Romesh Ranganathan

Not to be confused with Ramesh Ranganathan.

Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan (born 27 March 1978) is a British actor, comedian, and presenter. His style of comedy is deadpan and often self-deprecating.

Romesh Ranganathan
Ranganathan in 2025
Born	Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan (1978-03-27) 27 March 1978 (age 46) Crawley, West Sussex, England
Education	Birkbeck, University of London (BSc)
Occupations	Actor comedian presenter
Years active	2010–present
Spouse	Leesa Ranganathan
Children	3
Website	romeshranganathan.co.uk

Ranganathan has made numerous appearances on television comedy panel shows and has 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; he performed in large venues such as the Hammersmith Apollo. In 2018, he joined A League of Their Own as a regular panellist. 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, Straight Outta Crawley, was released in 2018. He began hosting the revival of The Weakest Link in 2021.

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.

Early life and education

Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan^[1] was born in Crawley, West Sussex on 27 March 1978,^[2] the son of Sri Lankan Tamil parents Ranga^[3] and Sivashanthini Ranganathan.^[3][4][5] He was raised as a Hindu.^[6] He had an eye infection as a child that left him with a drooping eyelid and lazy eye on his right side.^[7]

From 1990 to 1992, he was educated at the private Reigate Grammar School.^[8] He then attended Crawley's state sector Hazelwick School,^[9] before studying mathematics at Birkbeck, University of London.^[10]

Before beginning his comedy career, Ranganathan worked as a mathematics teacher at both Hazelwick School and The Beacon School in Banstead.^[11] He also engaged in freestyle rap under the stage name Ranga, once reaching the finals of the UK freestyle competition.^[12] He began performing comedy while still employed as a teacher.^[11]

Career

Ranganathan performing in 2015

Ranganathan co-presented It's Not Rocket Science alongside Rachel Riley and Ben Miller in October 2013.^[13]

He started presenting Newsjack on Radio 4 Extra in March 2014.^[14] He appeared on The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice in 2014, during which he presented his home-made vegan chocolate brownies.^[15]

He performed at the Royal Variety Performance in 2015,^[16] and from September 2015 presented the BBC Three series Asian Provocateur, in which he travelled to Sri Lanka to explore his ancestry.^[17]

In 2018, Ranganathan joined Season 13 of A League of Their Own^[18] and starred in his own ten-episode docu-comedy called Just Another Immigrant that premiered on Showtime 8 June 2018.^[19]

He has been a guest on several episodes of 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown,^[20] and 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.^[21] He was a contestant on the first series of Taskmaster and also appeared in the third episode of Jon Richardson Grows Up.^{[citation needed]}

Ranganathan hosts a weekly radio show called For The Love of Hip-Hop on BBC Radio 2. In 2023, it won an Audio and Radio Industry Award for Best Specialist Music Show.^[22][23] On 20 April 2024, he replaced Claudia Winkleman as the host of the lunchtime Saturday BBC Radio 2 show.^[24][25] Ranganathan was the guest in the 185th episode of Cariod Lloyd's podcast, Griefcast.^[26]

On 26 August 2024, it was announced that he was set to cameo in Hollyoaks, alongside Rob Beckett in September 2024.^[27]

Awards

In 2020, he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Features for The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan.^[28]

In 2021, he won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Entertainment Performance for The Ranganation.^[29] In December 2021, he began hosting the revival of The Weakest Link, replacing Anne Robinson.^[30]

Personal life

Ranganathan met his wife, Leesa,^[31] while working at Hazelwick School, where she was a drama teacher and he was a mathematics teacher.^[32] They have three sons together.^[33][34][35]

He was a vegetarian, before going vegan in 2013.^[36][37][38] He is a supporter of Arsenal FC.^[39] He has discussed his "obsession" with tattoos, and is tattooed with the names of his sons alongside images of Richard Pryor, Nas, the Roots, the flag of Albania, and the Autobot logo.^[34]

