Can you have a successful comedy career and a balanced family life?

Comedian and writer Sara Pascoe joins Romesh Ranganathan to talk about touring, parenting and why stand-up comedy can make balancing family life surprisingly difficult.

They get into Sara's early beginnings in comedy, wanting to be an actor and how the stand-up landscape has changed over the years. Expect stories of people pleasing in the entertainment industry, Sara's writing process (after winning the Dame Jilly Cooper Award) and her new travel series Zero Stars with Roisin Conaty, where the pair travel to some of the worst-rated holiday destinations in Europe including a chaotic cruise and a trip to Albania.

Plus: roast potato cooking tips, Sara’s “Dragon’s Den” business idea, a question from Shanthi and as always a round of Misquoted.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

02:00 Selling out tours

00:00 Dealing with criticism

04:58 A gift for Sara

06:10 Roast potatoes and cooking tips

09:40 Sara’s comedy beginnings

12:04 The changing nature of the comedy game

13:33 Balancing family life

20:10 A question from Shanthi about being a mum

23:09 Rom and Sara on the role of parenting

26:11 The importance of reading

29:10 Comedy chat

35:38 Sara’s Dragon’s Den Idea

36:57 Sara on winning Dame Jilly Cooper Award

40:50 Sara’s writing advice

43:06 Zero Stars the new travel show

53:35 Rom’s Albanian tattoo story

55:45 Misquoted

01:05:37 Outro

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Can Shanthi read minds?

In this episode, Romesh and mum Shanthi talk about literally everything. From receiving negative comments, how to handle nightmares, Romesh's vaping problem and the chances that life is all just a simulation.

They also answer listener questions, giving their best advice for your dilemmas.

As always, it’s chaotic, honest and slightly unhinged.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform

00:00 Intro

01:55 Shanthi gets upset about the comments

04:45 Shanthi recieves a gift

05:54 A listener has a dreamy question for Romesh

07:15 Shanthi’s nightmare recovery

08:01 Romesh, vaping and nicorette dreams

12:29 A question on flatulence

21:16 Outro

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How did James McAvoy become one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood?

Actor and director James McAvoy joins Romesh Ranganathan for a very special episode talking about acting, accents and the difference from Hollywood to home.

James talks about accidentally getting into acting, why his philosophy is always “story first” and how he approaches building characters. Plus his skill at mastering accents, training as a pastry chef, bad reviews and being a part of the X‑Men family.

We also discuss James' new film and his directorial debut, California Schemin'.

And as always, a question from Shanthi.

00:00 Intro

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What does Shanthi really think about gentle parenting, ice baths and calorie counting?

In this episode, Romesh and mum, Shanthi take on a brand new segment: Shanthi’s Hot Takes. Nothing is safe from her opinions on WhatsApp and supermarkets to gentle parenting, air fryers and the modern obsession with ice baths.

From stories from the team, to listener questions and some very solid Ranganathan advice, be sure not to miss it.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media.

00:00 Intro

01:59 Shanthi on hats

03:25 Ben’s story

05:43 Shanthi’s Hot Takes

14:20 Questions from you

15:00 Shanthi’s advice on blending food and culture

18:15 How to deal with parents expectations

25:07 What do Romesh & Shanthi love about eachother?

27:37 Outro

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From sitcom Dad to Breaking Bad, how did Bryan transform into Walter White?

Bryan Cranston joins Romesh Ranganathan for a wide-ranging conversation about acting, creativity and the career pivots that changed his life.

Bryan talks about bringing Arthur Miller’s All My Sons to London, the acting lessons he’s learned over decades on stage and screen and why observing people is the key to building unforgettable characters. He also reflects on precarious nature of the industry, landing the role of Hal in Malcolm in the Middle, nearly losing the part and why the show still means so much to him, especially with a new season on the way.

And of course, they dive into the legacy of Breaking Bad from auditioning for Walter White to working with creator Vince Gilligan, the genius behind the show. Bryan shares how the character evolved, the pressure of its success, and whether we can expect a Walter White return.

Expect as always, gift giving, some perfectly timed jabs from Bryan, a question from Shanthi, and a thoughtful conversation about creativity, hobbies, fame, and why actors and audiences should approach AI with caution.

An insightful, funny and surprisingly personal conversation with one of television’s most respected actors in history.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media.

00:00 Intro

02:11 Bryan’s gift giving

05:30 Observing people and their traits

08:06 Coming to London for All My Sons

11:44 An actors responsibility and theatre

17:33 On Malcom in The Middle and the new season

23:09 Almost losing Malcom In The Middle

25:42 How Bryan found Hal

30:54 Success and pivoting in his career

34:44 Working with Vince Gilligan and his character development

39:14 Having faith in your career

40:45 The brilliance of Breaking Bad

45:48 Auditioning for Walter White

47:40 When did Bryan realise the importance of the show

50:38 The Pizza scene

52:10 Will Walter White be back?

