In short
A Q&A episode with Romesh Ranganathan and his mother Shanti, mixing family banter, a listener wedding dilemma, self-talk/mental health advice, and “unusual habits” confessions.
Guests
No guest celebrities; recurring “guests” are listeners via voice notes.
Guest backgrounds
(1) Tom and Tom (gay couple) planning a UK registry office wedding; their sister is upset about a no-children rule. (2) Abby (half Sri Lankan) dealing with joint pain and harsh inner criticism linked to grandparents’ “lazy” messaging. (3) Jamie (night-shift listener) asking about bizarre-but-not-unusual habits (e.g., shaking head with mouthwash).
Key claims
couples can set wedding conditions; children-free weddings are valid; self-talk can be retrained by imagining how you’d speak to a friend and treating thoughts as “just thoughts.”
Notable examples
Hever Castle Henry VIII meet-and-greet; “gangster” roleplay with Shanti’s mock permission; mouthwash head-shaking; ear-clearing “frog” noise; shower “dance.”
Written by AI. May contain mistakes. Listen to the episode to check what was said.
Chapters
Tap a time to open that second in VOA Day at Hever Castle
0:45 to 4:40
Romesh and his mother share stories about their visit to Hever Castle.
“The horrible little freaky creatures that populate the studio.”
Interactions with Fans
4:40 to 8:00
Romesh discusses an interaction he had with a fan during their visit.
“What do you think they think we should rename the show to?”
Surprising Reactions and Family Dynamics
8:00 to 10:00
Romesh and his mother discuss the kids' reactions to the jousting event.
“This episode is brought to you by ChatGPT.”
The Listener's Favorite
10:00 to 12:00
Discussion about listeners wanting to rename the show after Romesh's mother.
“Mum, do you think I would do well as a London gangster?”
Influencer Introduction
12:00 to 13:20
Romesh prompts his mother to introduce the show like an influencer.
“Not a madam, that's the right word, but like an old...”
Discussion on Violence and Humor
14:01 to 14:44
Exploring a humorous and exaggerated approach to dealing with conflict.
“What does she want me to do after that, Mum?”
Listener Question Introduction
14:45 to 15:06
Introduction to the listener question section and submission details.
“Now it is time for the listener question section.”
Between an Edgy Podcast and Mainstream
15:07 to 15:40
A light-hearted commentary about breaking away from conventional media.
“Feels like we should all do that with you when you do that.”
Voice Note from Tom on Wedding Plans
15:41 to 18:00
Tom shares his wedding dilemma about inviting children, revealing family conflicts.
“We've been together for nearly 11 years, which is a long time in gay years.”
Debate on Kids at Weddings
18:01 to 19:28
A heated discussion on whether children should be invited to weddings.
“I think she, you know, obviously without getting into further circumstances, you know, unless there's some real reason.”
Show all 18 chapters
Diverse Opinions on Wedding Guests
19:29 to 22:36
Continued disagreement on the presence of children at weddings and personal experiences.
“My, don't you think that they should be able to celebrate their wedding however they want?”
Voice Note from Abby on Self-Expectations
22:37 to 24:09
Abby discusses her struggle with self-judgment and societal expectations.
“Similarly, I have problems with my joints where I get pain as well as like, you know, the classic mental health stuff.”
Advice on Self-Compassion
24:10 to 28:00
Tips on being kinder to oneself and managing negative self-talk.
“I thought we had minutes ago in the end.”
Understanding Thoughts and Self-Compassion
28:00 to 28:54
Learn how to recognize and manage your thoughts and feelings for better self-compassion.
Listener Question: Unusual Habits
28:54 to 30:16
The hosts discuss unusual habits and share their own quirky behaviors.
“I think mum and I are very much on the same page despite our answers not really having any overlap whatsoever.”
Familial Quirks and Habits
30:16 to 31:36
Romesh and his mum share amusing familial habits and behaviors, including funny noises and routines.
“You like to pick your ass sometimes, don't you?”
Shower Dance and Intimacy
31:36 to 33:56
Exploring the intimate and quirky routines people have while showering, including dancing and habits.
“You are worse than that guy who is Rick.”
Body Positivity and Privacy
33:56 to 37:46
A humorous discussion about body image and privacy during intimate moments like showering.
“Yeah, sometimes I'll pick the little insects off her back hair and eat them.”
Transcript
Automatic transcript. May contain errors.0:00Romesh Ranganathan:Hello and welcome to the Thursday edition of the Romesh Ranganathan show. That was supposed to be like a sauna, you know one of the Norwegian sort of sauna. What from Frozen? Hello, hello, yeah but it was Mrs. Duff. Hello dear and welcome to the Thursday edition of the Romesh Ranganathan show. That's fantastic. Every Thursday we talk about Monday's episode, well occasionally we do, but mainly we answer your questions and dilemmas. As always I'm joined by the goat and my mother Shanti Ranganathan. Woohoo! And the team of billy goats. The horrible little freaky creatures that populate the studio.
0:50Romesh Ranganathan:Mum, how are you? I'm fine, thank you, Shana. How's life treating you? Life is really mean I can't complain. Yeah. I'm in a happy mood. Are you? Yeah. What's the best thing that happened to you in the last week? Yesterday I spent the day with you. That was wonderful. We spent the days together. My God. We went to Heber Castle. We went to Heber Castle. Yeah. So Henry VIII. Henry VIII turned up with Anne Boleyn. Yeah. And said hello to me. There was some jousting, wasn't there? Yeah. Hello to me as well. Well, he said hello to everybody. It was a... I can't say he said hello he was saying hello the way you said it was like Henry the Earth recognised you in particular no no no no he didn't recognise me as Romesh's mother no he just said hello yeah that's it right yeah I'm not special okay we are special I want to make it clear yeah yeah okay daddy yeah okay Henry was doing like a meet and greet yeah well he came out to the front of Hever Castle and with Anne Boleyn and he said hello how are you and all this sort of stuff and then he said thank you for joining me on this special day and then he walked through and he was kind of doing banter as he walked through the grounds and then we went over and he hosted the jousting tournament jousting yeah what sort of banter does Henry VIII do on his way through Pardon?
2:21Romesh Ranganathan:What sort of banter does he do? He was doing jokes. Sort of, yeah, and people were asking for selfies. Yeah. There's quite a few selfies on the way around, aren't there? Oh, yeah. Yeah. And you did as well. What do you mean? They were coming and taking photos. Oh, a couple of people asked for selfies with me, but I don't think they thought we were of the same period. Or you said, oh, yes, of course. And you did. You looked happy, though. Well, I was taking a photo. That's what I meant. Some guy came up to me and said, Romesh, I know you're with your family. Is it possible for you to do a photo?
2:56Romesh Ranganathan:And I said, yeah. And then he gave me the phone and he posed and he said, take it whenever you want. Like a little bit of banter. And then I said, I reckon that's the thousandth time I've heard that. That's unkind. Well, I said, as a joke, he's come over. I'm with Lisa and the kids and everybody and he's come over to do his little bit. Yeah. I said it in a light way, but he looked gutted. Yeah. I would be. He looked absolutely... So what should I have done? I thought that was funny. That sounded quite funny. Ben, there's so many times that's happened. Am I supposed to react like... Am I supposed to react like it's the first time I'm hearing it every time?
3:31Romesh Ranganathan:You could just be like, yeah, like that. Legend. Got me. Bloody hell. Oh, what I order. I thought I was a bloody comedian. He was chatting to you. well he kept yeah all the way no that was a different guy different guy yeah but then after that there was a bit of from both of us a bit of trying to redeem ourselves in each other's eyes it was a bit rank so anyway if you're watching or listening which I can't imagine you are you probably boycotted me after that interaction but sorry mate but you know come up with new gear you prick now mum we all know it you're that's what they say to me on tour what why did you guys do this?
4:20Romesh Ranganathan:did you have kids with you? or was it just you and Chancy? it was just me and mum no of course we had kids we had kids Din came with Claire and their kids we did okay we wanted to go to Hiva Castle because Hiva Castle's quite close to us the kids like the park there the cafe's quite nice you can have a wander around there's a maze there's all sorts of bits and pieces we didn't know that Henry VIII was going to be there that was a bonus that was a bonus we didn't know any of the jousting you weren't going for Henry VIII no When I tell you that when we told the kids that that was a surprise thing that was happening oh my god They were buzzing If I can quote Alex directly oh my god Oh my god We're not actually going to that are we?
5:07Romesh Ranganathan:I said yes we are Oh my god I think he actually said this is direct quote this is ludicrous he was so pissed off when are we going home yeah when are we going oh my god oh my god oh my god then he sat down like this just in case he saw him saw him yeah I don't know my eyes to see him it was a really pathetic attempt by me because two of the nights were in white and blue and the other two were in red and white and I said this is like the North London derby and he looked at me like dude are you really trying to salvage it with the colours of the nights Alex makes me laugh the way he behaves he talks to me and it's very funny now mum we all know that you're the listener's favourite yeah oh no no no no sorry I didn't understand the sentence I think you did sorry most of the messages we received say that we should rename the show to what?
6:10Romesh Ranganathan:What do you think they think we should rename the show to? I haven't got a clue, Derek. I think you've got a clue. You're the listener's favourite. What do you think they want to rename the show to? Shanti Show? Yes. The Shanti Ranganathan Show. Shanti Ranganathan Show. Is what a lot of people are asking that we change the name of the show to. And to those people, I say Swivel. Yeah. You fucking helmets. All right? You explain to me what helmet is. I didn't know. Yeah. That was, I tell you who didn't like that conversation, Henry VIII.
6:49Romesh Ranganathan:He was not impressed at all. Now, Mum, could you introduce a show like an influencer? Influencer. So talk about what you're wearing today and then say something like, you know, I'm just jumping on here to say that today's show is going to be awesome. Welcome to the show, something like that. So like as if you're doing like your Instagram video. Okay. Straight down the bed. Loads of energy. Loads of energy. Loads of energy. They're always really over the top. Hi, my friend. Jesus. Okay. More energy. Hey. Hey. No, good. Good, good. It's Shanty Rangelator here. Nice. Yeah? Yeah. You understand? Okay.
7:31Before I come to the show, I had a beautiful shower. I want to show my nails as well. I spray a lot of lovely things on my body. And I put this beautiful blue bra and a blue shirt to go with that. I was so, so excited to come here to Ranganathan show. Let me introduce my son. And this is it. Enjoy the show. Love you all.
8:19With me, Shanti. This episode is brought to you by ChatGPT. Hey, it's Bill Simmons from the Bill Simmons Podcast. Have you guys heard about ChatGPT work? It's the new way to use ChatGPT for bigger multi-step projects. And when you need more than just answers, give ChatGPT work access to your apps and files and it can create real work documents like spreadsheets, slides, and structured reports. Get started at ChatGPT.com by selecting work mode available on Plus and Pro plans. Who says Halloween only lasts one day? With Wayfair, one night of Halloween becomes a whole season at home. From larger-than-life yard decor and moody lighting to festive accents for every room in the house, Wayfair has what you need to make Halloween feel like magic all in one place.
9:08Because the best Halloween memories aren't made in just one night. They're made all season long. Shop Halloween decor now at Wayfair.com. That's W-A-Y-F-A-I-R dot com. Wayfair, every style, every home. This episode is brought to you by ChatGPT. Hey, it's Bill Simmons from the Bill Simmons Podcast. Have you guys heard about ChatGPT work? It's the new way to use ChatGPT for bigger multi-step projects. And when you need more than just answers, give ChatGPT work access to your apps and files, and it can create real work documents like spreadsheets, slides, and structured reports. Get started at ChatGPT.com by selecting work mode available on Plus and Pro plans.
9:52Romesh Ranganathan:Now, on Monday, we had the legendary actor Ray Winston on the show. Yeah. You're good at a Cockney accent, aren't you, Mum? No. Who told you that? Ask me to say a sentence. I'll try. Okay. All right, my love, how are you doing? All right, my love, how are you doing? Okay. Okay, good.
10:17Romesh Ranganathan:Mum, do you think I would do well as a London gangster? I don't want to be a London gangster. No. But you want to act as a lover, gangster? I love you. You allow me? Yeah. Mission granted. You allow me. I don't think that's that gangster. Just start the film like, now my mum said I'm allowed to do this. Yeah, why not? If you mess me about again, I will sew your mouth shut. And I'll... What the fuck? Where the fuck did that come from? Now my mum says I'm allowed to kill you. she's given me permission so I'm going to fuck you right up something like that what do you think intimidating I'm bad at all I'm bad at all we need a getaway driver and I need you to do it well let me just phone my mum if my mum says it's alright and I can borrow her Nissan I'll pick you up
11:22it's good isn't it
11:23Romesh Ranganathan:yeah you wait till my mum is about it so I'm going to phone her and ask her what to do with you yeah and I'll do whatever she tells me to do to you you better hope she's in a good mood because if she says slap me around the forehead with my dick that's what I'm doing because I love my mum bless her it's actually not a bad idea it's quite sinister yeah and then you do the phone call well let's just see what she says mum yes what is it okay let's do let's do you've got someone there's a rat yeah there's a rat here yeah okay now you've really fucked up here and I'm trying to figure out what to do with you and whenever I'm trying to figure out what to do with a piece of scummy shit like you I always ask my dear mother you better hope she's in a good mood
12:26Romesh Ranganathan:Do you want to answer? Hello, son. Hello, mum. Do you have a minute? Shanti, be a bit of a creepier, though. Like you're like a... Like you're... Not a madam, that's the right word, but like an old... Sorry. You know, like... Okay, okay. You're a criminal. You're a criminal as well. Alright. Hello, son.
12:50Romesh Ranganathan:Hello, mum. How you doing, me old dear? I'm fine, Sam. Are you alright? I'm alright.
13:01Come to the point.
13:03Romesh Ranganathan:Okay. You remember that fucking dirty rat I told you about? Yeah.
13:13Romesh Ranganathan:The one that's been telling the rival gangs about everything we've been up to? Yeah? Yeah, well, he's here in front of me. Kill him. Kill him.
13:25Romesh Ranganathan:What do you want me to do with him mum?
13:30Slap his dick
13:35Romesh Ranganathan:Right you want me to slap his dick and then what?
13:46What should I do after that? Kick his ass Kick his ass
13:57Romesh Ranganathan:Right, so She wants me to slap your dick And then kick your ass What does she want me to do after that, Mum? Just chop him off
14:15Romesh Ranganathan:Chop him off? Yeah What do you mean, chop him off? I meant the dick. Chop his dick off.
14:27Romesh Ranganathan:See, you want me to slap his dick and then chop it off. But in between that, kick his ass. Yeah.
14:42Romesh Ranganathan:Okay. God, alright. Okay, end scene. Now it is time for the listener question section. Oh, you have a burning question or a dilemma and you want my mum and I to answer it. Send your WhatsApp messages and voice notes to 07731 623 355 or email podcast at rangaby.com. And don't forget, if you haven't already, please like and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts. Feels like we should all do that with you when you do that. Yeah, should we try again? okay or email podcast at have we become the Saturday morning children's TV show no no no that's okay it sounds fine we haven't quite got like birthday cards yet yeah no we're just like we're one item away from wonky donkey
15:36Romesh Ranganathan:it's good to break free of the mainstream media absolutely yeah and do do the edgy shit we've been dying to do podcast at hangarbee.com
15:48Romesh Ranganathan:fuck you commissioners we'll do whatever we want on this podcast yeah we're making art hangarbee.com
16:05Romesh Ranganathan:okay we've got a we've got a voice note from Tom let's have a listen Yeah. Hi, Ramesh and Shanti. My name's Tom. My partner is also called Tom. We've been together for nearly 11 years, which is a long time in gay years. I think it's about 55 years in gay years. Anyway, we're getting married in the new year, which is incredibly exciting. But we were supposed to elope to Vegas. Long story short, we're now getting married in the UK in a registry office because of family health issues, which is fine. However, we were going to have a very, very small intimate ceremony with only 20 people. That's our family and the closest friends with no children, no kids, which has not gone down very well at all with Tom's sister.
16:59She is really upset and causing all sorts of conflict within the family because she really really wants her children to be there are we being unreasonable by saying no children at our wedding ceremony or should we just put up with it and think that they can just sit there quietly and it doesn't matter and we just sort of get on with it to keep harmony within the family would love both of your um thoughts on this thank you uh first of all tom and tom congratulations
17:34Romesh Ranganathan:on your upcoming nuptials. I've got a very strong opinion on this. But mum, what's your opinion? I want him to bring the kids as well. Allow them to bring the kids. Okay. Because they should experience all the noise and everything. And they are the future generation. So why not? Okay. That's what I think. That's mum's view. I couldn't disagree more. uh tom i think your partner sister is being unreasonable it's difficult to know without the logistics if you are talking about doing a wedding if you're i mean it sounds like your wedding is pretty low relatively low key and so actually leaving the kids behind wouldn't be that difficult i just think it's your wedding it's your wedding and you celebrate that wedding however you want to and if Tom's sister is kicking off then let her kick off it's not her wedding you know if I'd understand if somebody suggested to her that her kids were banned from her own wedding then yeah I get it you can be that annoyed about it you're being asked to go you're going to someone else's wedding and those people want to celebrate their union together the way they see fit and they don't want children there so don't bring your children I think that's it I don't think there's any more discussion to be had about it.
