Family Matters: Romesh Ranganathan interview

When Romesh Ranganathan last spoke to The Skinny, Ed Miliband seemed on the brink of becoming PM and his mother wasn't a celebrity.

"I did the Alternative Election special on Channel 4 with Aisling Bea," he says of the May 2015 vote, "she had a bit about how Labour were going to need to form a coalition with the SNP in order to get enough seats. All of a sudden the polls came in and the Tories were absolutely smashing it. It was a massive surprise and a good illustration, to me, of how we get our views from social media. I only tend to be friends with people who share my views and perception of things. What you don't realise is that there are loads of people who don't think like you. That election really blew my mind showing this."

About 18 months later, that same social media bubble showed no sign of bursting during the EU referendum. "With Brexit it seemed almost like it was a formality we were going to stay in the EU. Then, all of sudden, people are shocked. My Facebook feed after Brexit was full of people talking about how angry they were and calling Leave voters idiots.

"Now, there is a debate to be had about how the Leave campaign conducted themselves – such as the funding to the NHS and how that's not actually true – and how that process wasn't managed properly, but to protest against a vote strikes me as antidemocratic. The idea that people who voted Leave are meatheaded racists is very naïve. Over half the turnout voted for Brexit and to dismiss them, to be honest, I think is offensive. It's elitist to suggest that your viewpoints are better than anybody else."

Ultimately, however, it is better that polarised viewpoints are in the open where they can be debated. "It's a good thing because now we're aware how people feel and we can acknowledge it."

Politics and Irrational

When Ranganathan was writing his current show Irrational, he hoped to include material which was slightly more "outward" than his previous work. About to be released on DVD, was he able to capture topics which shift, such as the political landscape, in the finished show?

"I talk about how the political climate has changed and about how what we thought were commonly held views are not actually commonly held views... But, comedy is often a snapshot. When I watch stand-up shows from the past, or even old recordings of Mock the Week, you appreciate that this was what was going on at that time. And also," he adds, "it can be funny to see something said that we now know is completely wrong."

Ranganathan is usually more personal than political on stage, with material that centres on misanthropic gripes towards his family, albeit with a subtext that the joke is on him: "I hope it comes across when I'm complaining about my kids that if I was actually good at being a parent I wouldn't get so frustrated with the situation to complain."

It's interesting that it is actually Ranganathan's family material that has developed in the most outwardly direction – outward by some 5,000 miles. His TV Series Asian Provocateur charted Ranganathan's trip to Sri Lanka, sent by his mother to find out about the culture, customs and family members he'd spent a lifetime in ignorance of. A comedic take on a travel documentary, with a dash of Who Do You Think You Are?, the show is a phenomenal success. Furthermore, the series has not been without some unexpected consequences to the family dynamic closer to home.

Working with his mum on Asian Provocateur

For while life must be difficult for the children of celebrities, we must spare a thought for Ranganathan. His mother, Shanti, has become famous only after his success. Worse, she's celebrated for the ease with which she upstages her son. Shanti is forever goading him about every aspect of his personality and appearance, winning every exchange by tying him up with her barbed knots of circular logic.

"The reason that my mum is in it is because she wanted to get me in touch with my heritage. There is something always engaging about somebody speaking to their mum, so we knew that was going to be interesting. We filmed the first couple of minutes and she was a little bit awkward but then Ben [Green, series director] said, 'you just need to be yourself' and as soon as that happened she was absolutely great. But there was no plan, I did not expect people to be asking me where my mum is when I'm on tour. The only fear is that if my mum gets her own cookery show and I'm only allowed a cameo on it – then I'll know things have gone a bit too far."

Now streaming a second series, that fear has really already come to pass. Asian Provocateur is now very much their show as the mother and son double-act visit North America together. It's even arguable the format is as much like a family sitcom as it is a travel documentary. "My brother is in this series, and what is quite funny is how he throws himself into stuff and he's actually good at it. If they were making a straight down the line travel show, he's the guy who should obviously be hosting."

This all further exaggerates the show's fish-out-of-water premise, with Ranganathan the odd one out now both in the situation and with his family – such as when his brother literally runs rings around him during a day at a wrestling school. It also leads to some touching scenes where he has to be rallied by his brother. "I'll be honest with you, it's funny you pick up on [the wrestling episode] because it was the most upsetting experience on the whole thing. It really was how it went down and I was worried about it afterwards because I thought it was so raw. I felt like I was back as the fat kid in PE class. My brother said that he found it difficult to watch me so upset and the instructor having a go at me. That's why he came outside, to try and talk me back up. Underneath, we are a really solid unit."

That unit shows most when Ranganathan casts aside his grumpiness and takes part in some gloriously unsuited activity, whether it's cheerleading or skydiving. On jumping from the plane he says: "My family didn't know I was going to do it. So when I did, I thought it'd be like I was proving them wrong – flicking the Vs to them saying, 'see, I did it!' But they just came and hugged me and said how proud they were."

Family and comedy

With such a close family the absence of his father – who died suddenly in 2011 – is felt on screen. "One of the biggest sadnesses of my life is that he isn't around. He had a belief in my ability that was greater than my own. He used to say, when I first started, 'why are you not on TV?' – and I'd say, 'Dad, I've done six gigs, I have five minutes of material.' He came to all of my early gigs and sat at the back with a beer. I remember one, at the Komedia in Brighton, when Jeff Innocent was MC and he smashed it. Dad said, 'You need to be like that guy, how he is with the crowd and aim at that.' He could be an honest critic too, but he was a supportive one. With Asian Provocateur he would be over the moon, it's a show about seeing his family."

There is also something fitting that Ranganathan's family and career remain so aligned. After all, this is the comedian whose wife opted to give birth to their third child in Edinburgh so the family could stay together during his 2014 Fringe run. And this was in keeping with family tradition; she also supported him as he gave up his secure teaching career for the rather riskier option of comedy: "I started doing stand-up just when we had our first child," he says, "while doing open mics, Leesa would bring our eldest son in the car seat. He watched so much comedy. Well, he was asleep for most of it.

"There was a time just after I'd left teaching, when my dad had just passed away and we really weren't making ends meet. Our car was taken away and we couldn't pay the bills. We were really struggling... we didn't tell anybody because it's a very personal thing. I was very conscious that if Leesa turned round and said 'go back to teaching' then I would have to because I couldn't have put my family through that for much longer. 

"But she never said that and now it's part of the reason why I try and work as hard as I can. Also, comedy can be so transient. Who knows, next year maybe no-one will want to touch me with a bargepole and I'll be struggling again. You have to work and make the most of opportunities when they are there."

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Romesh Ranganathan: Irrational Live DVD and digital download released 21 Nov, £9.99
Asian Provocateur Series 2 is available on BBC iPlayer
Romesh Ranganathan: Irrational, Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline, 6 Dec, 8pm, £18.50; Theatre Royal, Glasgow, 7 Dec, 8pm, £22.65; Gaiety Theatre, Douglas, 8 Dec, 7.30pm, £19