Wolf and Owl - Introducing the listener Q&A episodes!

Episode Date: March 6, 2026

What was Romesh like as a teacher? Got a problem? Need some advice? Get your questions answered in the Wolf and Owl weekly bonus episodes. This week we try to help solve a workplace dilemma, discuss when it’s ok to exaggerate a story and help diagnose how sick you are, plus there’s a special appearance from teacher Mr Ranganathan and some role play from Tom. We also learn that Rom is a great friend but not a great boss, while Tom is a great lemming and your knight in shining armour if you need a lightbulb changing (and not just because he can reach). Send in your questions for us at [e-mail] for the chance to have them answered in an upcoming episode. A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Listen. 00:00 Intro 1:46 Workplace authority 2:58 Mr Ranganathan 6:21 Rex Buchanan 8:08 Dress for the job 9:45 Lunch duty 10:10 Real advice 11:36 The sexiest version of Rom 13:00 The lying lion 14:28 Tom saves Jaime Winstone 17:32 Story take 3 19:28 Exaggerating vs the truth 21:20 Scale of sickness 25:04 Johnny Vegas 26:03 Get in touch Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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Welcome to... The first back bonus episode. The first bonus back episode. The first bonus back episodee. I'm excited about us. Yeah. Let's not ask about how each other are. Let's just get straight into it.

No, I still do that. Would you like, do you want to read the first one? I think you read this one. Because actually that's the other thing we're changing. Yeah. You're going to do some reading, aren't you? Yeah. Are you happy with that?

I'm going to read over this. That's where we've really had the break. That's where it's where to get pushing back the launch. Me and Grace have been learning to read together. You've basically caught up Grace now, haven't you? No. She can read the graph alone well by word now.

Yeah, I'm still doing a lot by memory. Welcome to the bonus episode of The Wolf for now. I'll say bonus. It's going to be every week. Yeah. So it's not a bonus. How long is a bonus a bonus? I think every week, hopefully you can,

I think everything in life should be a bonus. Okay. Well, that implies very low expectations, isn't it? But anyway, we will be doing emails. So it's Wolfelpod at Gimrod. Not just emails like questions, voice notes. Yeah, I don't know about zany pictures,

but we can do pictures now. Yeah. Oh, wow. Yes. videos yeah Face times everything voice notes

yeah whatever you want just load us up animations and we do animations already actually just any craziness maybe a bit wacky that you thought

I was gonna alright it's not fucking how drawings yeah paintings yeah whatever you want yeah

but it's getting a bit children's TV now alright here's the first one I've just been promoted at work and now I've just been promoted at work and now manage people

who used to be my mate I still want to be approachable, but also I don't want to look like I'm auditioning to host the Christmas party. The other day I laughed along... Do you audition to host the Christmas party? What? You don't audition to...

No, it's just a turn of phrase, isn't it? The other day I laughed along when someone took the piss out of me in a meeting and immediately worried I've lost all authority. How do you stay friendly without becoming a pushover? Please keep me anonymous. I work with these people. Okay. Well, thank you so much.

I'm still slightly thrown by the whole auditioning to do it. He or she is not auditioning for a Christmas party. No, no. What they're saying is that they were putting on a show. Yeah. In a way that... Yeah. Okay.

Or they're worried that that's what... I personally would find this very difficult. Like, this would be a hard thing for me. Why? You're a boss now? Yeah, but I don't carry authority while. Okay. I'm like a...

I mean, I'm like the wacky, funny, stupid, that silly boss. I'm like Jerry from friends if he had company. Okay. Yeah. I don't come in and I don't sort of like shout at people. No. We shouldn't have to... Authority isn't shouting at people.

No, but that's where you know. You've got a real such authority. I don't think I do. You do. I can tell you, I know kids that you taught at school who are now adults, are not kids anymore.

No, but that's not down to me. That's time. No, they're well matured, decent adults. Yeah. And all of them say, you know, Mr. Ranganathan, which a lot of them call you, still now, right?

