Romesh Ranganathan

Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan[1] (born 27 March 1978)[7] is an British-Sri Lankan comedian and actor. He is known for his deadpan, often self-deprecating humour.[8]

Not to be confused with Ramesh Ranganathan.

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

(1978-03-27) 27 March 1978
Crawley, West Sussex, England
Alma materBirkbeck, University of London
SpouseLeesa Ranganathan[2]
Children3[3]
Parents
  • Ranga Ranganathan[4]
  • Sivashanthini "Shanthi" Ranganathan [5][6]
Websitewww.romeshranganathan.co.uk

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.[9] 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.[10]

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.[11][12]

Early life and education

Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan was born in Crawley, West Sussex, to Sri Lankan Tamil Hindu parents Ranga and Sivashanthini "Shanthi" Ranganathan.[13] He suffered from an eye infection as a child that left him with right-sided ptosis or lazy eye.[14]

From 1990 to 1992, Ranganathan was educated at Reigate Grammar School,[15] an independent school (at the time one for boys, but now co-educational) in Reigate, Surrey. He then attended Hazelwick School,[16] a state comprehensive school in Crawley in West Sussex, and went on to study Mathematics at Birkbeck College, University of London.[17]

Ranganathan taught mathematics at his former secondary school, Hazelwick School in Crawley, and at The Beacon School, Banstead, Surrey,[18] and was a freestyle rapper under the rap name "Ranga", once reaching the finals of the UK freestyle competition.[19] He began performing as a comedian whilst he was employed as a teacher.[18]

Career
Ranganathan performing at the British Summer Time festival in 2015

Ranganathan started presenting Newsjack on Radio 4 Extra in March 2014.[20] He appeared on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice in 2014, during which he presented his home-made vegan chocolate brownies.[21]

Ranganathan has been a guest on several episodes of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown.[22] 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.[23]

In 2018, Ranganathan joined Season 13 of A League of Their Own[24] and starred in his own ten-episode docu-comedy called Just Another Immigrant that premiered on Showtime June 8.[25]

Ranganathan's autobiography, Straight Outta Crawley, was published in 2018.[26]

Personal life

Ranganathan lives in Crawley[27] with his wife Leesa and their three sons.[28][29] He met his wife when they were both working at Hazelwick School, where she was a drama teacher.[30]

Ranganathan is known by his middle name, Romesh. He did not find out until he started school that his first name, as stated on his birth certificate, was Jonathan. 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.[31]

Ranganathan is vegan, having been vegetarian until 2013.[32][33][34] He is a supporter of Arsenal Football Club.[35] Ranganathan was raised Hindu.[36]

He stated that he became obsessed with being 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.[28]

Filmography

Film
Year Title Role Notes
2021 Cinderella Romesh the Mouse
2023 Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget[37] Nick Voice; in production

Television
Year Title Channel Role Notes
2013 Live at the Apollo[38] BBC One Himself Series 9, episode 3
2015 Live at the Apollo[39] BBC One Himself Series 11, episode 4
2015 Yonderland Sky One Priest Series 2, Episode 5
2015 Taskmaster Dave Himself Series 1
2017 Anthony Joshua vs Rob & Romesh[40] Sky One Co-presenter with Rob Beckett One-off special
Romesh: Talking to Comedians[41] BBC Three Presenter 1 series
Comedy Playhouse: Mister Winner[42] BBC One Ajay One-off comedy
2018 The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan[43] BBC Two Presenter 3 series and Christmas special
Judge Romesh[44] Dave Presenter 2 series
The Reluctant Landlord Sky One Romesh 2 series 13 episodes
Romesh's Look Back to the Future[45] Sky One Host One-off comedy panel show
Just Another Immigrant Showtime Himself 10 episodes; documentary series
2019 Rob & Romesh Vs...[46] Sky One Co-presenter with Rob Beckett 3 series
Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast[47] Channel Four Guest 1 episode; 4 January 2019
2019–present The Ranganation[48] BBC Two Presenter 5 series
2020 Have I Got News for You[49] BBC One Guest host 11 December 2020
Sunday Brunch[50] Channel Four Guest 13 December 2020
A League of Their Own: Christmas Party 2020[51] Sky One Himself 19 December 2020
One Night In... Hamleys[52] Channel Four Himself 24 December 2020
King Gary [53] BBC One Stuart Williams Series 1, Christmas Special and Series 2
2021 Staged[54] BBC One Himself
A League of Their Own Roadtrip: Loch Ness to London Sky One Himself 8 April 2021[55]
Have I Got News for You BBC One Presenter 17 May 2021[56]
2021–present The Weakest Link[57] BBC One Host New host
2022 Avoidance[58] BBC One Jonathan Co-creator & co-writer
DNA Journey[59] ITV Himself 29 September 2022
Rob and Romesh vs Christmas On Ice[60] Sky Max Himself Alongside Rob Beckett; 21 December 2022
2022 The Misinvestigations of Romesh Ranganathan[61] BBC Himself
2023 Romantic Getaway[62] Sky Comedy Deacon Co-writer
British Academy Television Awards[63] BBC One Co-host With Rob Beckett

