The Romesh Ranganathan Show

Who would direct Shanthi's documentary about her life? Romesh and Shanthi are back in the studio, discussing Miriam Margolyes, documentaries and whether Shanthi would make her own all about arriving in the UK in 1975 to navigating culture shock, kindness from strangers, and the realities of starting over. They also tackle your listener dilemmas with some sound advice, from issues dealing with moth...

What happens when you put Miriam Margolyes and Romesh in a room together? Surprisingly brilliant life advice and a mild flirtation... BAFTA-winning actor, author and national treasure Miriam Margolyes joins Romesh Ranganathan for one of the funniest, frankest and most unpredictable episodes yet. Miriam reflects on her extraordinary career, from Blackadder and Harry Potter to her deep love of Charl...

What do you get Shanthi Ranganathan for her birthday when she already has it all? It’s a special birthday episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, as Romesh and the team celebrate Shanthi with gifts, an unexpected charity donation, and a chaotic game of Would You Rather? From Shanthi’s thoughts on dating later in life, to questions about drug use, and heated debates over Titanic, cats and parrots,...

Can you force creativity or does it only come when it’s ready? Double Grammy Award winning artist Thundercat joins Romesh Ranganathan for a wide-ranging conversation about music, art, style and finding your own sound. From Thundercat’s journey in music, growing up around musicians, to becoming a solo artist and finding his niche, they discuss how his sound developed and how working with Flying Lot...

Is Romesh a sex icon? Romesh Ranganathan and his mum Shanthi are back answering listener dilemmas, including a tricky parenting question and rating the team's attractiveness. They get into Shanthi’s latest TikTok Shop discovery (and the mystery of a stolen delivery), her thoughts on health trends and supplements, and why Romesh is apparently failing basic son duties. As always expect a healthy amo...

How does someone go from medicine to comedy? Comedian Harry Hill joins Romesh Ranganathan for a funny and insightful conversation about stand-up, originality and staying relevant in comedy. Harry reflects on leaving a career in medicine to pursue his comedy dream, touring with Tim Vine, and how he developed his completely unique style. They also share on their comedy influences, from Jack Dee to S...

Can Shanthi remember her own quotes? Romesh is joined by Shanthi for another episode, where they play a game of Misquoted specifically tailored to Shanthi's unhinged statements. They also discuss best friends, tackle your listener dilemmas and rank some of Shanthi's TV favourites. Plus: Romesh gives us some of his show recommendations and we revisit who helped Shanthi with infamous list. A Ranga B...

Can you have a successful comedy career and a balanced family life? Comedian and writer Sara Pascoe joins Romesh Ranganathan to talk about touring, parenting and why stand-up comedy can make balancing family life surprisingly difficult. They get into Sara's early beginnings in comedy, wanting to be an actor and how the stand-up landscape has changed over the years. Expect stories of people pleasin...

Can Shanthi read minds? In this episode, Romesh and mum Shanthi talk about literally everything. From receiving negative comments, how to handle nightmares, Romesh's vaping problem and the chances that life is all just a simulation. They also answer listener questions, giving their best advice for your dilemmas. As always, it’s chaotic, honest and slightly unhinged. A Ranga Bee Production in partn...

How did James McAvoy become one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood? Actor and director James McAvoy joins Romesh Ranganathan for a very special episode talking about acting, accents and the difference from Hollywood to home. James talks about accidentally getting into acting, why his philosophy is always “story first” and how he approaches building characters. Plus his skill at mastering ac...

What does Shanthi really think about gentle parenting, ice baths and calorie counting? In this episode, Romesh and mum, Shanthi take on a brand new segment: Shanthi’s Hot Takes. Nothing is safe from her opinions on WhatsApp and supermarkets to gentle parenting, air fryers and the modern obsession with ice baths. From stories from the team, to listener questions and some very solid Ranganathan advi...

From sitcom Dad to Breaking Bad, how did Bryan transform into Walter White? Bryan Cranston joins Romesh Ranganathan for a wide-ranging conversation about acting, creativity and the career pivots that changed his life. Bryan talks about bringing Arthur Miller’s All My Sons to London, the acting lessons he’s learned over decades on stage and screen and why observing people is the key to building unf...

Romesh doesn’t like celebrating his birthday… unfortunately the team had other plans. In this chaotic birthday special, Romesh is joined once again by brother Dinesh and mum Shanthi, discussing everything from family pranking history and gardening to debating who would survive prison time and how. You can expect lots of birthday fun, lots of push back from Romesh, some questionable birthday gifts...

