The Ranganation


The Ranganation is a British comedy show hosted by Romesh Ranganathan and broadcast on BBC Two. Ranganathan joins a group of 25 members of the public, including his mother, to discuss news events of the week. Two celebrity guests are also featured. The first series of six 45-minute episodes premiered on 19 May 2019. The second series of six episodes was filmed remotely due to the COVID-19 pandemic and first aired on 10 May 2020.

Production

A pilot was filmed on 20 May 2018, produced by Zeppotron. The first series was commissioned in August 2018. It consisted of six weekly 45-minute episodes, beginning on 19 May 2019 and ending on 23 June 2019.
Ranganathan said that he wanted the programme to be a "topical show not a political show". He said that the casting was focused around recruiting a diverse group of "regular people who are opinionated and passionate", and that he enjoys the honesty of the panellists. Asked who his ideal guest would be in 2018, Ranganathan said it would be Justin Trudeau if he was British, or Idris Elba. When asked again in 2020, he suggested Patrick Stewart.
The second series of six episodes aired in May 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was one of several topical British shows to be filmed and hosted by each participant remotely from their home, along with Have I Got News for You, The Mash Report and The Last Leg. Ranganathan filmed in his garage, requiring him to move out equipment he had bought in order to learn how to DJ during the pandemic. Some panellists from the first series returned, while others were replaced by new people. The first episode aired on 10 May 2020 in a Sunday 9:15p.m. timeslot. The production aimed to talk about a mixture of topics, despite the pandemic dominating the news.

Episodes

Series 1

Series 2

Topics

The 2019 series included a wide variety of discussion including:

2019 Series 1 Members

The Ranganation has included a diverse cross section of members from the public including:
Top row: Vlogger, Vicars Daughter, Privileged, Yes Miss, Football Mad, Lord Dave, Selfie Queen, EcoVegan, Wannabe MP, Mindful, Oxbridge, Dog Father, Technophobe
Middle row: Table for One, Small Town Girl, Ex Banker, Gen Z, Wheeler Dealer, The Skipper, Single Dad, You're History, Witness the Fitness
Bottom row: Romesh's Mum, Never Voted, Granny To Be, Pride of Wales, Comic Book Guy, Green Fingers

2020 Series 2 Members

The Ranganation series 2 has included 25 members from the public including:
Top row: Romesh's mum, Craft Beard, Privileged, You're History, Never Voted, Lord Dave
2nd row: Small Town Girl, Pride of Wales, Ex Banker, Mani-Pedi, Vlogger
3rd row: Glam Gran, Wheeler Dealer, Technophobe, Metalhead, Old Bill, Green Fingers, Gen Z
Bottom row: Football Mad, Watch Your Language, Wine Buff, The Dogfather, Oxbridge, The Skipper, Comic Book Guy