Gangsters, Weddings & Unusual Habits

Should children be allowed at weddings? We're back with another Thursday Shanthi special, and in this episode, Romesh and Shanthi tackle your listener dilemmas and butt heads about one in particular - should children be allowed at weddings? They also discuss the pressure to always be productive, how to be kinder to yourself, and whether you can really retrain the negative voice in your head. Finally, they answer a question on unusual habits, and Romesh reveals some of Shanthi’s worst ones before addressing his bizarre shower routine. From wedding drama and self-talk, to Henry VIII and questionable habits, it’s another classic and chaotic Thursday episode with Shanthi. A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media. Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:05 Henry VIII and photo requests 05:55 Shanthi influences 08:23 Cockney accents and gangster roles 13:15 Answering your questions 14:40 Children at weddings 21:05 How to be kind to yourself 25:25 Rom’s positive self-talk training 27:32 Unusual habits 36:37 Shanthi’s Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Could Romesh make a convincing gangster? In this week's episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Romesh is joined by legendary, British actor, Ray Winstone, to discuss his role as Bobby Glass in the second season of Guy Ritchie's hit Netflix series, The Gentlemen. But what does he make of the rumours Meghan Markle is joining the cast? Ray, famous for his career playing tough guys and hardened criminals in films such as, Sexy Beast and Nil By Mouth, talks to Romesh about his acting career over the last 50 years. Plus, there's a masterclass lesson in how to play a proper gangster. Hint - he doesn't hold back criticism. Elsewhere, Ray discusses his love of Sicily, West Ham and John Malkovich. There's a playful game of Misquoted, a question from Shanthi, where the conversation turns to Strictly, and the importance of family. A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media. Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:03 A gift for Ray 05:55 Ray doesn’t want to talk about acting 09:04 Ray’s career beginnings 11:37 Building a character 13:15 Favourite roles 15:30 Ray’s swagger and coaching Romesh 20:19 The Gentlemen 36:35 Meghan Markle rumours 37:30 Embarassing mum moments 39:14 Shanthi’s question 40:17 The changes in the industry and being a dad 43:13 Is Ray a homebody? 45:40 Turning down The Wire 47:56 On Danny Dyer 49:31 On West Ham 50:15 Ray’s Esquire culture chat 52:51 Misquoted 01:02:55 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Should Shanthi get her £35,000 garden room? In this Thursday episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Romesh and Shanthi are back with your questions and dilemmas — and things get out of hand fast. Shanthi campaigns hard for a garden room fit for a footballer, tries to track down her mystery American bank account, and receives an unexpected apology voice note from a stranger. Elsewhere, Romesh and Shanthi role play as a conspiracy-theorist Dad and his sensible daughter after a listener's TikTok-obsessed father-in-law starts spouting theories about the government and shampoo, and the pair tackle the age-old dilemma of when exactly you should tell a new partner about important matters. A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media. Chapters: 00:00 Intro1:51 Romesh’s painting4:33 Singing5:15 Shanthi’s outfit
6:44: An intervention for Romesh8:50 Asian Provocateur

10:51 Body image
15:42 Shanthi’s intro16:35 Shanthi’s American bank account19:04 Seating areas25:06 Your questions25:55 The man on the train
29:35 Idris Elba
30:48 Friends and events35:56 Another question
38:28 Conspiracy theory role play
45:14 A question about size
53:03 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Romesh is joined by comedian and podcaster Rick Glassman to talk about stand-up, podcasting and the art of saying exactly what you're thinking. Rick discusses the success of Take Your Shoes Off, and reveals that Ricky Gervais would be one of his dream guests, which leads to the pair composing a carefully crafted text message invite. Will he respond? Plus, Rick addresses the catastrophic Paul Rudd incident on his podcast. Elsewhere, Rick opens up about his autism diagnosis, dealing with criticism, and the pros and cons of working with his parents. Plus, they discuss Rick's basketball prowess, play Misquoted, and Rick makes a very poorly timed call to his Mum. A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:00 Rick ghosted Ben 04:01 Rick’s thoughts on Edinburgh 05:48 Gift-giving 08:41 On stand-up 13:51 Take Your Shoes Off & podcasting 15:27 Rick’s autism diagnosis 19:00 The podcast got big 20:42 Paul Rudd’s podcast accident 26:22 Rick wants Ricky Gervais on the pod 27:20 A sales lesson from Rick 28:22 Rom & Rick text Ricky Gervais 31:19 A question from Shanthi 32:55 Rick calls his Mum 36:00 Working with your parents 44:46 Shanthi’s story 44:00 Parents being famous 47:14 Misquoted 48:24 Basketball & I Am Phenomenal 51:14 Criticism and ego 53:19 Misquoted continued 54:29 Rick’s take on modern dating 56:30 An exclusive 59:21 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Are Romesh and Shanthi gifted artists? In this Thursday episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Romesh and Shanthi get in touch with their artistic side - welcome to The Art Special! From discussing buying art (aka poster prints), to the seductive wallpaper that Romesh couldn't ignore, Romesh and Shanthi discuss their favourite artists and try their hand at drawing each other, with surprising results. Elsewhere, Romesh considers whether he needs to take legal action on a birthday card situation and reflects on the talent that led him to be a four-time champion (a podcast exclusive). A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media. Chapters 00:00 Intro 02:48 Does Shanthi like art? 04:08 A game of art 9:11 Art in the home 12:12 Sexy wallpaper 12:57 Listener questions 14:14 A drawing request 18:13 The reveal 20:01 A sketch and a birthday card 22:04 Romesh’s public reading success 29:04 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Why Is Everyone Talking About Oh, Mary!? In this episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Romesh is joined by theatre and TV actor, Michael Urie, to talk about the award-winning Apple TV series Shrinking and West End hit Oh, Mary! Michael talks all about his character Brian, working alongside Harrison Ford and Brett Goldstein, and what makes the show's writing so special. He also discusses bringing the hit Broadway comedy Oh, Mary! to London, the magic of performing live, and why theatre creates such a unique relationship between an actor and an audience. Plus, the differences between working in London to his life and career across New York and Los Angeles. Elsewhere, Michael talks about founding Pride Plays, his time on Ugly Betty and the best career advice he's ever received: "Follow the green lights". A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 02:08 London vs New York and LA 08:27 A gift for Michael 15:06 On Shrinking 24:08 How important are awards? 28:17 Acting and Harrison Ford 33:20 The Les Mis scene 39:15 A question from Shanthi 42:45 On Oh, Mary! 48:05 Michael’s love of theatre 54:35 Founding Pride Plays 58:22 Misquoted 01:01:52 Ugly Betty 01:05:22 Misquoted continued 01:07:05 The best advice 01:10:10 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Should you stay in a situationship? In this Thursday episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Romesh and Shanthi tackle your problems, from forgetting your neighbours’ names to dealing with the annoying aspects of parenthood. We also discuss Diane Morgan’s new show Ann Droid, and get into a debate on robots and their possibilities from household help to sex robots. Elsewhere, Romesh recommends Modern Family as a must-watch show and Shanthi gives her opinion on secret situationships, plus we visit a good old family memory of when Romesh and Dinesh set the sofa on fire. It's another classic Ranganathan family episode - don't miss it. A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media. Chapters 00:00 Intro 01:10 On Diane Morgan 01:39 Shanthi’s robot experience 04:42 Sex robots 07:27 Ranganathan recommendations 11:15 An awkward name problem 15:15 Role playing Shanthi’s advice 20:41 An annoying kid question 22:14 The sofa incident 26:18 A secret situationship 33:16 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

How did Philomena Cunk come about? In this episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Romesh is joined by Diane Morgan to talk about her new hit BBC iPlayer sitcom, Ann Droid and her journey into comedy, from working with Charlie Brooker, developing the iconic Philomena Cunk, to working on Ricky Gervais' new series, Alley Cats. Diane reveals how working in a factory pushed her towards her goals and discusses her early comedy influences. The pair talk early career moves, the experience of attending drama school, all the way to working together on Last One Laughing. Plus, there's some mild hate for Hollywood and they get into the difficulties of going plant-based. To top it off, there's an exclusive, a story of how to handle failure (comically) and a question, of course, from Shanthi. A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media. Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:03 Last One Laughing 10:29 Dental nursing 13:31 A gift for Diane gone wrong 17:00 On being plant-based 20:08 Comedy influences 23:34 Career beginnings 27:08 Drama school 32:06 On Cunk and success 34:55 On Hollywood 35:33 LA’s vegan scene 38:31 Vegan hacks 41:01 A question from Shanthi on TikTok Shop 44:46 Dog owner stories 48:26 On Ann Droid 56:54 Robot contact lenses 59:53 Alley Cats 01:01:11 Misquoted 01:08:06 An exclusive 01:10:50 A rumour about Diane and Joe Wilkinson 01:12:27 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What is Romesh like in drag? And what would Shanthi's drag king name be? In this Thursday episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Romesh and Shanthi answer your listener dilemmas, from dealing with pressure to drink, to an awkward case of mistaken identity. Plus, Romesh tells us all about the 'Rob & Romesh Vs Drag' episode and what he learnt about 'tucking' and Shanthi decides on her drag king alter ego. A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media. Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:29 Some show recommendations 09:05 A question on drag 10:48 A ding-dong mistake 14:10 Shanthi as a drag king 15:24 A query on sobriety 26:14 A case of racism? 29:47 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

What did Matt Damon say to Himesh after they finished filming The Odyssey? In this week's episode, Romesh is joined by Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated actor, Himesh Patel. You may know him as Tamwar Masood from EastEnders, but Himesh has since appeared in Danny Boyle’s Yesterday and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet, and now he’s in one of this year’s biggest films - The Odyssey. Himesh shares what it’s like working on a Christopher Nolan movie and what the challenges are of shooting in IMAX. Plus, we talk BAFTA parties with Idris Elba, hanging out with Leonardo DiCaprio, and acting with Ed Sheeran. There’s also a question from Shanthi and we find out how Himesh does in a game of Misquoted. It’s a jelly of a podcast…don’t forget to like and subscribe! A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media. Chapters 00:00 Intro 03:41 The Odyssey 05:59 A gift for Himesh 10:38 On being a movie star 13:04 Matt Damon 14:23 On filming for IMAX 19:05 CGI in films 25:05 On working with Christopher Nolan 27:33 On EastEnders 33:58 Ethnic representation on TV 36:07 Life since EastEnders 37:46 Damned with Jo Brand 39:46 Two Dosas 41:52 Yesterday with Danny Boyle and Ed Sheeran 44:54 Family 48:36 A question from Shanthi 50:50 High In The Clouds with Paul McCartney and Idris Elba 52:22 On Shanthi and Romesh 53:40 X-Files 56:29 Misquoted 01:06:28 An exclusive from Himesh 01:09:53 Outro Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices