COMEDIAN Romesh Ranganathan has been on a roll with TV shows, books, comedy tours and award-winning podcast Hip Hop Saved My life, among other achievements.
Since his TV debut on Live at Apollo in 2012, this Sussex-born British Sri Lankan television star has gone from a secondary school maths teacher to becoming a household name in the UK.
He is particularly known for his award-winning comedy show, The Ranganation. Joined by a focus group comprising 20 members of the public, it showcases Ranganathan’s insightful, yet hilarious look into contemporary life. Past discussions have covered such disparate areas as paranormal activity, homeschooling during lockdown, dating apps and whether or not to wash one's legs in the shower. Series two of show the averaged 1.4 million viewers, a 27 per cent increase from series one.
The BBC Two programme also features Ranganathan’s mum Shanti, continuing their association from the BBC Three travel series Asian Provocateur, where she accompanied him on a trip to their home country Sri Lanka, and later, to north America to meet more of their relatives. On Dave show Judge Romesh, he used his no-nonsense charm to solve minor disputes in a fictional civil court.
This year, Ranganathan features in the Sky Original comedy drama Romantic Getaway - an IVF heist caper - where he joined forces with comedienne Katherine Ryan. The six-part story centres around a couple Alison (Ryan) and Deacon (Ranganathan) desperate to have a child. After countless IVF attempts, they are unable to afford more rounds and with mounting debts, the pressure on the relationship begins to show. Ranganathan co-wrote the story.
Meanwhile, his new tour - Hustle - is scheduled for April to June 2024.
Ranganthan hasn’t shied away from sharing the troubles of his childhood in which his well-earning accountant father left his mum, and was later imprisoned for fraud, which led to the family home being repossessed. His family was totally broke when he started out as a comedian, having quit his job as a school teacher.
