The Romesh Ranganathan Show

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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What do toxic masculinity, a lasagne obsession, and a Seat Alhambra have in common? Louis Theroux joins Romesh to draw the line between his on-camera persona and life at home. They revisit some of Louis’ most infamous documentary moments, the craft behind them, and the interview regrets he has looking back.

Louis also explains why he’s drawn to spending time with people who hold extreme views, including in his latest film Inside the Manosphere, exploring misogyny and the lure of wealth in the post-Andrew Tate world with figures like HSTikkyTokky.

Along the way he reflects on memorable encounters with Armie Hammer and Boris Becker – plus an uncanny King Charles impression, being “cooked” by the internet, and why he “deserved” his gold record after his viral music hit Jiggle Jiggle.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Listen.

00:00 Intro
02:15 Gift giving
03:21 Lasagna tips
06:04 Fragility in the industry
07:52 On making documentaries
22:15 On Andrew Tate
23:29 The Manosphere
29:37 Raising boys today
35:25 HStikkytokky & Jestermaxxing
41:04 Is Louis worried?
43:12 Shanthi’s question
46:21 Getting cooked & Jiggle Jiggle
51:17 On Podcasting
55:47 On Adam Buxton
59:41 On Boris Becker
01:01:03 Measuring success
01:02:09 Comedians vs non-comedians
01:04:52 Early career beginnings
01:09:22 On reviews
01:10:32 Misquoted
01:33:50 Outro
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