That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Romesh Ranganathan

Episode Date: January 31, 2022

On the episode today it's comedian Romesh Ranganathan. Gaby chats to Romesh about his huge SKY TV hit 'Rob & Romesh Vs', hosting 'The Weakest Link' on BBC and he shares the truth about how he was offered the show. He has a very fun story about his experience recording for Cinderella (the movie starring Camila Cabello) and shares how he coped with recording a certain episode of King Gary with Tom Davis. Romesh is very honest about his childhood and his parent’s situation and talks with such love and warmth about his mum. Romesh chats candidly and honestly about things you'll rarely hear him talk about with all the fun and laughter you'd expect in-between. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome to that Gabby Rosin podcast, part of the Acast Creator Network. Ramesh Ranganaathan is my guest on this week's episode. Not only do we talk about his huge Sky TV hit Rob and Ramesh Verses, but also we talk about the weakest link on the BBC, and he shares the truth about how he was offered that show. He has me in Fits of Giggles telling me about recording his song in Cinderella, The Musical Movie with James Corden and Camilla Cabo, and shares how he cope.

with the recording of a certain episode of King Gary with Tom Davis. He's very honest about his childhood and his parents' situation and talks with such love and warmth about his lovely mum. You'll hear Ramesh discussing very openly things about his life that you will rarely hear him chat about. I do hope you enjoy this episode. I love chatting to Rommish and listen out for some very funny tales about his new puppy. Please can I ask you a favour? Would you mind following and support?

by clicking the follow or subscribe button. This is completely and utterly free, by the way. And you can also rate and review on Apple Podcasts, which is the purple app on your iPhone or iPad. Simply scroll down to the bottom of all of the episodes. I know there have been quite a few now. And you'll see the stars where you can tap and rate and also please write a review.

Thank you so much. Ramesh Ranganaithen, shall we burst the myth about you? What's the myth about me? Well, everyone thinks that you're quite downbeat and you And you can be a little grumpy only on television Because as I tell everybody and I always say to you is You are one of the sweetest, gentlest, gentlest, nicest teddy bears I've met

Sorry What a way to open this. It's unbelievable. Myth bust. Yeah, well, look, I think that I was trying to figure this out. I wasn't trying to figure this out. That sounds like I'm really sort of self-indulgent.

But I do think that, you know, when I started doing, because actually, like, when I do TV now, I'm not really like that. I mean, look, I have a grumpy, not grumpy. I have a cynical take on things. Just, that's my default setting. That's good. That's all right.

Yeah. But I'm not necessarily grumpy. But I was when I started doing TV. I think that came from maybe like nerves or you haven't, you know, you don't feel comfortable enough to be yourself yet. Do you know what I mean? So I think when you, when I started doing panel shows and stuff,

I was really super deadpan, like really grumpy, or I came across as really grumpy. I've got sort of got a default grumpy face. If I'm not expressing emotion, I look like I hate what's happening. I mean, that's part of the problem.

And so, but then as I sort of got more relaxed, I've just sort of being a bit more chilled out, I suppose, do you know what I mean? But you're right. A lot of the time I go on to things and people say, I wonder if you'll smile,

it's everyone's, Everyone's favorite grump, well, they don't even say favorite. They just say everyone, like a grump that people know, Romishuang and Afen. So yeah, you're right. Look, I'm happy to have that myth dispelled. Let's do it. Let's get it out there. It's good.

Yeah, but also you're so not like that. And I think people know that of you now because probably because of Rob and Ramesh versus. Yes. I always say Rob versus Ramesh, but it's not that. No. But because of that, people see that giggly, naughty side of you. Yeah. Yeah.

Well, I mean, that is, I guess like, I mean, I think you probably have the same thing with the stuff that you do. I always feel like the best stuff is when, or my favorite things to do, when you're just sort of being yourself. And then like the fun comes from that. So doing something with Rob, I think because we're actually mates, because we are genuinely really good friends, to then do that, that is just how, that is just how we'd be if we happen to organize a drag performance without the cameras. Do you what I mean? So that is, it is just us. So yeah, I guess that's what you're seeing.

But there's no pretense. I love that show. As you both know, and bless him, Rob, I've known him since before people knew who he was. He knew who he was and his family did. And I absolutely love him to bits. Whenever we watch it, I WhatsApp him along to watching it. But I WhatsApp just, I keep leaving in voice notes of all of us in this house,

literally losing it. You doing ballet, I think I message you about the ballet one as well. I don't think, and if I ever feel a bit down, I just put that on. It is one of the funniest things I've ever seen. Oh, that's so lovely to say. But that was a real, to be honest for you, that felt like a real breakthrough episode because when we started doing Robberon verses, we just weren't sure what would work. You know, we're sort of thinking, what sort of things should we tackle?