54:29 Shanthi’s question to Bryan, hobbies and growing

58:37 Bryan’s opinion on AI

01:01:59 A game of Misquoted

01:05:48 Dealing with fame

01:10:10 Bryan’s marriage, advice and life balance

01:14:36 An exclusive

01:17:30 Outro

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Romesh doesn’t like celebrating his birthday… unfortunately the team had other plans.

In this chaotic birthday special, Romesh is joined once again by brother Dinesh and mum Shanthi, discussing everything from family pranking history and gardening to debating who would survive prison time and how.

You can expect lots of birthday fun, lots of push back from Romesh, some questionable birthday gifts and a bizarre role play.

Plus: Some Tamil and wedding song recommendations and Romesh being a birthday diva.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media.

00:00 Intro

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Is this the best gift the show has ever given a guest? A self-proclaimed "enthusiastic novice", Tom Allen is here to chat about his new podcast Pottering, his debut novel Common Decency and why we apparently should absolutely not be wearing belts with waistcoats.

This episode in the studio brings you everything from questions with Shanthi, gardening tips, stand-up stories , a game of Misquoted and some very strong opinions on men's style.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media.

00:00 Intro

02:05 Cushion conspiracy

02:50 Wearing suits and fashion advice

04:05 Romesh’s fashion crisis

06:25 Gift giving

10:15 Tom’s fashion pet peeve

15:22 Tom’s new podcast

16:35 Getting into gardening

17:39 Booking guests

18:28 Tom’s Debut Novel 'Common Decency'

20:08 The suburban life

27:10 A question from Shanthi

30:22 How smart should you dress for the shops

32:35 On stand up and telling off the audience

38:43 On Extra Slice

42:47 How posh does Tom rank?

45:34 Misquoted

59:01 Tom’s a football fan

01:02:55 Outro

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Would Shanthi have an AI boyfriend? Find out in the brand new epsiode where Romesh and Shanthi cover everything from grief role play to the pros and cons of AI and Rom's ChatGPT history.

They get into everything from the importance of maths and biology, desert island dilemmas, the danger of tortoises and a chaotic round of snog, marry, avoid featuring some very questionable fictional choices.

As always: unexpected, unfiltered, and impossible to predict where it’ll go next.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media.

00:00 Intro

02:30 Shanthi on maths

05:08 Trying out Hannah Fry’s tips

08:45 Rom reads his ChatGPT therapy

09:50 Shanthi and the team catch a stray

11:25 A question on AI

14:40 A role play of grief AI

16:25 A desert island question

20:30 Snog Marry Avoid Disney addition

26:39 A final question on the winter olympics

28:05 Outro

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Should we be worried about AI? Mathematician and presenter Hannah Fry joins Romesh to talk about her new show 'AI Confidential with Hannah Fry' and the surprising ways maths and technology shape our lives.

From Hannah’s work explaining science to wider audiences, her podcast The Rest Is Science, to Grief Tech. This episode explores the strange questions maths can actually answer, from whether you could theoretically be bored to death to how to cool down your car. The conversation moves from teaching maths and traumatising students with numbers to the bigger questions around AI, technology and the future.

Plus: maths jokes, a question from Shanthi, some genuinely useful science-based life tips and the team catch some strays.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media.

00:00 Intro

03:19 Gift giving

07:34 Some maths jokes

10:01 On teaching maths

14:55 Traumatising people with maths

17:40 The Rest Is Science

20:39 Can you be bored to death?

26:09 On making a difference

29:28 Hannah’s ultimate tip

31:25 A question from Shanthi about tech

37:41 Hannah’s new show on AI

41:25 On Grief Tech

43:12 Do we know what we want with AI relationships?

45:03 Should we be worried?

48:45 Working with Dara O'Briain

49:40 Misquoted

00:01:47 An exclusive tip

00:02:33 Outro

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How much do you really want to know about your parents' holiday antics? Shanthi shares far too much, leaving Romesh desperate to "edit" certain images out of his brain. They also talk about this week’s guest, legendary documentary maker Louis Theroux, as Shanthi reveals the surprisingly dark topics she’d cover if she followed in his footsteps.

Plus, Romesh hits back at criticism of his glasses – and Shanthi recalls the moment he rang her to say he’d "made it" in comedy.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media.

00:00 Intro

01:30 Glasses criticism

04:28 Louis Theroux

07:48 Embarrassing name mispronunciation

14:27 Cake

19:12 Listener holiday story

24:14 Shanthi’s Thailand story

28:42 Staying in touch with family

31:10 Outro

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