Ranganathan's autobiography, Straight Outta Crawley, was published in October 2018.^[40] He was still living in Crawley at the time.^[41]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2021	Cinderella	Romesh the Mouse
2023	Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget	Nick (voice)	Replacing Timothy Spall
2024	Despicable Me 4	Dr. Nefario (voice)	Replacing Russell Brand

Television

Year	Title	Channel	Role	Notes
2013	Live at the Apollo[42]	BBC One	Himself	Series 9, episode 3
2015	Live at the Apollo[43]	BBC One	Himself	Series 11, episode 4
	Yonderland	Sky One	Priest	Series 2, Episode 5
	Taskmaster	Dave	Himself	Series 1
	The Apprentice: You're Fired!	BBC Two	Himself	Series 11, regular panellist
2015-2016	Asian Provocateur	BBC Three	Himself
2017	Anthony Joshua vs Rob & Romesh[44]	Sky One	Co-presenter with Rob Beckett	One-off special
	Romesh: Talking to Comedians[45]	BBC Three	Presenter	1 series
	Comedy Playhouse: Mister Winner[46]	BBC One	Ajay	One-off comedy
2018	The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan[47]	BBC Two	Presenter	4 series and Christmas special
	Judge Romesh[48]	Dave	Presenter	2 series
	The Reluctant Landlord	Sky One	Romesh	2 series 13 episodes
	Romesh's Look Back to the Future[49]	Sky One	Host	One-off comedy panel show
	Just Another Immigrant	Showtime	Himself	10 episodes; documentary series
2019	Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast[50]	Channel Four	Guest	1 episode; 4 January 2019
2019–present	Rob & Romesh Vs...[51]	Sky One	Co-presenter with Rob Beckett	5 series
	The Ranganation[52]	BBC Two	Presenter	5 series
2020	Have I Got News for You[53]	BBC One	Guest host	11 December 2020
	Sunday Brunch[54]	Channel Four	Guest	13 December 2020
	A League of Their Own: Christmas Party 2020[55]	Sky One	Himself	19 December 2020
	One Night In... Hamleys[56]	Channel Four	Himself	24 December 2020
	King Gary [57]	BBC One	Stuart Williams	Series 1, Christmas Special and Series 2
2021	Staged[58]	BBC One	Himself
	A League of Their Own Roadtrip: Loch Ness to London	Sky One	Himself	8 April 2021[59]
	Have I Got News for You	BBC One	Presenter	17 May 2021[60]
2021–present	The Weakest Link[61]	BBC One	Host	New host
2022	DNA Journey[62]	ITV	Himself	29 September 2022
	Rob and Romesh vs Christmas On Ice[63]	Sky Max	Himself	Alongside Rob Beckett; 21 December 2022
2022, 2024	The Misinvestigations of Romesh Ranganathan[64]	BBC	Himself	2 series[65]
2022–present	Avoidance[66]	BBC One	Jonathan	Co-creator & co-writer (second series commissioned)
2023	Romantic Getaway[67]	Sky Comedy	Deacon	Co-writer
2023–present	British Academy Television Awards[68]	BBC One	Co-host	With Rob Beckett
2024	Romesh Ranganathan's Parents’ Evening[69]	ITV	Host	Celebrity game show

Stand-up

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2016	Irrational Live[70]	Stand-up	TV special
2019–21	The Cynics Mixtape[71]	Stand-up	Tour
2022	The Cynic[71]	Stand-up	Netflix special
2024	Hustle[72]	Stand-up	Upcoming tour

Books

Year	Title	Publisher	ISBN	Pages	Notes
2018	Straight Outta Crawley: Memoirs of a Distinctly Average Human[40]	Bantam Press	978-0593078259	272	Ranganathan's first autobiography
2020	As Good As It Gets: Life Lessons from a Reluctant Adult[73]	Bantam Press	978-1787633599	272
2023	Lil' Muffin Drops the Mic[74]	Puffin Books	978-0241647646	256	Released 20 July 2023

Music

Year	Title	Record Label
2023	Verb T - Four Oh! (Remix) Feat. Doc Brown & Romesh Ranganathan (Prod. Vic Grimes)	High Focus Records