And obviously we did sports things initially. and we were looking at stuff, you know, we did fashion, and we were doing bits of pieces and ballet felt like, because ballet is such a sort of, sort of a high sort of, there's such a reverence for ballet isn't there, and it's sort of so exclusive a world. I did find myself thinking, I wonder if this is going to be all right, you know,

let's just see how it goes, but it ended up being, it's a lot of people's favourite episode, but genuinely, when we tried on the training gear, like I don't know if they captured this on camera, But we had a breakdown back, like, you know, behind the scenes. Because just like we can't, because we're wearing the same stuff as the ballet dancers

wearing. But obviously they look incredible. You know, they've got single digit body fat percentages. And we put on these outfits. And then the production are going, oh, this is really funny. And we go, but we're not doing anything. You're saying it's funny because of how we look wearing the same gear as those people are wearing.

So what you're saying is our bodies are funny. That is basically what you're saying. It's so humiliated. But it was good fun. It was good fun. It's glorious. They're going to be more of those, aren't there? Yeah, that's no secret.

No, no, no. We're doing more at the moment. I don't know if it's been, I don't even know what the, what the, if it's been officially announced, but we, I'll just tell you, we are doing more. We are doing more. So we've done, we've done, we've done a couple. We've done, we did Strong Man, which is, which is fun. And we've done West End as well.

I'm so pleased that there's going to be more of that. But there's going to be more of you. everywhere and I mean that in a really loving way because I remember I'm going to take you back do do do do do do take you back in time. The very first time we met I think it was the apprentice you're fired yeah that was years ago I think it was when you first started being a you were on every week weren't you yes yeah yeah I remember with Jack Dye yeah and and you said I don't know I we were backstage and you said I don't quite know how this has happened that I'm on telly and I said what do you mean and you went well hey it's really weird I keep being asked to do all

sorts of things and I'm not somebody's going to find me out and I said no you watch you're going to be doing everything and you just looked at me and went oh and you swore at me and I went no no no no you're going to be presenting shows you're going to be presenting shows you're going to be presenting quiz shows you'll have your own quiz show you wait you wait hello welcome to 2022. Where do we start? And it's not obviously everybody knew this is going to happen because you have that talent ball so you have charm and you're a very kind person. So there we go. Nice things gone. God, this is, I'm so glad I agree to do this, by the way. This is like the best experience for myself as thing I've had in years. Well, let's go to the weakest link because

that's the show that everybody's been talking about and it's it was on all over the holidays. And it's quite big shoes to Phil, Anne Robinson's, and you filled them incredibly well because you haven't done her, if you see it. No, because what happened was, I had no idea that the weakest link was coming back. And then the BBC got in touch and said, what do you think about doing the weakest link?

And I said, I don't know, to be honest with you, because even though, like, I love doing all the different shows that I do, but I just had never seen myself as a, as a quiz show presenter, I'd never really see myself doing like Saturday nights from BBC One. I just didn't feel like I was that guy. So I said to them, I'll be honest, I'm not sure.

And they said, we knew that you'd say that. You know, like, and they said, what do you just have to think about it? Yeah, they said, we thought you'd say that because it's, you know, because they sort of know the kind of things I like to do. And then they said, what do you just have a think about it?

Maybe we could do a run through. And it is, and one of the things they said to me that really sort of sold me on it. Because obviously, it's an incredibly attractive proposition, because the weakest link is such an iconic show. So obviously there's that to it. But also it's a bit of a blessing and a curse in that way because you sort of think, am I going to do it all right?

And they said, we want you to just be yourself. Like that's kind of the aim. We're not looking for you to suddenly change into some sort of shiny floor quiz show presenter. So I said, okay. And so we did the run through. And one of the things that we agreed on is exactly what you just said,

which is we're not going to try and emulate something that's come before. We're going to, we're going to do it. it the way that I would do it and we're going to do it in the style that we've decided to do it and we will stand or fall by that you know what I mean and I think that's a better way of doing it rather than trying to emulate because what Anne did and how she did it was absolutely brilliant there's no point me trying to be like the Diet Coke version of what she did on that show so I just think it's better to do it in a different way and then everything else is out of your hands you do what you think is good and either people are going to think it's great or

they're going to think it's rubbish or there's something it's somewhere in between but you can't control that. So, you know, we just decided let's just do it the way we think and see what happens. And the response has been like unbelievable, man. It's been, it's been really good. I mean, my, my, uh, my wife is not a comedy fan and, and doesn't really, she doesn't really, she doesn't watch anything I do. But when it, when I told her about weakest think, it's, it's one of the first time she's shown kind of genuine and not just supportive wife excitement, like genuine excitement that I was involved in something, you know, because that's, it's such a, everybody knows it, don't know that show.

So I was really excited for it to come out, but I was also kind of a little bit terrified. I've got to be honest of you, I would love it if this job was making the TV shows, but then nobody sees them afterwards because the anxiety that you have about how these things are going to be received is horrible, isn't it? You know, like it's really fun to do it,

and then it comes out and you're like, oh, God, let's see what happens. Yeah, so it's terrifying because everybody's so judgmental. But surely, surely by now, you know, you have that gut feeling if something works. You do, totally. And I do think that with new shows, like, you know, when we did the travel show, Misadventures and like when I did the Rangination,

we, oh, thank you. But when we did those, you sort of go, I feel really happy with what we've done. And so people may like it or they may not, but I know that I feel like this is a good show. Do you know what I feel like we've done what we set out to do? The difference with the weakest link is that it has so many preconceptions. and expectations attached to it.

And people have an idea of what they want that show to be. And you can't really change that. You know, you can do it how you want. But, you know, I've done it, you know, in a kind of more lighthearted, affectionate way. But there are people that will have watched the original version of Weakest Link. And the only reason they watched it is because of the harshness of Anne and how she did it. And so they see me being a bit, I guess, fluffier for want of a better word. And they think, I don't like that.

Do you mean, you can't, there's so many things that are attached to it in a way that you don't have with a brand new show. So kind of, I say that was a concern. It wasn't a concern. You do what you think is best and see what happens. But, but in answer to, I'm being very waffily, but in answer to your point, in answer to your point, when we finished the records, we were all quite excited to see what people thought. You know, we came away from those records thinking that feels like we've done a good job on that. Do you mean, let's see what happens, to be honest.

Do you worry about what people think then? I used to worry about it a lot more than I do now. I don't, it's very difficult because when you first start out, as you know, it's very difficult to not take these things personally. Like I remember, you know, the first time I got like a bad review for doing stand-up or a bad review for a TV show, it sort of knocks you or even like on social media. So many people have talked about the effects of social media. And because you put yourself into these things so much, it's very difficult to completely detach yourself from what's being said about something you've done. I've got loads better at it now and actually sometimes

there are certain there are certain reviewers that really hate what I do and I actually look for their reviews to see what they've said about because I find it funny now because there's no way they're ever going to like this

let's see how they hate it you know so so no I don't worry as much as I used to with weakest link that show look I know I'm hosting it but the show's not about me it's about the format and I'm sort of delivering that format

so if people didn't like it would be a shame but I wouldn't take that personally. Do you know what I mean? We've given it a go. We've done our best. We've made the decision we thought we're right. If people don't like it, that's unfortunate.

We won't do it again. You know what I mean? So I wouldn't have got upset about that. You're obviously disappointed. You want people to like things you do. But, you know, what can you do? You know, it's not life or death. But I get the feeling that you don't want to disappoint people

because I think a lot of stand-ups, because I mean, you're touring until June this year. Yes. And you will continue to tour, I'm sure. But I do get the feeling that stand-ups don't want to ever disappoint anybody. Whatever they're doing, it's sort of innate, it's there in your gut, that the last thing you want to do is not have that laugh, not make somebody feel better about their life or whatever it is on whatever level,

but you'd be disappointed. I mean, listen, I understand this is, this month, it's 35 years that I've been in the industry. And when I get, when I, when somebody says, oh, I didn't like this or didn't like that, Of course it hurts. Of course it hurts. Yeah. Well, I think sort of stand-up is the most narcissistic of all forms of entertainment, really, because when you do stand-up, you require the audience to tell you they love you by laughing at you every 30 seconds, you know.

And so stand-ups require that constant feedback, you know, and you train yourself, you know, because you want that reaction. You're doing well when the audience are laughing a lot. So you start craving it because you know that's when you're doing your job well. And so, yeah, you do, I guess you don't want to disappoint. But I think with the, I think with the weakest link more than anything else, because I was stepping into something that people had an affection for way over and above my involvement, that makes you think I don't want to disappoint people.

If people are disappointed in my stand-up show, that's a shame and I'll be upset. but that's only me that I've let down there. Do you know what I mean? It's my thing. Whereas if I take something as big as the weakest link and people don't like it, you sort of feel like, have you let the production down? They made a mistake by choosing, you know, all of those things that go, you know, we've all got imposter syndrome, haven't we?

So then when those things go wrong, you think, oh God, they must be absolutely regretting phoning me to ask me to do this, do you know what? So there's all of that kind of tied up into it, I think. With everything that you do, I mean, from Cinderella, the Mousers in Cinderella. I wonder if you're laughing for the same reason I'm laughing. There we go. You might not be. I love the story of you going into the booth and singing and you weren't expecting to sing and all that.

Listen, listen, I can openly say this now. That was a miscasting, me being in Cinderella. It was a huge error. by everybody involved. It was so funny because it was James Corden's production company at the making the film. And I got this, I didn't audition, I got this offer to do, to play one of the mice.

I think it was Mouse Footman was the official title of the character. And then my agent said, oh, do you fancy doing it? And I thought, what, that sounds like a laugh. I've not done a film before. Not done a kid's film. It'd be like, you know, you sort of do these things for the experience. I've not got any aspirations to become a film star.

but I just thought this would be a cool thing to be involved in. And so I agreed to do it. I just sort of didn't fully appreciate it as a musical. So when I got the email saying, oh. It's James Corden. It's Camilla Cabo. Yeah, not a musical. James sings at any opportunity.

You've known him long enough. That is true. That is true. That is true. And then when, so they said to me, all your first day is in the studio, in the music studio. And I was like, okay. And I'd sort of seen the, they'd sent me the script and I'd seen the songs and I thought, okay, well, they know it's, hopefully they know that I haven't, I've not sung on anything.

So hopefully they know that I haven't really got this in my locker and maybe they want me to sing in a comedic way. And so I turned up and Kay Cannon, the director, who is like brilliant, she said to me, it's the first time I'm meeting, I'm meeting all these. And I'd not been involved in a production of this scale at all. So you're meeting all these like American execs and stuff like, it's all very. very kind of overwhelming exaggerations. Yeah, yeah, all of that. Yeah, we're so excited. We love your work.

Yeah, I'm such a fan of the Misadventures of Rajesh Rang and Ethan. I'm just such a huge fan. All of that. All right. So they get, so Kay Cudan says to me, oh, do you want to warm up your voice before we start? And I said, no, this is as warm as my voice is going to get. I said, I said to you are seeing me. operating at peak performance. And then we got into the booth and I said, look, I was very honest.

I said, look, I can't really sing. And she said, don't worry, don't worry. Let's just do it. And they played me the guide track. And then they said, okay, let's go. And honest, I don't often get nervous, but the anxiety I was feeling at singing for the first time. And through the other side that window is everybody involved in that film. Disgust, just disgusting level of nerves. And then I sung the vocal. You can hear your own vocal. Go to your headphones. And I stopped. And I just went, okay. And they went, okay, that was great. That was so great. And then they muted my headphones. And I saw them have a really panicked conversation behind the window. It was just so obvious. It was so obvious that I was doing it wrong.

And then they came back on and they said, okay, we're going to do it again. And if you can just try and follow the melody of what I'm doing on the thing. So I go, okay, honestly, Gabby, that happened. I reckon rough estimate 17 times, right? And so I do it over and over and over again until eventually, genuinely, the guy stops playing the track. And he says, just watch me. And he gets up and he goes over to piano and just plays the keys. like one by one

to try and scaffold my learning of how to sing this. It was so embarrassing, like so humiliating. They were so nice about it, but they were dealing with somebody that they shouldn't have got involved in the project. I left the studio and I phoned my agent Flo and I

said to her, I don't think I'm in this movie anymore just to give you a heads out. I fully expect you to get a phone call saying, do you know what? We gave it a go. He's not the guy. But But they, I guess they were committed by that point. And so I did the rest of the film.

Well, why didn't you do it as rap? Because that's your whole thing. I mean, you were a finalist in the freestyle, freestyle competition. You do your podcast about rapping. You do your radio two show about rapping. Yeah, yeah. Well, I just don't think, I think that's the sort of thing that a bigger deal sort of asks for. Do you know what I mean?

If Camilla Cabo had said, I think I should rap, they would go, yeah, of course. That's a great idea. If I said, I think I should wrap, I think they'd go, well, you're on for three days. How about you just do what we've asked you and leave? How about that? I don't think I've got that kind of sway in the studio. So we've done it, Gabby, it's con out. People have seen it.

I'm not going to lie to you. My phone blew up with text messages from comedians, mates of mine, delighted to see my performance as a mouse footman. So there you go. It's going to go down in the annals of Hollywood history. But it's very funny because you look at your Wikipedia page and the first thing it says about you, I don't know if you've looked at your page recently. But do you know what the first thing they describe you as?

No, go on. Not a mouse, don't worry. Actor. So it says actor. Do they really? Yeah, it says actor-comedian presenter. Well, that's wrong. It's because of the mouse.

It must be. It must be, wow, Cinderella has changed my Wikipedia page. I wonder what the legacy would be from that project. There you go. No, but of course, there was King Gary, which I have to say, I think is the first two are possibly, I mean, screamingly funny. God, BBQ. I mean, the whole thing. And it makes me laugh, properly, properly makes me laugh because I interviewed the whole cast.

And not you that time, but I did interview most of the cast. And I had to sit and watch all of them in a go with the family. Yeah. Oh, my God. if nobody's seen it you do think oh this is this is or you know

people are going to get very insulted by it but as they say you know we wrote this because this is what we know it's yeah god it's funny yeah well it's so I mean then also the reluctant landlord yeah you know it's oh my

goodness me I mean so you're you do act I do act I do act I mean with reluctant landlord you know let's be absolutely honest it wasn't a demonstration of range I was I was playing sort of an indifferent Asian man so it was like fairly easy and we King Gary was sort of similar the thing with King Gary is so I

kind of you know so I play Gary's neighbor who's a little bit he's kind of his nemesis but but they're that kind of needs him as well but in the in the second series so the first series I really enjoyed doing it and but it wasn't you know I was sort of playing a version of myself I guess in the second series at the end of the first series, my character, Stuart goes through a divorce. In the Christmas episode, his wife leaves him. And then in the second series, he's kind of going through divorce. And there's a bit where he has like a breakdown in the woods to Gary. And he's just really upset about where his life's going to be. And I remember reading the scripts and thinking, I can't just

turn up and do this. This requires a bit more, a bit more preparation. So I actually took acting lessons. And because I wanted to sort of, I wanted to make sure I nailed those, those scenes in particular because the comedy stuff is you're relying on what you've got as a stand-up, you know, because you know the timing and stuff like that. But with things like that that are a bit more kind of emotionally challenging, I wanted to make sure that I was properly prepped. So I actually did do acting lessons for that. But it was a bit, it was funny because there's, so there's this bit where, as I said,

I'm in the woods and I have a breakdown. And actually, what I did was I put myself in a really sad mood to get myself ready for that scene. Oh, method acting. Yeah. Well, I thought I'd give it a go, go. I'm not saying I'm De Niro. But I,

what I had the effect of it was the scene happened much later than I thought it was going to. So I went too early on the sadness. So I spent most of the second half of the days, which is really miserable for no reason because we weren't doing the scene any time soon. But it worked.

I channeled it. I channeled it. We got away with it. It's a joy. Oh, thank you. So the acting head, I mean, the fact that you worked with Alison Stederman in the reluctant landlord. Oh, I mean, goddess. She's a goddess.

Yeah. The stuff that she says and you just makes you go, oh, no, she did. Oh, she did. She did. But it's a brilliant book and I've read it and I've interviewed you about the book before. So I think it should be, surely it should be, there should be writer in there as well on your Wikipedia page. I think you need to get in touch with them.

I think I will do. I think I will do. In fact, I think I just want to, yeah, I mean, that'll be the thing I do as soon as I get off this chat is go and get that sort of. I'll go on there myself. But no, there you are a best-selling author, though, as well. I mean, that must be, that must also be a thrill because it's quite a saturated market and it's a tough thing to do. And you've done it. You've done it twice with two books that were huge, huge hits.

Yeah, yes, that's very kind of you to say. Well, it's not. It's the truth. You know, they were huge hits, but Sunday times. bestsellers. Yeah, writing the books is it's a very different experience and it's just, I remember being slightly nervous about it because actually the truth is that the publisher sort of had to not stage an intervention, that was a bit, that would be a bit strong. But like, he had to stop me from writing too much like an author because as soon as I started writing the

first book, I didn't have this problem with the second one. When I started writing the first one, I just had it in my head, you know, you've got this, you hold authors in such reverence. And you know, you're so used to reading writing in a certain style that I sort of ended up writing this book slightly more formally than I would speak. And so I was writing it and I sent the first couple of chapters to the publisher to have a look at before I really got stuck into it. And he said to me, you want this book to sound like you and it doesn't currently. He's very honest, which was great.

He just said, it just doesn't sound like you. It sounds like you. He said it sounds like you trying to be. a published author. And so actually I rewrote it from the, and re did it all. From scratch? Yeah, a bit more in my voice.

So, and that's kind of what I was trying to channel. But I really did enjoy doing that. I mean, the first book was just sort of a chronological, it wasn't even chronological, but it was kind of like a hodgepotch history of how I got into comedy and stuff like that.

And then the second one was more of a kind of my take on adult life. And I really, it was really enjoyable. It was really, really enjoyable to do. And I feel like, I mean, look, the fact that they sold any copies was amazing.

But the thing is, is that there's a permanence to books, isn't there? When you do stand up, you kind of do it and then it disappears. I mean, I know you put out a DVD, you'll put out a special or whatever, but it kind of disappears, whereas books exist forever. And so it made me slightly more nervous about what I was writing. I mean, in the first book, my dad and I, well, my dad and my mom had a very troubled relationship, and my dad got up to all sorts. He ended up in prison and stuff.

And I never really talked about it publicly. And in that first book, I talked about it publicly for the first time. And I was conscious of the fact that I was putting it into a book and that was going to be there forever. And I had to like double check with my mom that she was all right with me sort of publicly stating all this stuff. Because it was like, you know, my dad had kind of cheated on my mom numerous times and he tried to leave her. They ended up getting back together. And all of this stuff we'd not sort of talked about. And so putting it into the book, it did feel quite.

cathartic but I did make sure I just checked with my mum because I said this is quite a big part of our story that we haven't put out there and she said yes without even checking it. She was totally fine she didn't even read it. I mean that's either a sign of complete trust in me or a damning indictment of what she thought about the quality of my writing that she can be able to check it. Well I think it might be a mixture but I love your mom. I did meet your mom but I can't remember which show it was that your mom I can't remember but I remember meeting her and she was she just reminded me of Jewish mothers as well. A lot of people say that to me.

A lot of people say that to me. So funny. But she, she loves being famous and you say she loves being famous. And she's in, she's on your radio two shows. She's on the TV shows with you and everything. And she's got, she, it's as if she's embraced it. I know there's a lot of people, you know, Jack does the shows with his dad. And Harry Enfield did, of course, years ago with his dad.

