Romesh Ranganathan is a well-loved comedian known for his dry humour, love of hip hop and, well, his mum Shanthi.
The 45-year-old has performed tours across the country, featured in many entertaining and witty TV shows and has even had roles in movies, too.
But, the self-deprecating comedian is set to make another step in his career as Romesh will host the BAFTA TV awards alongside fellow funnyman Rob Beckett.
Asides from his glittering career, there is much more to be discovered about this Crawley born-and-bred comedian. Here, we take a look...
Humble job before fame
Before making people laugh for a living, Romesh was a maths teacher for nince years at Hazelwick School in Crawley, which was the school he attended as a child.
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The comedian has described his past job as "amazing" before he added "teaching was great I love it".
Romesh was convinced his career in teaching was forever.
Romesh Ranganathan is a hugely popular comedianHe previously told Teachwire: "I really thought I’d found what I was going to do for the rest of my life.
"But if I’m honest, there were teachers who were fantasising about leaving. They loved teaching, but something had made them think it wasn’t what it used to be."
However, he wasn't always on his best behaviour during his teaching days.
He once admitted he being a bit tipsy during a trip to Rome, Italy with a group of sixth form students.
The TV star was a teacher before his fame (BBC/Zeppotron/Brian Ritchie)
Romesh taught maths in a school in Crawley (Handout)Speaking on Giovanna Fletcher's Disney podcast Journey to the Magic, he said: "I remember one night, we were in Rome at a pizza place and we are having a nice time and it was towards the end of the trip everyone's getting a bit relaxed... and I became conscious that I drank too much wine.
"I wasn't battered but I was tipsy but then I remember that I'm staff on a school trip and we were walking around Rome and kids were talking to me and you know when you overcompensate."
Romesh attempted to hide his tipsiness from his pupils and became an over-the-top version of himself.
He said: "I just start being needlessly wordy and say like, 'Well that is a very interesting question, yes! Maybe we should look and try and find the answer together! Erm Mr Hopkins! Mr Hopkins! Stephen has a very interesting inquiry vis-a the architecture of this particular part of Rome!
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"It was just really bad, so paranoid."
Romesh's wife and family
Romesh doesn't just have his teacher career to thank for a series of funny anecdotes, as he also met his wife Leesa while working at the school.
Leesa was a drama teacher at the school while Romesh taught maths.
The pair wed in 2009 and share three children Alex, Theo and Charlie together.
Romesh tends to use funny stories from his marriage in his standup material, and even discusses their sex life on stage.
The comedian wrote in his book As Good As It Gets: "People often ask me if she minds me talking about her, but she genuinely sees it all as just comedy, and therefore meaningless."
Romesh is a dad to three sons
The star has a close bond with his mum (Instagram/ @romeshranga)Romesh can be on the road touring for weeks on end but, he isn't concerned about his wife having an affair as he previously said: "Whenever you read about people having affairs, it’s because their partner wasn’t giving them enough attention. I once jokingly asked Leesa about this and she replied that living with the boys and me left her too tired to think about adultery. I’m pretty happy about that."
Leesa also wrote about her and Romesh's relationship for his book, revealing that they are "best friends".
"We want to have an exciting relationship, and we try to make the effort, but when the evening rolls round we both end up agreeing that we would rather stay home and hang out with the kids, or have our “date night” at home over a nice meal and some wine," she joked.
"We are best friends, and we make each other laugh."
Romesh has a brother Dinesh, pictured here with their mum ShanthiAside from his wife and children, Romesh also has a brother Dinesh, who appeared in his Netflix special Romesh Ranganathan: The Cynic.
Romesh's mum Shanthi also features in a number of his standup shows and has even appeared on TV alongside Romesh as she is a hit with fans.
When she isn't appearing on TV, Shanthi works as a postal worker and lives down the road from her son and grandchildren.
Romesh's dad Ranga, who had split from the comedian's mother, died suddenly of a heart attack in 2011.
Romesh's edgy tattoos
Comedian Romesh is a self-confessed tattoo addict.
If he isn't at home with his family or gigging, he is more than likely getting inked.
He wrote in The Guardian in 2019: "I have, over the last few years, become obsessed with getting tattooed. It started shortly after the birth of our first son. My wife and I agreed we would both get the boy’s name inked (classy, I know).
Romesh Ranganathan has an extensive tattoo collection (BBC)"I went ahead and did it, and then she bottled it – a betrayal for which I am yet to cash in my martyr points."
At the time, he admitted he was yet to get his youngest son's named inked. But, that may have changed as in February 2020, he tweeted: "I just got a new tattoo without realising that you can’t go swimming with it. We’re on holiday next week so for Valentine’s Day my wife got me a massive arm johnny."
One of his inkings also includes a tattoo of an Albanian eagle, which fans noticed during his show Misadventures in Albania.
Another tattoo includes a tribute to Richard Pryor on his arm. Speaking on Sunday Brunch, Romesh joked of his inking: "If you get a white guy, it's more expensive you have to colour it in."
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