Could tell you in a look if he was disappointed or if he was annoyed with you. They didn't say that. Yeah. And I can believe that, by the way. You were no walkover. I bet if you got annoyed at school. I didn't get, well, I mean, the thing is I didn't get annoyed at school.

So if someone was whacking up, if it was a kid in the thing going, like, if a kid was like being horrible to another kid, then I'd be annoyed. Not an, I'd be annoyed on behalf of that child. Yeah. But I'm not, I just think. So if a kid was playing acting going, oh, hey, rang an a half thing, you idiot. Yeah, I still wouldn't get angry. What?

No. What would you do? All right. I honestly can't think of... You're teaching. You're teaching. Okay. And I'm...

You're a what? Yeah. Mickey Buchanan. I'm... I'm on Mr. Anganathan? Yeah, I'm the local street tough. Okay. Who watched Boys in the Hood this weekend?

But this is part of the problem with these is that you find yourself so funny. I find the situation funny. The thing I find, do you know what I find really funny? Is when you settle in and you're about to start acting. Yeah. This is what I do.

In the theatre? Yeah, in the theatre. You can see me settle in. Okay. Oh, man, who did that homework? Who's a butt head? Mickey. Mickey.

Yeah, what? Do you want to just keep it down? We're starting the lesson now. Okay. Tell me something I don't know. Well, it seems like you don't know because you're talking. Yeah? That's what I'm paid to do.

What? That's what I do, mate. I'm a talker. Right. I can't help it. I've got to say it comes out of my mouth. How do you talk? Exactly.

Well, I talk when it's appropriate, Mickey. And currently it's not appropriate for you to be talking. Okay. What am I supposed to do? Not talk. I think I've been pretty clear on that. Well, just sit here quietly? Yes, correct.

Really? That's the expectation for the class. So can you do that or not? Jesus, this is so authoritative. This is, of course it is. Even as Mickey, but as Tom, I'm slightly nervous. Okay, I'll be quiet. Okay, great.

Good. So I carry on with a lesson, if you must. Well, that's what I'm doing, yeah. So, sex. No, but I... You have... got authority. I think anyone who knows you. No, but the problem is

what you did there as Mickey is you accepted what I said. So a lot of the time... Can I just say, yeah. A lot of the time I encounter kids that didn't accept it. Let me try to do that. Yeah, but then it's over for me. Because the truth is your authority in the classroom is fake.

Yeah, but you've got that authority. Do you know what? This is a difference. I'd have tried to make Mickey like me. How about I be the student? That's what I mean. Okay, you be the teacher. Yeah, I'll be the teacher. Hello, everyone. First of all, are you Mr. Fuckermal or something like that? No, no, no.

The renegade teacher that's come into... My name is Rex Buchanan. I knew it. You're Mickey's dad. He's become a teacher. Okay, great. I'll just be Little Ramesh. Okay.

Hi, everyone. Welcome to another class in algebra, physics and everything else. This is... Algebra and physics. What is he talking about? What is he talking about? Sorry, I'm... Sorry.

Excuse me. If you weren't in the lowest class... Sir, sir, sir, sir, you don't even know what, what are you teaching? Do you know what you're teaching? Yes. What is it? Different maths and physics. Different maths and physics?

Yes, because this is a cramix, sir. I wish I could just do maths, which I was actually trained in. Right. This is not a good school. Okay. If you know maths, sir, what's Pythagoras? I don't know. I thought I was in history.

You're not even qualified. Not in history, no. No, it's maths. What's part of history? Phagoras's theorem? This is like basic shit, sir. I don't know. The times table is really cool. Oh my God, he doesn't even know maths.

Did he say the Times tables are really cool? Yeah. What time's table could be you do? Are you a virgin? Just, I believe, whatever you say. Are you a virgin? This is what I mean. You're even fucking running the class now. Rex has got no chance.

But that's what I'm saying. That's what kids do sometimes. It's horrendous. That's why I'd be awful. Do you know what I'd have really done in that situation? But oh, nice one, Mom. Do you know what? I'm just going to go and get my lunch early. You have so much more authority than me in this situation.