But you and your mom, I mean, I laugh with her. I can't believe what she says. I know. I mean, it's just, does she love it? Is that a ruse or does she really love it? No, she really loves it. I mean, it genuinely sort of happened by accident because we did this travel show years ago, Asian provocateur where the whole,

that's so good. Oh, thanks. But the whole aim of that show was for me to go back to Sri Lanka and get in touch in my culture. It was all about this kind of idea of. of second generation immigrants and getting in touch with, you know, how in touch are you with your background? And I didn't feel I was at all.

And so the whole premise of this show was for me to go back, to say go back, I was born here, but to go to Sri Lanka and get in touch with my culture. And when we did the taster tape for the BBC, we had my mum sort of designing the trip and telling me what she wanted me to do. And she's just, the first couple of days, to be honest with you, weren't that great,

because my mom was really, self-conscious about the camera and she was really trying to play up to it and and I knew that my mum was funnier than how she was being and I said to mum and the director sort of cottoned onto this really quickly Ben Green he said just be yourself just say what you think and kind of be how you want to be and as soon as she started doing that it was great it was like really good what I didn't expect was her to be as popular as she was I mean that was a real unhappy accident that because when the show when the show when the show came out she's I don't think it's an exaggeration to say she was the breakout star of that show I mean so many like so many people we're talking about and she would

like read reviews and read Twitter and stuff a lot of people are saying that you have to try to be funny whereas it comes to me naturally have you seen you see this comments and so and so like we just started getting on other bits and pieces I didn't know how much other stuff we were going to get her to do I remember she came on when we were promoting Asian provocation she came on Chattie Man with me with Alan Carr. And I remember being a bit nervous because I thought this is a bit different now because this is in a studio.

This is not in her house. You know, this is in a studio. You've got an audience there. And she just reveled in it. She absolutely loved it. And I thought, oh, okay, I think she's going to be absolutely fine. But I think from my mum's point of view,

like, you know, without getting too kind of depressing, my dad put her through the ringer. And like, she was, you know, we were living in a bed and breakfast. She was sort of rock bottom. And so for her now to think that she's in a position where she's on television, you know, I know that I sort of joke about how much she loves it and she loves being recognized. But I mean that in the purest kind of most innocent kind of version of that where she can't believe it. You know, the idea, you know, she says to me, sometimes I think back to years ago,

the idea that we'd be in this position now, it just blows my mind. You know, she just goes, I feel like I'm walking on air. I can't believe this is how our lives have turned out, you know. So it really is a thing where she, She just finds it amazing. You know, when people say to her, I think you're really funny on Rom's show, and let's be absolutely crystal clear, it's Rom's show. When people say that to her, she's so happy.

She's over the moon. So I'm really happy for a new regard. Yeah, it's nice. So she knows, how does she feel that your life is now, and that her life is now out there? You say she didn't read the book about, and all the awful stuff that your dad put you guys through, especially her.

Now that she knows that everybody knows about it, Does she talk about it? Does she say yes and I don't mind that people know? I mean, or is it just still not discussed? I think she's happy that people know. Not happy is an exact. I think she satisfied that people know. And, you know, it's something that she hadn't talked about.

And a lot of her friends didn't know what she's going through because, you know, we kept a lot of it to us. I mean, obviously people saw what happened to us in terms of we had to move. You know, we like we moved where to move to a. been a breakfast for a bit, we ended up going to a flat. And everybody knew all of that. And we sort of dropped out of, you know, my mom and dad dropped out of their social circles because things got so difficult.

So people were aware of that. But I don't think people knew the full extent of it. And, you know, my dad going to prison and stuff like that. So not everybody knew that. So I think she's, she's right with all of that. I think it's just, I think that there was a time when my mom couldn't see a positive future for us. You know, my dad was in prison. We didn't have any money.

We were in a bed and breakfast. She just started working as a cleaner. And she couldn't see, she just couldn't visualize a way that we were going to get out of that. And listen, it's not all about having material things and getting money and stuff like that. I don't mean that. But I just mean the sort of the unhappiness that she was feeling

and the difficulty that she was having. You know, her whole world got turned upside down. And she's having to bring us up sort of two boys that were going through the same trauma that she was going through and not being very easy about it. So, you know, and by the way, I'm not suggesting that we went through the worst thing that anyone's ever been through, but for us, it was like a big thing. And so, so for, for, for, for, for, for, for, for, I just think that the fact that, you know, we're comfortable now and things are going all right and, you know, her sons are in a good place and that she's, she's in a good place.

I just don't think those were things that she thought were possible. a while ago, you know, a years ago. And so I think that she still revels in that. Do you know what I mean? I don't think she takes that for granted. Just every now and again, she just said to me, I'm just so happy things are working out. Oh, that's fantastic.

So it's nice. It is nice. But what's also really important is that you've spoken about it. You're also, you're an Asian man there, fronting a TV shows, you're writing things, you've got radio shows, you've got podcasts, you're fronting the Royal Variety show.

