Take That: 90s Regrets, Songwriting Pressures & The Circus Tour Returns

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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 Spanish 03:38 Shanthi’s a Take That fan 05:10 A team question 07:05 A fan obsession 08:55 Romesh’s seduction 11:20 Is Romesh Crawley’s golden boy? 18:39 A final question from the listeners Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Gary Barlow, Mark Owen, and Howard Donald sit down with Romesh to talk about the ups and downs of Take That – from their crazy beginnings in the 90s to the reboot of their legendary Circus Tour. They talk about the band's audition process, the pressures of songwriting, and Gary Barlow's not-very-popstar passions: Star Trek and interior design magazines. Plus Romesh admits to a 30-year-old act of jealousy. 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Romesh and Shanthi play a chaotic game of “Would You Rather?”, take aim at coffee snobs (George Clooney included!), and reminisce about iconic old TV adverts. Things go off the rails with dirty genie wishes, awkward gift-giving dilemmas, and an embarrassing misunderstanding about the ingredients of a popular energy drink. A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Listen. 00:00 Intro 01:45 Red Bull 02:48 Favourite Adverts 07:11 Shanthi on Coffee 11:00 Would You Rather...? 17:41 Genie Wishes 22:10 Advice on Motherhood 28:08 Gifting Dilema Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Writer of Adolescence, Skins and This Is England, Jack Thorne joins Romesh to talk about the global impact of Adolescence and working closely with Stephen Graham. Jack opens up about social anxiety, imposter syndrome and how appearing on Desert Island Discs led to his autism diagnosis. They also discuss incel culture, kindness online, shifting power in the TV industry, Jack’s love of E.T. and work life balance. A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Listen.  00:00 Intro 00:55 The reaction to Adolescence 01:30 Jack’s relationship with Stephen Graham 02:55 Working with Brad Pitt 04:10 Talking about incel culture 08:25 Finding kindness online 09:40 Critics’ response to Adolescence 12:24 How invested audiences became 14:15 The real-world impact of the show 16:50 Parents’ reactions 18:19 Romesh’s mum’s question 20:40 Romesh’s gift and Jack’s love for E.T. 25:40 Jack’s obsession with the NFL 30:33 Romesh on work ethic 32:20 Work life balance 35:22 Imposter syndrome 42:05 How the TV landscape is changing 43:20 What Jack wants to do next 49:57 Desert Island Discs and autism diagnosis 54:36 Misquoted Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How do you fix toddler tantrums or a child who’s a fussy eater? This week, “Auntie Shanthi” offers some dubious advice to listeners. She also chats to Romesh about her 2026 resolutions, learning computers with a mystery gentleman, and passes judgement on Will Arnett’s famously sexy voice. A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Listen. 00:00 Intro 03:06 Shanthi’s list 03:58 Complaining 05:29 2026 resolutions 08:13 Shanthi on Will Arnett 10:46 Shanthi’s advice 18:10 Films that made an impression 23:28 Shanthi’s cookery show Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices