Romesh Ranganathan reveals plans to 'step back' from career
Romesh Ranganathan is going to be 'taking a step back' from his career.
Initially working as a mathematics teacher, Romesh then pursued a career in the entertainment industry.
He's since become best known for appearing on shows including A League of Their Own, Taskmaster, and Have I Got News for You, as well as hosting The Weakest Link.
However, after a decade on our screens, the 47-year-old has now revealed he wants to focus on spending more time with his family.
This week Romesh was the guest on the latest episode of BBC Radio 4's Desert Island Discs, where he spoke about his intense schedule.
'I know that people sort of say I'm busy and I'm always like, trying to work and stuff. There is no strategy. There's no game plan. I have no end game,' he told host Lauren Laverne.
'There's no vision board or anything like that. (I'm) just doing whatever feels good.'
'I do feel like I'm sort of settling into winding things up, like not winding things up, but I'm taking a step back,' he added.
Romesh then discussed 'wanting to be at home a bit more' but that he wasn't calling time on his showbiz career.
'And by the way, this is not an announcement of retirement, but I do feel like, relatively recently, this is quite fortuitous that we're talking about this at the time that we are, because I have just hit this period of thinking I am probably going to just be a bit more measured in what I do going forward,' he explained.
'I think I might take a bigger break between bits. I've told you, I've not hit the thing yet, maybe this next thing could be it, but it's not going to be it if I don't go off and just live life.'
In the interview Romesh also reflected on his past career, which he said was far more stressful than working in the entertainment industry.
'There wasn't a single day of that job that I didn't feel completely fulfilled,' he recalled.
'I felt very stressed. It's the most stressed I've ever been in my life actually.
'There's not been a single day of my comedy career that's even come close to the stress that I felt as a teacher. I cannot speak highly enough of teachers and teaching and how I loved that job.'
Since appearing on Taskmaster and The Apprentice: You're Fired! In 2015, Romesh has fronted The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, Judge Romesh and Rob & Romesh Vs.
He has been married to his wife Leesa since 2009. The couple first met when working at the same school in Crawley, where she was a drama teacher.
They share three sons – Theo, Alex and Charlie.
Earlier this year Romesh spoke about how he came 'very close to ending his life' as a teenager. More Trending
'When I was 18 or 19 years old, I feel like I came very close [to] ending my life,' he told Runners World UK.
'I just couldn't see the point in carrying on. I was super depressed. Then I started to do suicide ideation, where you start to fantasise about it.
He went on to share that mental health was still 'something I am still aware of' and he had to 'stay on top of it'.
Got a story?
If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you.
MORE: The Ballad of Wallis Island's Carey Mulligan: 'I forced my way into the inside jokes'
MORE: The 18-year journey of new movie dubbed 'one of the greatest British films ever'
MORE: 11 years on, I'm still mourning comedy legend Rik Mayall
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Sunday Brunch viewers welcome Tim Lovejoy's replacement's 'feminine energy'
To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video Tim Lovejoy has stepped down from hosting Sunday Brunch after 13 years and fans are already loving his replacement. The 57-year-old presenter announced he would be taking a break from the Sunday food and talk show, which he has starred on since 2012. Long-time co-host Simon Rimmer will instead be joined by a fresh-faced TV star who is already being praised for bringing some 'feminine energy'. Reality TV icon, radio presenter and beloved Geordie Shore legend, Vicky Pattison, is taking on the job. She rocked a slicked-back ponytail and a yellow button-up dress for her first day as official co-host, beaming as she stepped up to the challenge. After dancing during the intro, Vicky, 37, declared she was so excited to be hosting, she was 'buzzing like an old fridge'. 'I HAVE SOME EXCITING NEWS!!!!' wrote Vicky on Instagram when she announced the news, days before her debut. She continued: 'As a long time friend of @sundaybrunchc4 it is an absolute HONOUR to be wearing a slightly different hat this week! I will be joining my good pal @rimmersimon as his cohost while the lovely @timlovejoy_official has a very well deserved break!!! 🩷😍 'I am buzzing like an old fridge to chat to all of our gorgeous guests, eat some delicious food and hopefully give anyone watching and nursing a hangover a bit of light comedy reprieve 😂 'See you bright and early Sunday my loves… and wish me luck 💜🥹.' Along with the message, Vicky shared snaps of herself on the Channel 4 show over the years plus some backstage memories. Her news was met with overwhelming positivity from fans and famous friends, as Chloe Burrows commented applause and heart emojis. 'Omg I'm SO excited for this girl 😍👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻amazing news,' said internet star Charley Marlowe as Myleene Klass sent applause emojis. 'Absolutely brilliant Vicky well done!!!! 👏❤️🙌,' wrote Celebs Go Dating expert Anna Williamson. Steph McGovern added: 'Congratulations! You're gonna have a right laugh with our Rimmer! 😍😍.' Over on X, her first appearance gained a fair amount of praise with SpiritWalkTalk saying: 'Joke about Vicki all you want, but its good to have some feminine energy co-presenting and female POV on the sofa while chatting with the guests.' TashaConnor shared: 'Haters going to hate but I am loving @VickyPattison on Sunday Brunch! Such a breath of fresh wine!' More Trending Sullivan11 said: 'It's great to see @VickyPattison hosting the show today, she's amazing, hopefully she'll be on again.' There were some who weren't so pleased, with some asking if she was 'drunk' after a glass of wine and complaining they 'can't understand' her accent. Many complaints came from those upset that Rosie Jones was also on the show, which the comedian has regularly responded to. Last year, when she was announced for Taskmaster, Rosie's not-so-subtle reply was simply to stick up her middle finger to the haters. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. View More »
BBC News
a day ago
- BBC News
Alex Horne hosts Taskmaster for schoolchildren in Warwick
More than 800 schoolchildren participated in a competition inspired by the hit TV show Taskmaster, hosted by the show's creator, Alex School Tasking Champion of Champions Final took place at the University of Warwick on Thursday, after teams had fought it out to be declared regional champions and earn their place in the by Dr Ali Struthers in 2022, the competition introduces Year 5 pupils to the world of law through imaginative tasks and team Tasking is a Warwick-led legal outreach programme that now works with over 3,000 schoolchildren and 34 universities across the UK and Ireland. At the final on Thursday, the competitors took part in fun tasks on stage with Alex Horne - from finding the audience member closest in height to a chicken, to tossing beanbags into Dr Horne's mortar board, to hiding in Warwick's iconic Butterworth Hall – in a bid to be crowned School Tasking Champions Horne said: "Every year, the children in this project consistently show how capable and creative they are in approaching each and every one of the tasks at the Champion of Champions. "It must be nerve-wracking for them standing up on stage and being given tasks to do by 'that man off the telly', but they really do take it all in their stride and perform magnificently." This year's School Tasking champion was Da Nuggets from Pirniehall Primary in Scotland. The other regional winners taking part in the national final were:Brockwell Mega Minds from Brockwell Junior School (Midlands)Cookies 'n' Cream from St George's Catholic Primary (North East)The Law Busters from Stanhope Street Primary (Ireland)The Preppy Kids from Willow Lane Primary (North West)The Prison Breakers from Lawdale Junior School (South) Dr Ali Struthers from the University of Warwick, said: "The School Tasking Champion of Champions is always such a joyful event, bringing together Year 5 teams from across the country who have won their Regional Finals and earned the right to lark about on stage doing ridiculous tasks with Little Alex Horne. "It's not easy performing on stage in front of around 1,000 people in the audience, but they rise to the challenge brilliantly and absolutely give it their all."School Tasking won the prestigious LawWorks and Attorney General Student Pro Bono Award for 'Best Contribution by a Team of Students' at a ceremony at the House of Lords earlier this was also shortlisted for the Times Higher Education Award for Widening Access or Outreach Initiative of the Year 2024. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
Metro
a day ago
- Metro
Heartbreaking reason Glastonbury nearly ended in the late 90s
Can you imagine a festival season without Glastonbury? We're not referring to the occasional hiatus caused by the pandemic or the years that the festival took a break to give the farmland at Worthy Farm a much-needed rest from the 200,000 visitors it hosts annually. But in 2025, we'll likely be facing the last Glastonbury until 2027. Emily Eavis revealed last year that she and her father, Sir Michael Eavis, are seriously considering taking a break in 2026. While a two-year gap will be a long wait for die-hard festival fans, it's worth remembering that, in a different reality, we could be living in a world where Glastonbury ceased to exist at all. Everything has a natural expiry date, and last year, Emily shared that Glastonbury nearly came to an end in the late '90s. Yes, we were nearly deprived of Jay-Z covering Oasis, Dizzee Rascal's cameo during Florence and the Machine and all those glorious shots of celebs trudging through mud. On the BBC's Sidetracked podcast, Emily opened up about the tough times that nearly led to the festival's closure. She revealed that her father, Sir Michael, originally planned to retire in the late '90s, and with it, bring an end to Glastonbury. Despite some critics thinking it was a publicity stunt to sell tickets, her parents were genuinely serious about calling it quits. Sir Michael and his wife Jean had planned to retire and travel the world, and they envisioned that the start of the new Millennium, the year 2000, would herald the end of Glastonbury. In fact, Sir Michael admitted that he thought he would never host another one. But after Jean's death in 1999, Sir Michael chose to continue with the festival. He later shared on Radio 4's Desert Island Discs that the festival had become his 'new partner' of sorts after his wife's passing. 'We had agreed to retire, but Jean never made it. So I became more determined to keep the festival going. I didn't have a partner, and of course, the kids were keen too! It felt like my new lady friend, in a way—the festival,' he said. The very first Glastonbury festival was held on Saturday, September 19 at Sir Michael Eavis' dairy farm in Pilton, Somerset It was originally named the Pilton Pop, Folk & Blues Festival and was renamed as Glastonbury Fayre just one year later. This subsequently evolved into the Glastonbury Festival we know and love today 1,500 festival goers attended the first festival and a ticket for the three-day event cost just £1. However, attendees also were treated to free milk from the Eavis dairy farm Two major headliners pulled out of the first ever festival – Wayne Fontana and The Kinks, but a very worthy replacement helped Sir Michael pull it out of the bag in the shape of the glam rock band Tyrannosaurus Rex, who would later be known as Sir Michael originally set up the festival to make some money and clear some debt, but it wasn't the financial big hitter he had envisaged as he previously said: 'I don't know exactly what my loss will be, but not too great' Sir Michael founded the festival in the early '70s on his Somerset farm, and over the decades, it's grown into one of the world's most prestigious music events. The first Glastonbury, held in 1970 and originally known as the Pilton Pop, Folk & Blues Festival, had tickets priced at just £1. Attendees even got free milk from Sir Michael's own dairy. The inaugural festival featured T. Rex, Quintessence, Duster Bennett, Steamhammer, and a host of local bands. Since then, Glastonbury has hosted world-class acts like Hawkwind, New Order, The Smiths, Peter Gabriel, The Cure, Oasis, Blur, The Prodigy, Radiohead, and so many others. It's no wonder every year the question on everyone's lips is, 'Who's headlining this year?' The festival's rise in the '90s saw its status soar, thanks to massive acts like Oasis, Blur, and Radiohead. As Glastonbury grows, it continues to be a cultural milestone, defining an era of British music. This year, Sir Michael will turn 90, and it's clear that the festival and the man behind it deserve a well-earned moment of rest. It's no surprise that with such a legacy, he might take a break too. His contribution to the UK music scene is immeasurable, and in 2024, he was knighted for his services to music and charity, after receiving a CBE in 2007. As the visionary once said: 'We started with 500 people in 1970, and now millions want to come every year. That's quite extraordinary, isn't it?' Extraordinary it is, and whether or not Glastonbury takes a break in 2026, it remains one of the world's most iconic festivals—cementing Britain's place on the global cultural map and raising millions for charity each year. More Trending From its humble beginnings in 1970, Glastonbury has grown into a global phenomenon, with countless historic moments along the way. Who could forget 'the year of the mud' in 1997, the infamous site flooding of 2005, Jay-Z's groundbreaking hip-hop headline in 2008, or the 2022 festival featuring both Billie Eilish, the youngest-ever solo headliner, and Sir Paul McCartney, the oldest? Looking ahead, the 2025 festival is set to be a standout, featuring performances by rock legend Neil Young, pop sensation Olivia Rodrigo, Alanis Morissette, and a long-awaited return from Sir Rod Stewart, who'll headline 23 years after his last Glastonbury appearance. For many, it will be an unforgettable send-off before the much-anticipated fallow year. Got a story? If you've got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@ calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we'd love to hear from you. MORE: Glastonbury mystery performer 'gives away' appearance with arrival in the UK MORE: The weird and wonderful ways you can cure a Glastonbury hangover MORE: Fat Joe sued for $20,000,000 over claims of underage sex with minors