It's taken too long for a person of colour to be doing all of those things, quite frankly. I think it's shocking. But that you're doing that. And so many young people say, thank goodness for people like you. Thank goodness for people actually like Rob, coming back from the background he comes from. I remember Rob talking about Alan Davis. He said, you know, he saw Alan Davis and he thought, oh, actually, maybe I can do it.

So you're going to be helping so many people. And the fact that you and your mom are so honest about these things, you, I mean, you know that. I know you know that. But you would have helped so many people and will continue to help so many people. And that's important. People need somebody to look up to. When you're a young child and you're at school and you think, we're in the depths of awful times,

people need to know that, for want for better expression, that there is light at the end of the tunnel, that it can turn around and that you can become what you want to do. You can follow your dreams. Yeah, I guess so. I mean, I don't, I mean, I sort of think about my own experience. I mean, I remember watching, I remember watching Goodness Gracious Me and growing up watching Lenny Henry do comedy and thinking, oh, wow, this could be a thing that I could do.

I mean, I didn't ever envisage that I would end up doing it for a job. But like, I remember, you know, you watch that, you watch people of colour doing stuff like they're doing comedy on TV and it does have an effect on you. I think the point you make about Rob is a really good one because people often focus on sort of ethnic diversity and things like that. But actually, you know, for someone from Rob's background to come through to where he's got to, I think you're right.

That is, I think that's a similar thing, you know, that the fact that, across the world. Yeah, he's sort of, he's come from the background. He's come from a tough upbringing. He's obviously got a great family, but you know, a tough star. And for him to do what he's doing, I think, you know, I do think people look at that and say,

and say that's, you know, that is something I can look up to. But at the same time, it's kind of whatever version of that is yours. It's not all about getting on TV. It's not all about, you know, making money. Yes, oh, absolutely. It's whatever that version is to you. Do you know what I mean? And, you know, it might be starting a bakery.

It might be, you know, excelling at sales. It might be being a lawyer. Exactly all of those things. But it's that thing of sort of overcoming what are the barriers to entry to a thing, or the perceived barriers to entry. I think it's an important thing and it hadn't really occurred to me loads until one of my friends said, you know,

what do you think about, you know, talked about what you said about seeing somebody of colour doing various bits and pieces. And then I did think back to when I used to watch those shows and I do think it has an effect on you. It makes you think those things are possible. It makes you think those things are potentially a viable option, you know? So yeah, it's nice.

But yeah, I think it is a positive thing. And I think actually we're headed in the right direction in terms of we are getting we are seeing more diverse people in front of camera but also behind the scenes as well in production and stuff like that you know i when i started doing telly i didn't see much diversity of of gender of ethnicity of of of social background and i think those things are changing so it's all it's all very positive i think do you know it's very interesting that when i started out in telly people would always say cameraman and remember when there was a camera woman working on the show and and the director kept saying oh oh can you speak to that cameraman and

i'd say camera woman yeah and say oh no it's just easier to say man because they're all men and so so you that that wouldn't happen today thank goodness you know there's those little changes and they are so important i mean if there's any bigger and it is there ever bigger an indicator that something is gender biased it's the fact that the name of the job is cameraman Jeremy That's a Camera person Yeah

Can we just talk about You being the maths teacher Because I remember you doing the show With Ben Miller Was it Ben Miller and Rachel? Oh yeah It's not rocket science On IT TV

Yeah That was great I think they should do more of those Little one series special that was Yeah but you should do Kids shows Because I think that Maths

The young people Maths is one of those subjects That I mean I know In my family And for me Maths was always one of those really tricky subjects and I never really got my head round it. And I still, I know I said this to you years ago,

you should do a show about maths that makes it accessible for young kids who are wary of maths because maths is really important. And you were a maths teacher so you know what you're talking about, but there's a way of doing it that can bring light and laughter. So there we go. I just think you should do a kid. Well, look, I think it's a good, well, that's kind of the reason. That is the reason I got into maths teaching in the first place is because

my experience of being in mass lessons was so bad to the point where I started pretending to be ill whenever I had a mass lesson because I just dreaded it so much. But yeah, I think it's a good idea. It's so funny. Like when I was a teacher, like when we did parents' evenings,

I could see the parents getting nervous as they sat down at your desk because they remembered what it was like to do mass at school. You know, they'd sit down and they'd just think, I just want to know how my kids are doing in mass but I don't want to talk about any mass at all. You know, that's what their face was saying. They just didn't want you to bring up any technical aspects of it at all.

And I think that, I think the problem's too far. I mean, look, I don't want to get into an in-depth maths discussion because I do want people to listen to this. But I think, you know, part of the thing is, I think is making it more accessible. I think part of the problem is that I think kids get taught stuff that they don't ever need. You know, I think the mass curriculum is a little bit. If people are really good at, if kids are really good at maths, they need to learn all

the technical stuff. But I used to teach bottom set kids. And there was things that were teaching. That was me. Right. But I remember just feeling really let down by the mass curriculum because I'd just be teaching stuff. And I think I am putting them through this.