Guest appearances

• Mock the Week (2013–2017)^[75]
• The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice (2014)^[15]
• Big Fat Quiz of the Year (2016)^[76]
• Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast^[77] (2019)
• Hypothetical^[78] (2019)
• Jon & Lucy's Christmas Sleepover (2021)^[79]
• The Jonathan Ross Show (2022)^[80]
• The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan (2023)^[81]

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. Jenni McKnight (12 July 2020). "Everything you need to know about comedian and presenter Romesh Ranganathan". Hello! magazine. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
3. "'We never visit? You saw us three days ago!' Romesh Ranganathan and his mum". The Guardian. 10 October 2016.
4. "Deceased Estates Vettyvellu "Ranga" Ranganathan". The Gazette. 7 March 2012.
5. Hodges, Michael. "Asian Provocateur: What comic Romesh Ranganathan learnt about Sri Lanka in his new BBC3 show". Radio Times. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
6. 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."
7. "From teaching maths to performing comedy for Prince Harry: meet Romesh Ranganathan". Topics. Retrieved 14 March 2018.
8. "Notable Reigatians". Reigate Grammar School, Surrey. Retrieved 25 December 2022.
9. 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.
10. "Romesh Ranganathan: I was a proper wannabe rudeboy at university". www.unipaper.co.uk. Archived from the original on 6 December 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017.
11. 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.
12. "The Spotlight on ... Romesh Ranganathan". londonisfunny.com. 11 November 2011. Archived from the original on 5 April 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2015.
13. "Stand Up for the Week announces new line-up". British Comedy Guide. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 7 October 2013.
14. "BBC Radio 4 Extra – Newsjack, Series 10, Episode 1". BBC.
15. "Romesh Ranganathan's vegan treats". BBC Two. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
16. Charity, Royal Variety. "Performances :: 2015, London Royal Albert Hall | Royal Variety Charity". www.royalvarietycharity.org. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
17. "Romesh Ranganathan: 'I was a bumbling Englishman in a Sri Lankan disguise'". The Guardian. 30 September 2015.
18. "Romesh Ranganathan to replace Jack Whitehall on A League of Their Own". Radio Times. 9 February 2018.
19. "Romesh Ranganathan's US series 'Just Another Immigrant' on Showtime® – Romesh Ranganathan". July 2018. Retrieved 26 November 2019.
20. "8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown". Channel 4.
21. "Romesh Ranganathan". After Dinner Speakers & Comedians. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
22. "Dame Deborah James' on-air goodbye named radio moment of the year at Aria Awards". BBC News. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
23. "Rob Delaney, Romesh Ranganathan and The Skewer scoop Arias". Chortle. 3 May 2023. Retrieved 30 May 2023.
24. "Romesh Ranganathan is a safe pair of hands for Radio 2 but is he too safe?". The Herald. 23 April 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
25. "Romesh Ranganathan receives 'shameless' gift from Rob Beckett". The Independent. 20 April 2024. Retrieved 3 February 2025.
26. Romesh Ranganathan | Griefcast. 21 December 2022. Retrieved 30 November 2024 – via shows.acast.com.
27. "Hollyoaks casts comedy stars for dramatic Warren Fox scene". Digital Spy. 26 August 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
28. "The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan – Features". www.bafta.org. 4 June 2020.
29. "Romesh Ranganathan - Entertainment Performance". 28 April 2021.
30. "Weakest Link: Romesh Ranganathan 'not trying to emulate' Anne Robinson". BBC News. 4 December 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2021.
31. "How Did Romesh Ranganathan & Wife Leesa Meet?". Bustle.com. 15 March 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2019.
32. "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.
33. "My Favourite Holiday: Comedian Romesh Ranganathan loved madness and magic in the Algarve". Sunday Post. 24 October 2016.
34. 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.