18:57Romesh Ranganathan:I think she, you know, obviously without getting into further circumstances, you know, unless there's some real reason. But I think, you know, if it's as simple as she really wants her kids to be there, sort of tough shit, you know, like it's your wedding. That's the end of it as far as I'm concerned. So mum is wrong, fundamentally wrong. I would disregard anything that she said in her response to your answer. She's wrong. I'm right. Tom needs to tell his sister to leave the kids at home. Do you disagree with me? I disagree with you. My, don't you think that they should be able to celebrate their wedding however they want?
19:34How other people are celebrating the kids are allowed and having a wonderful time.
19:39Romesh Ranganathan:Yeah, but a lot of people have weddings where kids aren't allowed and they have a wonderful time. That's boring. Well, they don't think it's boring. That's in your opinion. Also, there's nothing worse than inviting one set of kids because the kids have no one to play with and it's a really, it is actually quite dull, especially it sounds like it's going to be just a load of adults having dinner yeah it is boring there's nothing for them to do no at least if there are other kids other kids invite every kid if you invite kids then you've probably got to invite one of those you've got to probably bring one of those big Jenga sets haven't you yeah you always have a big giant chest what a ball like that is you know so I think just leave it no yes I love kids I know but you're not going to the wedding Tom and Tom don't want kids at their wedding T squared don't want kids at their wedding.
20:25Romesh Ranganathan:So they should be allowed to have the wedding they want. Nobody should go for their wedding then. Pardon? Where will they leave the kids, darling? There's childcare, isn't there? That extra expense. Did you have kids at your wedding? Did we have kids? Well, we had the initial wedding that was just a very small affair. And we did have kids at that. But that was our choice. But we just went to register office and went to the pub afterwards. and then we went to your wedding and that led me to feel so sorry for lisa that she had the wedding that she did that we did a vow renewal um and kids were invited to that as well yeah but if i went we've got kids and if i went it's absolutely like if somebody invites me to their wedding and they're saying there's no kids cool great like do you know that's that that's how you want to have your wedding that's how you want to have your wedding and then you can make a decision about whether you go or not right if you go we i don't want to go to this wedding because you're not allowed to have kids then don't go there the an invitation to a wedding is we would like you to celebrate our marriage these are the conditions of you coming if you don't want to meet those conditions don't come that's but it doesn't say it as abruptly as that but that's essentially what it is, isn't it?
21:43I want the children to go for the wedding.
21:45Romesh Ranganathan:Okay, but now it sounds like you're getting angry with the Toms now. I'm not angry with them. They will find it so boring. Look at each other's face. The kids are there. They'll be playing around. A lot of people like having adult conversations. Can you dress the baby in a beautiful suit? And it's lovely. I don't think that's a Tom Tom Invite the kids' daddy Okay Tom you've got two sets of advice there Mum says Invite the kids And maybe dress a baby In a beautiful suit And I think you should be able To have the wedding Without kids if you want to So good luck to you Make of that advice What you will Okay What I will say is You've upset mum Yeah Alright next question We've got a voice note From Abby hopefully this is Tom's sister
Read the full transcript
22:43I'm half Sri Lanka myself so firstly I wanted to say it means so much to see representation in the media from yourselves it makes me so happy and proud so thank you for that
22:53Romesh Ranganathan:oh that's nice after listening to the episode with Judy Love you guys were speaking about having to unlearn things that your parents kind of ingrained in you from a young age you guys were specifically talking about the need to be constantly working. Similarly, I have problems with my joints where I get pain as well as like, you know, the classic mental health stuff. Sometimes if I don't get done the tasks during the day that I want to get done, just stuff around the house normally, I tend to feel bad about myself and I'll hear in my head the voices of my Sri Lankan grandparents saying, oh you're just being lazy you're just making excuses um how did you did you manage to unlearn those kind of things if so how did you do it um also any tips on how to be a bit kinder to yourself during the not so good days would be great hope to hear back from you guys thank you mum
24:00I think if she gets joint pains and she can't do the task what she has to do she can get some help from the children okay
24:11Romesh Ranganathan:but first of all Abby sorry I should say this thank you so much for your voice thank you for your kind words her question isn't about how to get those things done though her query is about how to feel okay about the fact that sometimes she can't get all the things done that she wants to and there's a second thing her parents are saying that she's lazy no what she's saying is like you know sometimes when you're of certain backgrounds you have a uh and i'm i'm i'm not speaking from personal experience but sometimes you have a judgmental harsh parental figure in your life who makes you feel like you're failing regardless of how hard you try that leads to quite low self-esteem and a lot of self-doubt and then sometimes you know it can even get worse for some people where that person becomes intertwined in their working life and then in their working life actually the person that's made them feel so low about themselves is actually celebrated on that thing they're working with them and in fact more popular than them and so that is sort of reinforcing that whole initial situation where you've been made to feel low about yourself from someone who's really judged you your whole life and then you bring them in despite that into your working life and then they are sort of celebrated in a way it's a real it can be for some people I can't even imagine what that's like it can be a like a real double whammy to the point where you know you're waking up at I imagine you're waking up at 3am just and just getting up and going to the bathroom and looking in the mirror and thinking, what the fuck do I do next?
25:53Romesh Ranganathan:That's not what Abby said, was it? Sorry. Yeah. What are you talking about? Rubbish. It went on and on and on. I thought we had minutes ago in the end. God. God. No, what she's saying is, like, sometimes, you know, when your parents, when you're brought up in a way like, you've got to work hard, you've got to work hard, that becomes ingrained and then suddenly that's how you talk to yourself and so she's saying even when she's struggling when she's not being able to get stuff done she can feel that inner voice in her head saying oh you need to work harder or whatever so she's asking how to do that parents always say the right thing okay they won't ask you to do any horrible thing so what the parents said it's the right thing motivation that's what the parents have given her if it's reflecting in her brain is good for her.
26:47Romesh Ranganathan:There you go, Abby. I hope that helps. It will help, darling. Give it a try. Just stop being so fucking lazy. No, Abby, in answer to your question, I actually think it is a really... My answer is sort of... In my opinion, this is all, obviously. I've got no qualifications or indeed any understanding. But in my opinion, it's a simple retraining exercise of like what your life experiences have led you to be negative in your self-talk and what you actually have to do it feels a bit eggy but you actually have to be proactive about talking to yourself in a positive way and actually retraining your kind of your inner voice to be kinder to yourself and like you are dealing with you know what can be helpful sometimes is if you think about how you would talk to a friend who is going through what you're going through so if you had a friend that was struggling with joint issues and stuff and was trying to get through the jobs to be done in a day if they came to you at the end of the day and said I'm really like disappointed in myself that I didn't get all of that done what would you say to that person and that is what you should be saying to yourself you know and often we talk to ourselves in a much harsher way than we would talk to anyone that we know and actually what you know what you can do is by actively seeking to do that gradually it will kind of seep into your the regular way that you think about yourself and also the other thing is is those thoughts what's helpful is to recognize they're just thoughts you know we i feel like a lot of us make that mistake of thinking our thoughts are us if you have a thought if you have an experience if you have a feeling of like envy or jealousy or anger or whatever we really identify with those feelings but sometimes you can just recognize that and go oh that's me being annoyed about this or that's me feeling negative about myself because i haven't got this done and then you rationalize that and go well actually i've done as much as I can possibly do and I'm feeling quite proud of myself for doing what I've been able to do today and just sort of re kind of work yourself so you've been a bit nicer to yourself.
28:52Romesh Ranganathan:I hope that helps. You know what I mean? There you go. I think mum and I are very much on the same page despite our answers not really having any overlap whatsoever. Okay, we've got a question now. Have we got time for one more? Yeah. A question now from Jamie. me. Hello, Ramesh, Shanthi and the Ugly Fuckers. That's not written. Pardon? That's not what he said. That's not there at all. Yeah. I'm reading it word for word. Hello, Ramesh, Shanthi and the Ugly Fuckers. No one calls us that. Pardon? No one calls, yeah. Okay. Hello, Ramesh, Shanthi and the Cosmetically Challenged Crew. It's not much better, is it?
