The Romesh Ranganathan Show

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
01:51 Romesh doesn’t like celebrating his birthday
02:20 Shanthi’s new look
05:54 Dinesh is back
06:37 The team celebrate Romesh’s birthday
07:57 Gift giving for Romesh
12:58 A podcast milestone
14:20 Tom Allen’s gift
15:36 Shanthi on gardener
18:16 Romesh being a diva
18:39 The Ranganathan’s play ‘Most Likely To...'
20:24 Is Romesh ready to die?
23:05 Is Shanthi lying about her age?
24:14 A Sri Lankan party role play
32:20 The family answer questions from you
34:10 Romesh’s pranks and his dad’s sex advice
37:22 Shanthi’s best prank moments
38:18 Who would last longest in prison?
41:11 Tamil song recommendations
44:07 The best wedding songs
45:48 An ending from Dinesh
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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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