four Guest 1 episode; 4 January 2019
The Ranganation[40] BBC Two Presenter 2 series
2020 Have I Got News for You[41] BBC One Guest host 11 December 2020
Sunday Brunch[42] Channel Four Guest 13 December 2020
A League of Their Own: Christmas Party 2020[43] Sky One Himself 19 December 2020
One Night In…Hamleys[44] Channel Four Himself 24 December 2020
King Gary [45] BBC One Stuart Williams Series 1, Christmas Special and Series 2
2021 Staged[46] BBC One Himself
Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway ITV Star Guest Announcer Series 17 Episode 5
A League of Their Own Roadtrip: Loch Ness to London Sky One Himself 8 April 2021[47]
Have I Got News for You BBC Two Presenter 17 May 2021[48]
2021–present The Weakest Link BBC One Presenter Replacing Anne Robinson
2022 Avoidance[49] BBC One Jonathan Co-creator & co-writer

Stand-up

Year Title Role Notes
2016 Irrational Stand-up Debut DVD
2019–21 The Cynics Mixtape[50] Stand-up Upcoming tour

Podcast

Year Title Role Notes
2015–present Hip Hop Saved My Life Host 71 episodes, guests include Scroobius Pip and Example
2020–present Wolf and Owl Presenter 42 episodes, alongside Tom Davis

Music videos

Year Song Role Artist Album
2018 SIT DOWN GARY!!! Guru Example Bangers & Ballads

Books

Year Title Publisher ISBN Pages Notes
2018 Straight Outta Crawley: Memoirs of a Distinctly Average Human[17] Bantam Press 978-0593078259 272 Ranganathan's first autobiography
2020 As Good As It Gets: Life Lessons from a Reluctant Adult Transworld Publishers Ltd 2928377041731 304

Guest appearances

References

  1. ^ a b "Interview: 'We never visit? You saw us three days ago!' Romesh Ranganathan and his mum". The Guardian. 10 October 2016. Retrieved 19 August 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Series 3: Episode 6". The Ranganation. Series 3. Episode 6. 14 March 2021. Event occurs at 28:30. BBC Two. Retrieved 16 March 2021. Romesh: 'What is my date of birth?' Shanthi: '23rd of March 1978.'
  3. ^ "How Did Romesh Ranganathan & Wife Leesa Meet?". Bustle.com. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  4. ^ "My Favourite Holiday: Comedian Romesh Ranganathan loved madness and magic in the Algarve". Sunday Post. 24 October 2016.
  5. ^ Tamplin, Harley (19 March 2015). "Review: Russell Kane, Romesh Ranganathan and Charlie Baker at Christ's Hospital". West Sussex County Times. Retrieved 19 November 2015.
  6. ^ "Stand Up for the Week announces new line-up". British Comedy Guide. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  7. ^ "Weakest Link: Romesh Ranganathan 'not trying to emulate' Anne Robinson". BBC News. 4 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  8. ^ "The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan – Features". www.bafta.org. 4 June 2020.
  9. ^ "Romesh Ranganathan - Entertainment Performance". 28 April 2021.
  10. ^ a b Truelove, Sam (3 October 2016). "7 famous people who you may not have realised went to school in Crawley". Kent Live. Retrieved 17 June 2018.
  11. ^ "BBC Radio 4 Extra – Newsjack, Series 10, Episode 1". BBC.
  12. ^ a b "Romesh Ranganathan's vegan treats". BBC Two. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  13. ^ "8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown". Channel 4.
  14. ^ "Romesh Ranganathan: 'I was a bumbling Englishman in a Sri Lankan disguise'". The Guardian. 30 September 2015.
  15. ^ "Romesh Ranganathan to replace Jack Whitehall on A League of Their Own". Radio Times. 9 February 2018.
  16. ^ "Romesh Ranganathan's US series 'Just Another Immigrant' on Showtime® – Romesh Ranganathan". July 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  17. ^ a b Romesh, Ranganathan (4 October 2018). Straight outta Crawley : memoirs of a distinctly average human being. London. ISBN 9781473542358. OCLC 1055700156.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  18. ^ Hodges, Michael. "Asian Provocateur: What comic Romesh Ranganathan learnt about Sri Lanka in his new BBC3 show". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  19. ^ "From teaching maths to performing comedy for Prince Harry: meet Romesh Ranganathan". Topics. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  20. ^ "Romesh Ranganathan: I was a proper wannabe rudeboy at university". www.unipaper.co.uk.
  21. ^ "The Spotlight on ... Romesh Ranganathan". londonisfunny.com. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  22. ^ "BBC Three – Edinburgh Comedy Fest Live, 2014, Episode 2". BBC.
  23. ^ Jones, Alice (12 February 2015). "Soya think you're funny? Introducing the UK's first Vegan Comedy Festival". The Independent. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  24. ^ Ranganathan, Romesh (30 March 2019). "If a chef has nailed vegan bagels and decadent desserts, I have to eat them… don't I? | Romesh Ranganathan" – via www.theguardian.com.
  25. ^ Ranganathan, Romesh (22 October 2018). "I'm thinking of cheating on my wife with this third Arsenal goal against Leicester".
  26. ^ Ramesh Ranganathan: Irrational Live. 2016. [DVD] Directed by P. Wheeler. Duchess Theatre, London: Open Mike Productions.
  27. ^ a b Ranganathan, Romesh (29 June 2019). "I've yet to add my youngest son's name to my tattoos. And now he's learned to read | Romesh Ranganathan" – via www.theguardian.com.
  28. ^ "Sussex comic Romesh Ranganathan: 'LA or Crawley? It's always going to be Crawley'". www.crawleyobserver.co.uk.
  29. ^ "Former Crawley teacher now a comedian who has supported Ricky Gervais and appeared on Live at the Apollo". Crawley News. 20 January 2014. Retrieved 21 September 2015.
  30. ^ "British Comedy Guide (2013)". Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  31. ^ "British Comedy Guide (2015)". Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  32. ^ Anthony Joshua vs Rob & Romesh, retrieved 4 March 2019
  33. ^ "Romesh Ranganathan to host BBC Three chat show". Comedy.co.uk. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  34. ^ "Mister Winner – BBC1 Sitcom". British Comedy Guide.
  35. ^ "The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan". www.bbc.co.uk.
  36. ^ "UKTV announces new commissions for 2018". 23 January 2018.
  37. ^ Romesh's Look Back to the Future, retrieved 4 March 2019
  38. ^ Rob & Romesh Vs, retrieved 4 March 2019
  39. ^ Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast, retrieved 14 December 2020
  40. ^ The Ranganation, retrieved 20 May 2019
  41. ^ "Have I Got News for You". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  42. ^ "Sunday Brunch". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  43. ^ "A League Of Their Own". comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  44. ^ "One Night In…Hamleys". channel4.com. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  45. ^ "King Gary". BBC. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  46. ^ "Staged". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  47. ^ "A League of Their Own visit to strath and Loch Ness set for screen". strathspey-herald.co.uk. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  48. ^ "Have I Got News for You". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  49. ^ "Romesh Ranganathan creates, writes and stars in new comedy series Avoidance for BBC One and BBC iPlayer". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 21 January 2022.
  50. ^ "Tour – Romesh Ranganathan". Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  51. ^ "BBC Two Mock the Week - Episodes Guide". pp. see series 12-16. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  52. ^ "Big Fat Quiz – On Demand". Channel 4. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  53. ^ Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast, retrieved 4 March 2019
  54. ^ Hypothetical, retrieved 4 March 2019
  55. ^ "Jon & Lucy's Christmas Sleepover". channel4.com. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
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