Stand-up
Year Title Role Notes
2016 Irrational Live[64] Stand-up TV special
2019–21 The Cynics Mixtape[65] Stand-up Tour
2022 The Cynic[66] Stand-up Netflix special
2024 Hustle[67] Stand-up Upcoming tour

Books
Year Title Publisher ISBN Pages Notes
2018 Straight Outta Crawley: Memoirs of a Distinctly Average Human[26] Bantam Press 978-0593078259 272 Ranganathan's first autobiography
2020 As Good As It Gets: Life Lessons from a Reluctant Adult[68] Bantam Press 978-1787633599 272

Guest appearances

References
  1. "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. "How Did Romesh Ranganathan & Wife Leesa Meet?". Bustle.com. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
  3. "My Favourite Holiday: Comedian Romesh Ranganathan loved madness and magic in the Algarve". Sunday Post. 24 October 2016.
  4. "'We never visit? You saw us three days ago!' Romesh Ranganathan and his mum". The Guardian. 10 October 2016.
  5. "'We never visit? You saw us three days ago!' Romesh Ranganathan and his mum". The Guardian. 10 October 2016.
  6. "Deceased Estates Vettyvellu "Ranga" Ranganathan". The Gazette. 7 March 2012.
  7. Jenni McKnight (12 July 2020). "Everything you need to know about comedian and presenter Romesh Ranganathan". Hello! magazine. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  8. 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.
  9. "Stand Up for the Week announces new line-up". British Comedy Guide. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
  10. "Weakest Link: Romesh Ranganathan 'not trying to emulate' Anne Robinson". BBC News. 4 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
  11. "The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan – Features". www.bafta.org. 4 June 2020.
  12. "Romesh Ranganathan - Entertainment Performance". 28 April 2021.
  13. Hodges, Michael. "Asian Provocateur: What comic Romesh Ranganathan learnt about Sri Lanka in his new BBC3 show". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  14. "From teaching maths to performing comedy for Prince Harry: meet Romesh Ranganathan". Topics. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
  15. "Notable Reigatians". Reigate Grammar School, Surrey. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
  16. Sophie Christian; Sam Truelove (30 December 2021). "Hazelwick School: The Crawley school attended by Romesh Ranganathan, Gareth Southgate and Dan Walker". Sussex Live. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  17. "Romesh Ranganathan: I was a proper wannabe rudeboy at university". www.unipaper.co.uk.
  18. 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.
  19. "The Spotlight on ... Romesh Ranganathan". londonisfunny.com. 11 November 2011. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
  20. "BBC Radio 4 Extra – Newsjack, Series 10, Episode 1". BBC.
  21. "Romesh Ranganathan's vegan treats". BBC Two. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  22. "8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown". Channel 4.
  23. "Romesh Ranganathan: 'I was a bumbling Englishman in a Sri Lankan disguise'". The Guardian. 30 September 2015.
  24. "Romesh Ranganathan to replace Jack Whitehall on A League of Their Own". Radio Times. 9 February 2018.
  25. "Romesh Ranganathan's US series 'Just Another Immigrant' on Showtime® – Romesh Ranganathan". July 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
  26. Romesh, Ranganathan (4 October 2018). Straight outta Crawley : memoirs of a distinctly average human being. London. ISBN 9781473542358. OCLC 1055700156.
  27. "Sussex comic Romesh Ranganathan: 'LA or Crawley? It's always going to be Crawley'". www.crawleyobserver.co.uk.
  28. 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". The Guardian – via www.theguardian.com.
  29. "Romesh Ranganathan: Misadventures from My Sofa – the heartbreaking life of comedian revealed". HELLO!. 12 July 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  30. "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.
  31. Ramesh Ranganathan: Irrational Live. 2016. [DVD] Directed by P. Wheeler. Duchess Theatre, London: Open Mike Productions.
  32. "BBC Three – Edinburgh Comedy Fest Live, 2014, Episode 2". BBC.
  33. Jones, Alice (12 February 2015). "Soya think you're funny? Introducing the UK's first Vegan Comedy Festival". The Independent. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