And then there's absolutely no way they're ever going to use this after they do their GCSE. Why are we doing this? There are better aspects of maths that they could be doing that give them more confidence in life. You know, in things are actually a bit more practical. And I think, you know, I'm talking about as a teacher that gave up, over 10 years ago. I think they've like addressed that really. Not because of me.

I'm not, I'm not a pioneer. But I think they've moved, I think they've moved in the right direction. But I remember thinking like, when kids ask you, why are we learning this? The answer because it's in the exam is not good enough. Do you know, like, so I remember, I remember having to say that to kids

and thinking, well, that is not good enough really. Why are they learning this? So listen, Gabby, I think it's a good idea. I might do it. So if I do, if you do see Ron does maths, know that it's your inspiration. I'll give you a credit or something. Thank you.

In fact, I'll come and produce it. All jokes aside, I know that kids would lap it up because kids love you. You know, even though I remember you being interviewed by a mutual dear friend of ours who used to have red hair, who's now white, him saying that his kids sit and watch. Rob and Rom, yeah. And the language is very fruity.

I think my youngest daughter, who is obsessed, obsessed with that show, learned a lot of language from you two. And it's absolutely fine. And the young kids do look. Oh, don't be so silly. Do not apologize at all. But I think young kids do look up to you. And I just think actually you and maybe Rob doing it together math lessons.

I just think you should do it. Do you know what I think is a good idea is taking Rob through, me teaching Rob through his maths GCSE and A level could be a good thing. Should I mean? Oh my God. It's a good idea, isn't it? Or actually just the 11 plus. Yeah, exactly.

Key says three. There we go. Yeah, okay. There you go. We've got ourselves a show. Well, that actually makes me feel ill because if somebody were to ask me maths, I go, I can count in 60s because of minutes and doing tele and radio. Oh, yeah, yeah. Let's just, what I'd like to just talk about, though, is this is a really weird thing.

But is it true you've got, I think this might be wrong. So the tattoos, I know you love tattoos. Have you got tattoos of your children's faces all over your body? No. No. No. I've got then, I've got, well, this is bad actually. I've got two of them. I've got three boys. Two of them are tattooed on me. The last one I haven't done yet. I am going to, but I haven't done yet. Does he know? I don't, I think he does know, but he seems distinctly unbothered. I guess thankfully his self-worth is not tied up in whether I've got his name to him. But I should do it. My dad, can you believe it?

I don't want that to be something he tells a therapist in the future. It's just because I haven't got around to it. Oh, okay. But I had this really weird thought that you sort of opened your shirt and there were your three children. No, do you know, I would have loved to have done that. The problem is I've seen so many examples of where that's gone wrong. I just thought an idea of a distorted face of one of my children on my body. This is too much to bear.

I do have loads of hip-pop tattoos and I've got the Albanian flag tattooed on my arm as well That's because you went to Albania Yeah Well I went to Albania got that done And now Just every now and again An Albanian person will bump into me

And ask me to show the tattoo Because I don't believe I really got it done There's a restaurant in Crawley That I don't have to ever pay it Because the manager's Albanian And he said because you got that tattoo I never let you spend any money in this restaurant But obviously that means I can't go back there.

I can't go there and then show my forearm like a credit card. Do you mean? I can't. Have you ever been in there since he said that? No. He's going to be in touch now. Why haven't you been back to my restaurant? So we always ask on this podcast, what makes you belly laugh?

And you do love a good giggle. What makes you properly belly laugh? What makes me belly laugh? Oh, well, is it anything at all? Anything. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Most people say farting or falling over. So there we go. Well, this is the thing. So we just got a dog about four weeks ago. And he's very, very cute. But he keeps getting so overexcited. The thing about a dog is, and everybody that has a dog and people that don't have dogs know this, is you leave a room for two minutes. You come back into the room and they greet you like you've been gone for 20 years. It's unbelievable for the self-esteem.

But he gets so excited when we go into the room that he jumps up at you but hasn't quite managed his balance it and falls over backwards. He does it so many times. It's like he's smashed. And I've got to be honest with you, it is the gift that keeps on giving. I don't stop laughing at it. I just find it unbelievable. And sometimes this is bad. I mean, I guess it's verging on animal cruelty.

Sometimes I leave the room to come back in in the hope that he's going to fall over. I never tip him over. But I come back hoping that he's going to do the best. It's really good. No, that makes my day because I completely am with you there. Anything falling over and I'm made. Ramesh, as always, you're just a complete joy and I adore you to pieces. Thank you very much.

Do send your mum in love. I will do, I will do. And hopefully I'll see you soon in the real world. See you, so take care. Thank you. Thank you so much for listening. On the next episode, I chat to Bake Off winner and Strictly star John Waite. That Gabby Roslin podcast is practically.

produced by Cameo Productions. Music by Beth Macari. Could you please tap the follow or subscribe button and thanks so much for your amazing reviews. We honestly read every single one and they mean the world to us. Thank you so much.