The Romesh Ranganathan Show

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 cenes, doing his own stunts, pranks, and a BIG announcement. Plus an ever important question from Shanthi.

They also get into luck in the industry, being a dad, and how success changes your perspective over time.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Listen.

00:00 Intro
2:00 A present for Tom
4:00 The Big Five
5:32 Working with Romesh
8:00 Tom’s route to comedy
11:25 Hyper criticism
12:46 Tom's background
14:23 Murder In Successville
21:00 Luck in the industry
23:07 An annoyed Romesh
23:39 Tom's favourite guest
24:49 On success
26:30 Tom's encounter with Rio Ferdinand
27:58 King Gary
30:13 Chaos behind the scenes
34:20 Working Together
36:00 House Of Fools
42:24 Wold & Owl
43:20 Pranks
44:47 A big announcement
46:46 A question from Shanthi
50:00 On being a dad
52:55 Career perspective
56:47 Tom opening for Romesh
01:01:23 Misquoted
01:08:38 An exclusive
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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 poop), impressions of Josh Widdicombe, and Romesh attempting a Tamil impression that may or may not get him in trouble.

As always: advice is given confidently. Whether you should follow it is another matter.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Listen.

00:00 Intro
03:03 Josh Widdicombe Impressions
04:34 On poop
05:13 A question from you
06:10 Shanthi’s recipe
11:43 A question on chicken
14:36 Shanthi’s cooking advice
18:30 How to diet with a Sri Lankan Mum
20:24 Romesh’s Tamil Impression
23:59 Outro
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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, Josh Widdicombe’s Museum of Pop Culture – covering everything from Mr Blobby to David Hasselhoff and the Berlin Wall.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Listen.

00:00 Intro
02:20 Podcasting vs TV
04:10 On Touring
07:45 Gift giving
14:54 Stand up
17:45 Moving
21:50 Noel Edmunds’ House
24:01 Getting business offers
27:11 A question from Shanthi
29:00 Photography and hobbies
33:30 Romesh on his Marathon
36:16 Drinking habits and ChatGPT
44:41 Josh on podcasting
50:06 Obsessions and interests
55:53 Parenting Hell
58:38 Rob Beckett
01:02:40 Agents and insecurities
01:06:42 Being mimicable
01:11:50 Misquoted
01:30:20 An Exclusive
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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 rules about girls.

Expect bickering, roasting and classic Shanthi energy throughout.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Listen.
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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 Production in partnership with Listen.

00:00 Intro
00:32 Romesh Admits Being Jealous
02:30 The Audition for Take That
05:33 Gifts
08:50 Mark Owen's Dream Trip to Graceland
10:02 "Heimscheißer"
12:40 Take That's Circus Tour
20:00 Take That's Early Career Regrets
21:22 The Take That Annual Fact File
24:53 Gary Barlow's Star Trek Fandom
27:33 If Not Music, Then What?
32:03 Take That's Favourite Films
33:42 Netflix Documentary
37:17 The Pressures of Songwriting
40:04 Howard Donald on His Role in the Band
42:50 The Most Unusual Present from a Fan
44:37 The 90s
48:47 Misquoted: "Beards Can Get a Bit Sweaty"
53:32 "We Weren't a Boy Band"
57:10 Future Ambitions
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