  34. Ranganathan, Romesh (30 March 2019). "If a chef has nailed vegan bagels and decadent desserts, I have to eat them… don't I?". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 February 2023.
  35. Ranganathan, Romesh (22 October 2018). "I'm thinking of cheating on my wife with this third Arsenal goal against Leicester".
  36. Mcclean, Craig (30 October 2018). "Romesh Ranganathan reveals how his father's legacy inspired his new comedy The Reluctant Landlord". Radio Times. Retrieved 7 April 2022. The on-screen Romesh – who lives above the pub with his wife (Car Share's Sian Gibson), young son, record collection and turntables – describes himself as "nominally Hindu". Is that how this Brit of Sri Lankan parentage sees himself? "I've had a Hindu upbringing. There's a lot about it I think is cool. Temples are amazing. It's a nice vibe when people are praying. And there's lots about it where I understand why they believe those things. But I'm not practising. My mum's very spiritual, and I think she just tells everyone that I'm spiritual, too."
  37. Barsanti, Sam (20 January 2022). "Netflix picks up a new Wallace & Gromit and announces cast of Chicken Run sequel". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  38. "British Comedy Guide (2013)". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  39. "British Comedy Guide (2015)". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  40. Anthony Joshua vs Rob & Romesh, retrieved 4 March 2019
  41. "Romesh Ranganathan to host BBC Three chat show". Comedy.co.uk. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
  42. "Mister Winner – BBC1 Sitcom". British Comedy Guide.
  43. "The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan". www.bbc.co.uk.
  44. "UKTV announces new commissions for 2018". 23 January 2018.
  45. Romesh's Look Back to the Future, retrieved 4 March 2019
  46. Rob & Romesh Vs, retrieved 4 March 2019
  47. Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast, retrieved 14 December 2020
  48. The Ranganation, retrieved 20 May 2019
  49. "Have I Got News for You". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
  50. "Sunday Brunch". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  51. "A League Of Their Own". comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  52. "One Night In…Hamleys". channel4.com. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
  53. "King Gary". BBC. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
  54. "Staged". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
  55. "A League of Their Own visit to strath and Loch Ness set for screen". strathspey-herald.co.uk. 21 March 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2021.
  56. "Have I Got News for You". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
  57. "The Weakest Link". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  58. "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.
  59. "DNA Journey". itv.com/presscentre. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
  60. "All the best Christmas comedy specials and new episodes for 2022: Ghosts, Mortimer and Whitehouse and Taskmaster". Retrieved 4 December 2022.
  61. "BBC Two - The Misinvestigations of Romesh Ranganathan". BBC.
  62. "Romantic Getaway". bt.com. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
  63. "British Academy Television Awards". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
  64. Wheeler, Paul (21 November 2016), Romesh Ranganathan: Irrational Live (Comedy), Universal Pictures, retrieved 30 November 2022
  65. "Tour – Romesh Ranganathan". Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  66. "Tour – Romesh Ranganathan". Retrieved 4 March 2019.
  67. "Romesh Ranganathan is releasing his debut Netflix special, The Cynic". British Comedy Guide. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
  68. As Good As It Gets. ASIN 1787633594.
  69. "BBC Two Mock the Week - Episodes Guide". pp. see series 12-16. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
  70. "Big Fat Quiz – On Demand". Channel 4. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  71. Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast, retrieved 4 March 2019
  72. Hypothetical, retrieved 4 March 2019
  73. "Jon & Lucy's Christmas Sleepover". channel4.com. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
  74. "The Jonathan Ross Show". itv.com/presscentre. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
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