35. "Romesh Ranganathan: Misadventures from My Sofa – the heartbreaking life of comedian revealed". HELLO!. 12 July 2020. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
36. "BBC Three – Edinburgh Comedy Fest Live, 2014, Episode 2". BBC.
37. Jones, Alice (12 February 2015). "Soya think you're funny? Introducing the UK's first Vegan Comedy Festival". The Independent. Retrieved 22 October 2015.
38. 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.
39. Ranganathan, Romesh (22 October 2018). "I'm thinking of cheating on my wife with this third Arsenal goal against Leicester".
40. 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)
41. "Sussex comic Romesh Ranganathan: 'LA or Crawley? It's always going to be Crawley'". SussexWorld. 8 October 2018. Retrieved 20 September 2024.
42. "British Comedy Guide (2013)". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
43. "British Comedy Guide (2015)". British Comedy Guide. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
44. Anthony Joshua vs Rob & Romesh, retrieved 4 March 2019
45. "Romesh Ranganathan to host BBC Three chat show". Comedy.co.uk. 15 March 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2017.
46. "Mister Winner – BBC1 Sitcom". British Comedy Guide.
47. "The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan". www.bbc.co.uk.
48. "UKTV announces new commissions for 2018". 23 January 2018.
49. Romesh's Look Back to the Future, retrieved 4 March 2019
50. Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast, retrieved 14 December 2020
51. Rob & Romesh Vs, retrieved 4 March 2019
52. The Ranganation, retrieved 20 May 2019
53. "Have I Got News for You". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 14 December 2020.
54. "Sunday Brunch". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 13 December 2020.^{[permanent dead link‍]}
55. "A League Of Their Own". comedy.co.uk. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
56. "One Night In…Hamleys". channel4.com. Retrieved 13 December 2020.
57. "King Gary". BBC. Retrieved 7 February 2021.
58. "Staged". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2 February 2021.
59. "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.
60. "Have I Got News for You". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 18 May 2021.
61. "The Weakest Link". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
62. "DNA Journey". itv.com/presscentre. Retrieved 22 September 2022.
63. "All the best Christmas comedy specials and new episodes for 2022: Ghosts, Mortimer and Whitehouse and Taskmaster". Retrieved 4 December 2022.
64. "BBC Two - The Misinvestigations of Romesh Ranganathan". BBC.
65. "BBC orders more Romesh Ranganathan series in double recommission". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
66. "Jon Petrie announces new and returning series featuring stellar talent and rising stars at the BBC's Comedy Festival in Cardiff". bbc.co.uk/mediacentre. Retrieved 1 June 2023.
67. "Romantic Getaway". bt.com. Retrieved 18 December 2022.
68. "British Academy Television Awards". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
69. "Romesh Ranganathan's Parents' Evening". radiotimes.com. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
70. Wheeler, Paul (21 November 2016), Romesh Ranganathan: Irrational Live (Comedy), Universal Pictures, retrieved 30 November 2022
71. "Tour – Romesh Ranganathan". Retrieved 4 March 2019.
72. "Romesh Ranganathan is releasing his debut Netflix special, The Cynic". British Comedy Guide. 23 September 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
73. As Good As It Gets. ASIN 1787633594.
74. Lil' Muffin Drops the Mic. ASIN 0241647649.
75. "BBC Two Mock the Week - Episodes Guide". pp. see series 12–16. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
76. "Big Fat Quiz – On Demand". Channel 4. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
77. Jamie and Jimmy's Friday Night Feast, retrieved 4 March 2019
78. Hypothetical, retrieved 4 March 2019
79. "Jon & Lucy's Christmas Sleepover". channel4.com. Retrieved 28 December 2021.
80. "The Jonathan Ross Show". itv.com/presscentre. Retrieved 16 October 2022.
81. "The Lateish Show with Mo Gilligan". channel4.com. Retrieved 13 June 2023.

External links

• Official website
• Romesh Ranganathan at IMDb 
• Romesh Ranganathan on Instagram
• Romesh Ranganathan (BBC Radio 2)
• Romesh Ranganathan: For The Love of Hip Hop (BBC Radio 2)