Romesh Ranganathan's Real Name: Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan

Quick answer: Romesh Ranganathan's real name is Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan. He is a British comedian, born in Crawley, later a presenter of programmes including The Ranganation. The BBC dates the birth to 1978; The Guardian independently places his upbringing in Crawley, West Sussex, but does not give a year.

Real name and early life

He is known professionally as Romesh Ranganathan. Because the BBC records the full name Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan, and The Guardian independently says Jonathan is his given first name, that fuller form is used in the title. A BBC Desert Island Discs feature says he was born in Crawley in 1978 to parents who had come to the UK from Sri Lanka, and that he never uses the first name Jonathan, asking teachers to call him Romesh. The Guardian, in a June 19, 2022, Observer profile, independently says Jonathan is actually his given first name, and that his parents came to the UK from Sri Lanka in the 1970s and settled in Crawley, West Sussex. The newspaper says his father, Ranga, was an accountant and sent Romesh and his younger brother Dinesh to the fee-paying Reigate Grammar School, and that his father died from a heart attack in 2011.

Career highlights

The BBC says he was a maths teacher before he turned to stand-up in his thirties, and that he has spoken with pride about teaching a difficult Year 9 class at a school that had just come out of special measures. The Guardian independently says he taught for nine years at Hazelwick School in Crawley, the secondary school he had attended, met his wife, Leesa, a drama teacher, there, was made head of sixth form, and decided to do comedy full-time in 2011.

The BBC describes him as a stand-up comedian and presenter of shows including The Weakest Link, The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, and the BAFTA-winning The Ranganation, and says he co-presents Rob and Romesh Vs with Rob Beckett, which won the Comedy Entertainment BAFTA in 2024. It also says he presents a BBC Radio 2 show on Saturday mornings. The Guardian independently mentions his BBC topical news show The Ranganation.

Name notes for searchers

People looking up Romesh Ranganathan or Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan are looking for the same British comedian. Independent sources support the fuller form used in the title.