I don't, I lack of theory. No, but I had it where kids ran rings around me sometimes. I can't imagine that. Did happen? Because you're assuming that the kid wants to be in the class. To give this guy some advice, I think that you need to bite off and help there. Because my thing would be, I think, number one,

I'd say the worst thing he can do is go too harsh. Yes, correct. I think you still need to have that banter, and you need to have fun with the people that used to work with because they are your friends. But then also, you have to have a certain respect to the fact that you've been bumped up the food chain. I always buy like a statement bit of clothing is always quite good.

Not what? I don't know, like a tie. What's that going to do? No, it just makes him look a bit more superior. Right, yeah, okay. Or a hat. I actually, sorry, I actually don't think that's bad advice. Or a Trilby.

I don't know about Trilby. I'll just say that then people go, oh, I'm fucking over. Yeah. Oh, you've, yeah. They notice he's level up. He thinks he's Justin Tibberlake. If he, yeah, if he's still turning up in the same clothes. Yeah, I get it.

You're dressing with a bit more authority. Yeah, yeah. Also, yeah, try, I suppose having lunch with people, like, you know, can be difficult if you're going to be there but superior. Did your headmaster used to have lunch with you? No. Yeah, there we go. Well, when you were ahead of the year, did you eat with the other teachers?

No. There we go. Yeah, but that's not, that was an authority thing. It just wasn't convenient. It's a massive school. We're not all getting together for lunch. I thought you all got together for lunch. No, and then what happens to the rest across the school?

Kids just killing each other. You've got a staff across the school, do you know what I mean? People are lunch to you. I thought you all got into the staff room. No, that was a tough old morning. No, some of the staff do, but not, not everyone. So what would you just, like, you'd be like a security detail? I used to have a lunch duty too.

Wow. So I'd wander around. Not every day. So when did you have a break for yourself? Um, like, you'd be. So lunch, I mean, I can't believe we're getting to the logistics of us. But it's an hour lunch break. I spend half an hour on duty, half an hour having lunch.

I actually got more respect for you now. I don't realize that was a case. Well, I mean, that's how that school worked, you know. Yeah, pretty hard. And you just carry on, you carry on doing it, and you just struggle along, you know. So what advice you got for this? That's the game. I think you're, my advice is I think you're worrying about this authority thing too much.

The truth is, is, I don't think Tom's advice is bad, actually, about maybe dressing for the job you've got. Or, I mean, some people, you know, dressing with the job you want, maybe. But you don't, I don't think you need to change your relationships necessarily. I think that you do your job. And if there is an instance where you've got to instruct, then you do that firmly. And you may, you know, as soon as you have to issue kind of request for work and stuff like that, you do that and making clear what the expectation is.

Do you know what I mean? And people can take the piss out of you. That's not an undermining of your authority as long as it's something you're comfortable with. But it doesn't matter. People take the piss out of each other and you have a bit of laugh at work. That's a good thing, by the way.

Yeah, but when work has to be done, work has to be done. And the challenge would be, you know, you might have a couple of instances where somebody goes, oh, I didn't think that deadline mattered, you know what it's like and try to sort of banter their way out of it. And that's when the point when you've got a test of your authority there and you go, no, those deadlines are firm. So it has to happen when I've said it has to happen.

And so you don't have to be like, suddenly like a dictator about it. But it's just we can all have a laugh as long as the expectations are being met. I think that's how you've got to be. I think, by the way, this is the sexiest version of you. We've seen some versions. This version of you is so sexy. I'm not good at it though. Yeah, but fucking don't worry about being good at it.

You could do lectures on this. Like the guy they may fucking Wolf a Wall Street about. Like, you could go out and tell, I literally sitting here listening, thinking, oh, God, if I had a, if I was, you know, when some people would have those big fucking companies, they need to get someone to talk in, come and talk to their managers.

I would, without a doubt, go get Ramesh Rang and A thing. No, but I've handled situations in the past wrong. To give you an idea, without getting into detail, somebody wants to tell me you're a good friend, but not a good boss. I don't know. Do you know what I would? I can tell you now. So thank you for that.

