The Romesh Ranganathan Show

What really happened with Jamie Oliver's school dinners?

In this Monday episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Romesh is joined by one of the UK’s best-known chefs, Jamie Oliver.

Jamie talks about life after 50, his career in the kitchen and what keeps him motivated after decades in the food industry. He also reveals what it’s really like to work in a high-pressure kitchen, whether restaurant food has ruined the experience of eating out and the truth behind kitchen hazing.

Elsewhere, Jamie critiques Shanthi's best dishes, we get into the neuroscience of food, England's eating habits and what we can learn from the Blue Zones.

And, of course, Jamie opens up how his pioneering social enterprise Fifteen led him to campaign for healthier school dinners featuring the infamous Turkey Twizzler drama that rocked the nation.

We also get a sneak peak into his new book, 20 Minute Meals: Real Fast Food, which is out now.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media.

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Chapters

00:00 Intro

03:40 Vegan lasagna

06:07 Being in your 50s

08:38 Working in the food industry

11:37 A gift from Shanthi

12:27 Jamie talks through Shanthi’s curries

14:25 How do you cook a squirrel?

15:39 Another gift for Jamie

16:40 Dogs and their diets

18:50 Does being a chef ruin the restaurant experience?

22:00 The neuroscience of food

22:59 Ratatoullie & The Bear

24:45 Is the kitchen that high pressure?

26:14 Is kitchen hazing true?

30:38 What keeps Jamie in the game?

31:57 Where did campaign Jamie come from?

36:26 The Turkey Twizzler debacle

37:37 School Dinners

47:23 The nations eating habits

49:08 What are they doing in the blue zones?

50:50 20 Minute Meals

56:15 Why cook over buy?

59:35 A question from Shanthi on the sesh

01:04:22 Getting a pilots license

01:10:30 On being a bit more selfish

01:14:32 Misquoted

01:19:20 An exclusive

01:21:57 Outro
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Should children be allowed at weddings?

We're back with another Thursday Shanthi special, and in this episode, Romesh and Shanthi tackle your listener dilemmas and butt heads about one in particular - should children be allowed at weddings?

They also discuss the pressure to always be productive, how to be kinder to yourself, and whether you can really retrain the negative voice in your head.

Finally, they answer a question on unusual habits, and Romesh reveals some of Shanthi’s worst ones before addressing his bizarre shower routine.

From wedding drama and self-talk, to Henry VIII and questionable habits, it’s another classic and chaotic Thursday episode with Shanthi.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

01:05 Henry VIII and photo requests

05:55 Shanthi influences

08:23 Cockney accents and gangster roles

13:15 Answering your questions

14:40 Children at weddings

21:05 How to be kind to yourself

25:25 Rom’s positive self-talk training

27:32 Unusual habits

36:37 Shanthi’s Outro
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Could Romesh make a convincing gangster?

In this week's episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Romesh is joined by legendary, British actor, Ray Winstone, to discuss his role as Bobby Glass in the second season of Guy Ritchie's hit Netflix series, The Gentlemen. But what does he make of the rumours Meghan Markle is joining the cast?

Ray, famous for his career playing tough guys and hardened criminals in films such as, Sexy Beast and Nil By Mouth, talks to Romesh about his acting career over the last 50 years. Plus, there's a masterclass lesson in how to play a proper gangster. Hint - he doesn't hold back criticism.

Elsewhere, Ray discusses his love of Sicily, West Ham and John Malkovich.

There's a playful game of Misquoted, a question from Shanthi, where the conversation turns to Strictly, and the importance of family.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media.

Chapters

00:00 Intro

03:03 A gift for Ray

05:55 Ray doesn’t want to talk about acting

09:04 Ray’s career beginnings

11:37 Building a character

13:15 Favourite roles

15:30 Ray’s swagger and coaching Romesh

20:19 The Gentlemen

36:35 Meghan Markle rumours

37:30 Embarassing mum moments

39:14 Shanthi’s question

40:17 The changes in the industry and being a dad

43:13 Is Ray a homebody?

45:40 Turning down The Wire

47:56 On Danny Dyer

49:31 On West Ham

50:15 Ray’s Esquire culture chat

52:51 Misquoted

01:02:55 Outro
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Should Shanthi get her £35,000 garden room?

In this Thursday episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Romesh and Shanthi are back with your questions and dilemmas — and things get out of hand fast. Shanthi campaigns hard for a garden room fit for a footballer, tries to track down her mystery American bank account, and receives an unexpected apology voice note from a stranger.

Elsewhere, Romesh and Shanthi role play as a conspiracy-theorist Dad and his sensible daughter after a listener's TikTok-obsessed father-in-law starts spouting theories about the government and shampoo, and the pair tackle the age-old dilemma of when exactly you should tell a new partner about important matters.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro1:51 Romesh’s painting4:33 Singing5:15 Shanthi’s outfit
6:44: An intervention for Romesh8:50 Asian Provocateur

10:51 Body image
15:42 Shanthi’s intro16:35 Shanthi’s American bank account19:04 Seating areas25:06 Your questions25:55 The man on the train
29:35 Idris Elba
30:48 Friends and events35:56 Another question
38:28 Conspiracy theory role play
45:14 A question about size
53:03 Outro
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In this episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Romesh is joined by comedian and podcaster Rick Glassman to talk about stand-up, podcasting and the art of saying exactly what you're thinking.

Rick discusses the success of Take Your Shoes Off, and reveals that Ricky Gervais would be one of his dream guests, which leads to the pair composing a carefully crafted text message invite. Will he respond? Plus, Rick addresses the catastrophic Paul Rudd incident on his podcast.

Elsewhere, Rick opens up about his autism diagnosis, dealing with criticism, and the pros and cons of working with his parents.

Plus, they discuss Rick's basketball prowess, play Misquoted, and Rick makes a very poorly timed call to his Mum.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro
01:00 Rick ghosted Ben
04:01 Rick’s thoughts on Edinburgh
05:48 Gift-giving
08:41 On stand-up
13:51 Take Your Shoes Off & podcasting
15:27 Rick’s autism diagnosis
19:00 The podcast got big
20:42 Paul Rudd’s podcast accident
26:22 Rick wants Ricky Gervais on the pod
27:20 A sales lesson from Rick
28:22 Rom & Rick text Ricky Gervais
31:19 A question from Shanthi
32:55 Rick calls his Mum
36:00 Working with your parents
44:46 Shanthi’s story
44:00 Parents being famous
47:14 Misquoted
48:24 Basketball & I Am Phenomenal
51:14 Criticism and ego
53:19 Misquoted continued
54:29 Rick’s take on modern dating
56:30 An exclusive
59:21 Outro
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