29:29Romesh Ranganathan:Ah, fantastic. Absolutely adore the... Absolutely adore the podcast and the little menagerie of horrible little animals you've got in there. And that is a true highlight when listening and really helps me to get through my night shift. Keep smashing it, even those little hobbity little fucks that you've got in the back of the studio. Oh, God. This is Jamie. My question is, do you have any habits that you don't consider unusual, but others find really bizarre? For example, when I use mouthwash, I shake my head as I feel it rinses it better around my mouth. It always makes my girlfriend cackle when she sees it.
30:03Romesh Ranganathan:Love and good luck for whatever you need it for. Jay. A bit late for Jay. Okay, Mum. Thank you, Jay, for your email. Thank you. Mum, do you have any unusual habits? I don't have any unusual habits. You like to pick your ass sometimes, don't you?
30:23Am I a gorilla to pick my ass?
30:28Romesh Ranganathan:No, have you got any unusual habits? I don't. You like to clear your ears in a weird way, don't you? No. When your ears are itchy? That means if I have got... Yeah, I make the noise. Have you ever heard this noise? Okay, so when mum's ears are itchy, can you do what you do, please? No, but you do it.
30:52No, I don't.
30:55Romesh Ranganathan:We used to hear that so much when we were growing up.
31:03Romesh Ranganathan:How does that clear? It's like it's sort of an ear's itchy. Can you do it, Mama? You can do it better than me. No. You used to do it all the time. Because at the time I suffered with... No, I don't do that. Ben. That's you. That's the worst. That's you. It's like a frog. No. I used to hear that all the time. Does it work? No, you shut up. Does it work, Shanti? You do feel, as I'm doing it there, you do feel like a little... Yeah, it's soothing. Is it because of the pressure? Because it's the hay fever. Yeah. It makes your ears itchy. You are worse than that guy who is Rick. Rick. Rick. Oh, yeah.
31:42Rick said in his program, what's it? Yeah, Ricky. Ricky? Ricky. The one I sent. Yeah. The Rick lesson. Yeah, he was telling in the podcast. Yeah. He and mum cut the tomatoes where the cat's ass touched. She doesn't clean it. What? Yeah. It's quite complicated. It's in reference to his OCD. and he likes clean surfaces yeah he does so he won't cut tomatoes
32:10Romesh Ranganathan:where the cat's been sitting like you know in some houses where they have pets then they might like leap onto the surfaces and stuff in the kitchen and that really freaks him out I don't do to that extreme yeah that doesn't sound that extreme actually I don't think I would cut no no I don't do that you do you recognise it oh god you're saying you've never made that noise even now I do yeah see So you do do it? But not to that extreme, my mate. It's like a... Oh, no! Oh, God, it's that bit. I can't stand that bit. That's it, yeah. Is that the worst bit? Yeah. That's the bit, you used to hear that all the time, just wandering around the house.
32:53No, no, no, baby.
32:54Romesh Ranganathan:A horror film. Have you ever heard... That would be, like... That would be such a great horror film. It's called Grandma. People sitting on their own in a house, and then they're just in the distance there. that's going to sound so nice and everyone's noise counseling had i'm so sorry guys but that's the noise you made i um i do a look at like a lisa's sort of takes a bit of this i do like a little dance in the shower do you like i yeah when i've got the hot water on me i sort of go like that well i didn't know i didn't know i did that but i'm just repeatedly i sort of do like a little bop but i didn't know i was doing that until lisa pointed out to get the hot water to hit different sides of your body.
33:32Romesh Ranganathan:But it turns out I'm kind of, it looks like I'm doing like a little dance. How does she know? Is she in your bathroom? Is she in my bathroom? Yeah. Okay, mum, I think it's time to say Lisa and I are having sex regularly. Well, regularly, playing fast and nice with that. And we have seen each other naked, we have showered in front of each other, yes. But never pooped. Do you ever shower together? Yes. Do you? Yeah. In a nonsense way? That's the only way we shower together. You clean each other. Yeah, sometimes I'll pick the little insects off her back hair and eat them. You find it quite intimate.
34:13What would she think about you?
34:15Romesh Ranganathan:She'd be in the shower facing away from it.
34:20Jesus Christ. Do you face towards the shower or away from the shower?