You know who you are. I am a wonderful underling. You are such a great underling. I'm a great lemming. Yeah, really good. You'll go anywhere for anyone. Yeah. It's part of my charm.

I'm like a golden retriever. Yeah. I literally do it. Like the way you're talking now, I was like, this is maybe what I've lacked in my life. This authority. Leadership. Yeah.

I had awful leaders. Yeah. Do you know what you really have been to? Dominatrix. I think you'd love that. Maybe that could be one of our Patreon specials. Yeah. Gosh.

You're dominating me. Yeah. I'm like a... Anyway. Okay. Where are my gloves? Come on, heat. Any day now.

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Hold on. Thank you so much for your email. Of course. Anonymous. Hope that helps. Good luck to you. Okay. Dear sweet sweet souls, I've developed a terrible habit

of exaggerating stories in small, pointless ways. You don't have to email in. Just talk to me directly, mate. Not huge lies. Just a bit of polishing, making something slightly funny and slightly more dramatic.

The problem is, I then panic that I'll get caught out in a detail and exposed myself as someone who lied about something completely insignificant. and why do I do this? And is there a way to stop this before I accidentally invent a second life?

The lion. I mean... What do you think, Tom? Well, I think you're a master of authority. This might be more in my ballpark. I think exaggeration. I mean, I come from a long line of exaggerators who just storytellers.

And by the way, just so you know, not as long as he makes out. Oh, you're delicious. I don't think there's anything particularly wrong. I think if it's not hurting anything and a story becomes funnier, I think adding a few tiny details to a story that can go, okay, that's slightly exaggerated.

I think when sometimes I listen to someone tell a story that's so verbatim the truth and so like there's a time for that, police interrogation, where you're like, just dial this little bit up and give me something a little bit more to a... I've told you about the guy, you know, when I was on... I don't know whether to believe this now or not.

No, I was on a film set. I think I've told you about this guy before, and I think I've told this story on here, but we were all on this film set. It was a weekend of Glastonbury, right? One of the people on the film set was Jamie Winston, great actress, lovely person. And Jamie's going to Glastonbury.

So this guy sort of was like, I might see you when you're there. And he used to do all the trade. He does the traders on set and he was doing caravans at Glastonbury. So Jamie's there. And then I see him on the Monday. So did you see Jamie when you're at Glastonbury?

He said, yeah, no, I was here actually. I was walking past her caravan. And she poked her head out and said, oh, excuse me, the light's gone in my bathroom. I'm not sure if the bulb's gone or there's something wrong. They said, let me take a look. So he said, I went in. I pressed the color buttons.

nothing's working. So I said, I'm going to tell you what I'm going to do is I'm going to go and get another bulb. I'll come straight back, Jamie. I run to the store cupboard. I get two different bulbs just in case sometimes you'll get one and it's a bit full to. So I run back. I changed the bulb. I press the switch and the light comes on.

I said, Jamie, everything's fine. It was just the bulb would run out. There's another spare here. I can leave that with you. I left and I didn't see her for the rest of the weekend. And I went, oh, wow, okay. Yes, nice that you saw her. And then literally, two minutes later,

he was with a guy called Dan Taylor, lovely actor. I saw her get Jeremy actually when she was at Glastonbury. I walked past her trailer. She popped out. And he was telling everyone this story. It was the most amazing story ever, right? But he could have added some stuff to that, exaggerated, put some sort of spice.

Like what? How would you tell that story? I was walking past the Jamie's trailer at Glastonbury. she came out and said, oh my God, my trade has been plunged into darkness. The light in my bathroom's not working. I need it to work as soon as possible. I turned around and said, let me just have a quick look now. See if this is going to sort it.

I ran in. There's no light coming from anywhere. I'm absolutely worried now. I'm thinking she could be out of the bathroom. I said, Jamie, hold on for a second. I'm going to run to the store room. I run to the store room. I get a light bulb.