Is this the best gift the show has ever given a guest? A self-proclaimed "enthusiastic novice", Tom Allen is here to chat about his new podcast Pottering, his debut novel Common Decency and why we apparently should absolutely not be wearing belts with waistcoats. This episode in the studio brings you everything from questions with Shanthi, gardening tips, stand-up stories , a game of Misquoted and...

Would Shanthi have an AI boyfriend? Find out in the brand new epsiode where Romesh and Shanthi cover everything from grief role play to the pros and cons of AI and Rom's ChatGPT history. They get into everything from the importance of maths and biology, desert island dilemmas, the danger of tortoises and a chaotic round of snog, marry, avoid featuring some very questionable fictional choices. As a...

Should we be worried about AI? Mathematician and presenter Hannah Fry joins Romesh to talk about her new show 'AI Confidential with Hannah Fry' and the surprising ways maths and technology shape our lives. From Hannah’s work explaining science to wider audiences, her podcast The Rest Is Science, to Grief Tech. This episode explores the strange questions maths can actually answer, from whether you...

How much do you really want to know about your parents' holiday antics? Shanthi shares far too much, leaving Romesh desperate to "edit" certain images out of his brain. They also talk about this week’s guest, legendary documentary maker Louis Theroux, as Shanthi reveals the surprisingly dark topics she’d cover if she followed in his footsteps. Plus, Romesh hits back at criticism of his glasses – a...

What do toxic masculinity, a lasagne obsession, and a Seat Alhambra have in common? Louis Theroux joins Romesh to draw the line between his on-camera persona and life at home. They revisit some of Louis’ most infamous documentary moments, the craft behind them, and the interview regrets he has looking back. Louis also explains why he’s drawn to spending time with people who hold extreme views, inc...

How many times can you trick your mum into saying the F-word? Romesh annoys Shanthi with terrible impressions of kids' film characters and makes his case for why the Toy Story trilogy is one of the greatest in cinematic history. They role-play a listener’s plea about how to kindly deal with smelly colleagues — and how to cope with a spoilt hen-do surprise (do you fake it?). Plus, an uncomfortably...

Comedian and actor Tom Davis joins Romesh for a proper deep dive into comedy, his working-class roots to his success and building his career long term. They talk about Tom’s route into stand-up, creating and starring in Murder in Successville and King Gary, and what it takes to survive rejection, hyper-criticism and projects going wrong. There’s rare praise from Romesh, chaos behind the production...

Cooking advice, dieting disasters and impressions that probably shouldn’t happen... Romesh is joined once again by mum Shanthi Ranganathan for another episode of unfiltered family chat. They cover Shanthi’s go-to recipes, strong opinions on chicken, and what it’s actually like trying to diet with a Sri Lankan mum in the house. There’s listener questions, unexpected tangents (including one about po...

Comedian Josh Widdicombe joins Romesh to explain why he might actually prefer podcasts to television. They chat about his stand-up tour Not My Cup of Tea, appearing in more than 30 series of The Last Leg, and co-hosting the hugely successful Parenting Hell. Josh also talks about his move to Devon after being pushed out of London, rediscovering photography as a hobby, and launching his new series,...

It’s snacks, arguments and family drama as Romesh is joined by mum Shanthi for another episode of strong opinions and zero agreement. They get into the ongoing dispute about mutton rolls, Romesh’s near-death experience with chilli oil, Shanthi’s love for Sheridan Smith and breakdown the headline-making Beckham family tension. There’s also Dungeon & Dragons confusion, and Shanthi's questionable rul...

From comedy beginnings to renowned actor and West End star, Sheridan Smith joins Romesh for a wide-ranging chat about confidence, acting and carving out a career that spans stage and screen. They talk about imposter syndrome, developing characters and working together on the West End show Woman In Mind. Plus, a hip hop gift and a rather disappointing 50 Cent impression from Romesh. A Ranga Bee Pro...

Romesh is joined by mum Shanthi Ranganathan for another episode of strong opinions, unexpected confessions and classic family chaos. From learning Spanish and declaring her love for Take That, to unpacking fan obsessions and answering listener questions, Shanthi once again proves she’s the star of the show. A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Listen. 00:00 Intro 01:19 Shanthi learns some Sp...