34:24Romesh Ranganathan:I face towards the shower. I think. and then sometimes you present yourself you mean like so she's in you're like this is this is me or you're like do you like to be a bit more is that what you mean i mean no i was thinking more when you shower on your own on your own yeah yeah on your own but she's in the shower yeah she's there too she's in the bathroom sorry john i don't mind your line of question ben i prefer if you ask me these without masturbating
34:56Romesh Ranganathan:valid no sorry what's the question when you're in the shower like whether you face towards or away from regardless of who's in regardless of who's in there so let's assume that you're in there on your own yeah i think i i think it's difficult isn't it you don't really think about and i i think i go and face i present myself to the shower yeah and then i turn around but i'm not always facing forward. I'll turn around. You know where the glass partition is? Lisa's in there. Would you be... Why are you deep diving on this particular bit of it? I'm just curious. Would you face frontal? Or would you be more like coquettish?
35:37Romesh Ranganathan:Coquettish?
35:42Romesh Ranganathan:What's wrong? We've lost it. Would I what? Come back to me. Are you saying that would Rom have his back to Lisa? Like, oh, don't look at me. Yeah, are you shy? And it's like, you can look at my ass, but... No, I am... I'd say somewhere in between those two extremes. Side-ons? No, no, no, no. What I mean is, I'm not presenting my genitals to Lisa. But equally, I don't get... I don't go, oh, don't look there. It's somewhere in between. What I mean is, you know, we're not prudish. But at the same time, I don't think... Where were the boys then? A dick and balls are... They're there. They're there.
36:21Sometimes you like gather around like...
36:24Romesh Ranganathan:And I'll tell a story while they snore in the shower. It's like a fun family activity. You've got to keep your kids off screens. No, they'll be wondering what the hell you are doing there. What do you mean? Mum and dad are in the shower. Yeah. Why? Is it sexy? It doesn't happen all the time. and I can't think of the last time we announced it to the kids. So grown-up boys, for God's sake. So what? What's your point? You shouldn't do that. Why? They'll be imagining things. I don't think they will. I know kids' minds wander, but they're not thinking about that. But anyway, the point is, I don't think...
37:09Romesh Ranganathan:I don't want to get too graphic about it, I do think men's genitals are just not for display, are they? Just generally, they're hideous. So it's not like a shame thing. I just think... Do you know what I mean? Sounds quite like shame. But I don't mean mine. I just mean generally the design. Anyway, thank you so much for that. So I guess the answer is, do you have any habits that you don't consider unusual? yeah I don't consider what I do in the shower unusual I don't know if mum considers her unusual I don't do that you did do that all the time though and I don't live with you now so I don't know if you're still doing it no I'm not doing it, it's gone alright, okay good, well that's good just when you thought it was safe Rami
38:06Romesh Ranganathan:right that's all we've got time for today Mum, what message would you like to leave with the listeners and the viewers? We'd love to
38:20We'd love to hear from you Email us Send us a text And be nice to us We love you back
38:28Romesh Ranganathan:We do Is that the end? Yeah Like and subscribe, thank you very much Goodbye for the Romance Rekhané The Show
38:40Romesh Ranganathan:Thank you so much for watching and listening to this episode. Before you go, if you've enjoyed this episode and you've not subscribed, that's a bold decision. Crazy behaviour. Follow and subscribe to The Romesh Ranganathan Show wherever you listen. It helps me, really, like really helps me. It helps the team and it costs you absolutely nothing. We drop episodes every Monday and Thursday. Mondays I'm joined by great guests. Thursdays my mum Shadi joins me to answer your questions and family dilemmas. We'll see you Monday with another great guest and back here with mum on Thursday. If you've got a problem you want to solve or a story you want to share, send it to podcast at rangabi.com, voice not or text us on 07731 623 355.
39:21Romesh Ranganathan:We can't promise good advice, but you might end up on the show. See you soon. Oh, shut up, Romesh. This episode is brought to you by ChatGPT. Hey, it's Bill Simmons from the Bill Simmons Podcast. Have you guys heard about ChatGPT work? It's the new way to use ChatGPT for bigger multi-step projects. And when you need more than just answers, give ChatGPT work access to your apps and files, and it can create real work documents like spreadsheets, slides, and structured reports. Get started at ChatGPT.com by selecting work mode available on Plus and Pro plans.
From the publisher
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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