I come running back, get two actually, just in case. Always got to be clever. Courtsious. I get in. I turn the light bulb. the light comes on. Jamie's rejoiced. She said,

oh, thank you so much, Terry. I'm like, no worries. If you need me for anything or something, I'm some there, add a quick glass of champagne and popped off back. Yeah, wow, it's like a movie, that version. But can you see that adding some sort of...

No, well, you just change your tone and sounded slightly melodramatic. It's the same story. You sort of seemed to be much... Okay, okay. It seemed to be much more reactive to what was going on. Okay, okay. You did exactly the same stuff.

The details were the same. Okay, okay. You added some champagne in a bit of desperation at the end of it. Okay, I've got it. Okay, go on. God, mate, you should have been at Glastonbury. I mean, by the way, by the way, let me just say, in terms of the podcast,

we are deciding to tell three versions of the same story that we have included because you think it's fucking boring. We're now about it's, we went to the third iteration of this really dull light bulb story. Anyway, go on. You should have been at Glastonbury. Poor Jamie. Jesus, what happened?

Middle of the night, I hear some screaming coming from a trailer. Right. I sprint across, I trip over a couple of times people bloody leaving there, 10 pegs out.

I get to the trailer, I'm like, what's up in the UK in there? And they're like, we've been plunging to darkness. One of the light bulbs has gone. At night? Yes.

I come running, I said, open the door, you're safe, it's Terry who's working on a film set with you. She opens the door, I come into there. I said, look, let me just see what's going on there.

Let me get abreast of the situation. I go straight into the toilet at whether that's where the contaminated area is, right? I straight away, I says the situation, I go, the bulb is gone. I run back as quick as I can. As I'm running back, there's two dogs that have just been let off their leave.

Both of them are barking. One of them tries to bite me. I said, hey, watch out your dogs. I'm probably trying to fight. This is great. Yeah. I get there, there's no light bulbs in the storeroom. I'm like, where am I going to get?

What do you do? A light bulb at the middle of the night. Well, lucky enough, Tom Hiddleston was a arriving the next day. So I break into Tom Hiddleston's trailer and I still want to the light poles from his trailer and put in it in those. Nice, good.

I mean, you've sort of, I would describe that as more than embellishing. You just added some really, I mean, you might just fucking make stuff up. You're just saying there that. No, you asked me to push this. Yeah, sure. I mean, pushed it.

Pushed it without consent, I'd say. Where do you stand with this? I think tell the truth. So you never exaggerate or embellish. I have done. I have done in the past. I just think no good comes from it. I just think you just got to tell the truth.

And then find the funny in the truth, you know? And if it's not that funny, then it's not that funny. You know, like I just think that what they're saying is, is right, the lying lion is that. So the second one I've done is a lion, right? Yeah. So that's a different thing. No, but the line line who sent the email in. Yeah, yeah.

The problem is you're adding details and then they're right. Exaggeration is one thing, right? So exaggeration. You can exaggerate the drama of it. Yeah, that's, I think the exaggerating the drama is a different thing than adding details, right? Well, exaggerating is changing a detail, isn't it? It's like, for example, before we got to the dogs and you nicked Tom Hiddleston's light bulb, it didn't happen at night, did it? No, but yeah, but that is lying.

But the second story I told you, that's why we've got three cases. Well, the second story, you didn't exaggerate anything. I did exaggerate the tone of it. No, you just change your delivery. Yeah. Okay, so basically, I mean, you need to email in and go, I don't know what exaggerating is. Can you help? Exaggeration is making it more dramatic than it is.

Yeah, but I think they're adding details and shit. Yeah, I know that's a different thing. I don't think you should do that. I don't think you should add details like the third story. No. That was too much. Yeah. Yeah.

But I think if you're... The second one, you're talking about just giving it a bit of ump, aren't you? Yeah. Fucking hell. fuck you sort of saying fucking hell you're not going to bloody believe this but i think sometimes when you hear a story yeah and you hear it enough from different people

you go yeah i think yeah i mean the big question is how are two stand-ups complaining about people exaggerating and embellishing stories right this is petty this is the next email even if i get the mildest cold i behave like i've been given a six-month prognosis i become reflective dramatic i insist on lying down and narrating my symptoms

my partner says I'm unbearable at what point does being ill require dignity a fragile flamingo Can I say this feels like I've written these in myself I know what's going on? These are very me Yeah

I'm very much disgot person I'm very dramatic when I'm ill I don't think you were that dramatic about what happened to you actually Oh really? No I think you reported it I can be quite sure

I mean now I've got to be honestly after this last email I'm starting to wonder if any of it happened but actually what happened is you ate a donut and it gave you a bit of indigestion I farted Yeah He had a bit of a messier shit than he normally do

No I've actually probably underplayed that situation So what's your advice? Do you know what? I do think I suffered a lot more with this before I do think actually is trying to get engaged I think you're actually This modern world I think

Number one I think men fall into two different places you're either completely resistant to ever omitting you're ill or you get the slightest cold and you think it's yeah I don't think there's any

middle ground that I know of I think the thing is actually I think in this last week where I've been at I have really resisted the urge to go into a place of Googling what it could be

not even when you said to me and text me what do you think it is and like I've literally been like that's what the before what I would do is I would go into a hit where I put into the symptoms and before you know it I was literally

like sitting Grace and Catherine down with tears and my eyes and calling you and go look please can you just look after my family I was literally that dramatic with stuff and now I tried to have a bit more perspective with things because that hypochondria thing runs deep through me deep

but this I have tried to keep a bit and now actually I'm saying I'm worried that this will be the thing that kills me and I should have fucking given it a bit more respect. Great for numbers though on the app. I think advice-wise

I think this is a bit of an attitudinal thing. What are you like with your ill? I've got a lot better. I used to be like quite a little bit of a sort of hyperreactive.

But I think that I think actually I sort of did some reading about this. That basically it's a change of like thought process of sometimes when we get ill we see it as like, oh my God, everything's ended and I feel terrible.

And that actually makes you feel worse. And actually, if you are, like my body is experiencing something, I know this sounds a bit wanky, my body's experiencing something and it's fighting the infection or the whatever and you treat that as a series of experiences to deal with, then you're more inclined to try and continue to live your life as normal as you possibly can, do I mean? And I think it's a bit considerate.

You know, sometimes I got to point where I was feeling ill and I felt like I couldn't really put it on Lacer. You know, I couldn't really express too much of it to Lacer because she's busy enough. Do you know what I mean? And she would be sympathetic, but what I don't want to do is add to her burden. Do you know what I mean?

So I feel like I sort of try to be a bit more kind of, I guess sort of suck it up. Like I would say I'm feeling rough, but I wouldn't then go, can you get me this? Did you used to catastrophize with it? Totally. Yeah, yeah, like really catastrophize about it. Whereas now I would embrace death.

Really? No, I'm joking. But I feel like I would catastrophe and you go, this must be this. I read Johnny Vegas's autobiography and he had it really bad, like a proper voice in his head. Well, like when he's feeling ill, this thing would speak to him going, you're going to die, you know?

You're almost certainly going to die. And I would have it, I did have to overcome that with the kids. As soon as the kids were ill, the catastrophizing where I'd just get so worried about it. It's crippling. At one point when we first had Theo, I actually got to a point where I thought the joy of having Theo is being outweighed

by the level of worry I have about him. And I had to like find a way of getting through that. I've only just got through that with grace. Yeah, it's hard. That is really hard. That's been, that's one of the hardest things. Yeah, but what I would say is, I would like, you can treat all of these things as a bit of a development opportunity.

Do you know what I mean? So the next time you experience a cold or a flu or something like that, just go, I am going to take this as an opportunity to try and be a little less hyper reactive to it and see how you get on. Do you know what I mean? I think that's the way and you can sort of...

Beautiful stuff, my friend. Thanks so much. Thank you for sending those in. If you want to get in touch, you can email wolf owl pod at gmail.com. See you next time. Thanks, friends.