Dr Ranj WILL SEE YOU NOW
The happiest doctor on the planet talks drag queens and singing about poo with Katie Holloway
We begin our chat with Ranj Singh – aka Dr Ranj – by discussing the old adage that doctors make the worst patients. Poor Ranj has spent the night feeling less than perky, and tells us he’s a “very miserable, moany patient”, before asserting, “A lot of men are, really!” But he assures us he’s feeling well enough to chat about his new show, Dr Ranj: On Call, which will see him dispensing advice for our health and wellbeing, as well as celebrating the work of the NHS. It’s easy to forget that Ranj still works as an NHS doctor – mainly on weekends – alongside his role as This Morning’s resident medic and the numerous other strings to his bow. When we quiz the 40 year old on his seemingly unending list of jobs, he tell us it’s because, “I don’t want to miss out on anything.” All the better for us, because without his FOMO, we never would have got the chance to see that sensational salsa on 2018’s Strictly… Was Strictly something you’d ever envisaged doing in your career? No! It was a pipe dream. I’d been a fan of the show for years. And then it just ended up happening. It changed my life in so many ways. I learned a completely new skill. I actually do dance as exercise now. I’ve done three Zumba classes this week – I’m a bit sore, but I love it so much. I actually recommend dance as a form of exercise to patients, because I hate going to the gym. I tell them to find an exercise that you love, because I’ve found one and I’ve never been fitter. It’s been really good for my mental health, too, because it’s helped me deal with things like stress and anxiety. And I’ve got this whole new Strictly family and bunch of friends that I never had and I’m still really close to them. Do you miss the outfits? I’ve kept some of them – they’re up in my wardrobe! When are you planning on getting those out? One of my outfits has made several appearances on a couple of Strictly cruises I did. And then on my birthday – as a fun surprise – Janette [Manrara, his pro partner] and I did our salsa routine in our costumes. It just keeps coming back. I think I may have finally put it away now – it’s been over a year since I finished the show. But it will always be there as a reminder. I’ve got my very first costume, my very last one and my favourite one. Tell us about your new show, Dr Ranj: On Call… It’s a dream come true for me. It’s an opportunity for me to bring my day job to life, to take it to a completely new
platform and help people in their daily life with health information. That’s what I do on screen already, and that’s what I want to do on a bigger platform. Imagine if you were at home having your dinner and I was sitting on the sofa with you and you could just ask me whatever you want. That’s the premise of the show – for me to be your medical companion. And it seems like a love letter to the NHS, too… Yes, I’m so proud of that. Not only are we trying to bolster the health and wellbeing of the nation, we are celebrating the wonderful work that the NHS are doing right now and the innovations that are just around the corner. We want to show people how lucky we are and how good we’ve got it. I’m still an NHS doctor, and I’m really proud to be showcasing some of the things we do. Do people stop you more to talk about Strictly or medical issues? It’s a mix, really. It’s a funny thing, because I still work in the NHS and the most common question I get at work is, “Are you a real doctor?” Which is ironic, because I’ve been doing that for a lot longer. When I get stopped out and about, it’s for various reasons – but it’s always really lovely to hear from people. I get messages every day from families who’ve either seen me on something and have enjoyed it, or they’ve seen me talk about something and they’ve found it really useful – particularly the children’s TV stuff that I’ve done. I’ve got to admit, as NHS doctors, we don’t get very much praise. We do get a lot of criticism, and that’s important, because we can learn from it and change things, but now and again, it’s so lovely to hear positive feedback. Do your celeb friends ask you for health advice? All the time! I don’t mind, to be honest. Gok Wan texted me pictures of his ankle while we were doing panto, and Holly Willoughby messages me pictures of her children when they’ve got various rashes… I get all sorts! But it’s great, because then I can ask them for advice, too. Do you give out any advice that you’re not very good at taking yourself? Uh, yes. Slow down! I tell a lot of people to pace themselves, to look after themselves, don’t take too much on, learn how to say no to things, give yourself a break and take space to breathe every now and again. I say that a lot, but at the same time, I’m often running around like a headless chicken doing three different jobs. And that’s because I get really bad FOMO. My friends are always constantly like, “How are you doing this? What are you running on?” And I’m running on FOMO. Do you manage to sleep well, at least? Oh, that’s one thing I can manage really easily. I pay a lot of attention to it, because I love my sleep. I make sure my room and my bed are as comfortable as possible – like a little sanctuary. You’ve got to be able to have that time and space where you can just rest. Your CBBC show – Get Well Soon Hospital – had you singing educational songs with puppets. Do songs like Where Does Poo Come From? get stuck in your head? I can’t get away from that one in particular. Do you know what?
I am glad people remember it. As funny as that song is, it actually has helped children who struggle to go to the toilet. It is funny as hell, though. I remember when we were having to record it in front of the green screen, I have never felt more embarrassed or self-conscious. It was one of the first things I’d ever done, and I was the only person singing and dancing about poo in front of about 20 people watching me. We’ve also been told that you sing in a choir – is that true? Yes! I did it up until I started Strictly, and then I had to take a bit of a step back, because I was so busy. But I still do it – I’m in an adult Glee choir, basically. Singing is something that I’ve always loved since I was a kid, and as I got older, it became one of my stress-coping mechanisms. Plus, I’ve been able to do amazing things, like sing in
the Royal Albert Hall. It’s been really good fun – definitely something I want to do more of. We reckon this makes you a great candidate for The Masked Singer… I would LOVE to do that show. I don’t think people would be able to guess it was me. You’re welcome, ITV… [Laughs.] Yes, send that one to the bosses!
And there’s another show we reckon you’d love to be a part of… I know what you’re going to say…
Rupaul’s Drag Race? Oh my gosh, yes. I’m a massive fan. It was my specialist subject on Celebrity Mastermind recently, but they gave me really hard questions, so we’re not going to talk about that. I adore the show, I adore what it stands for, I adore the fact that it celebrates diversity. It’s all about an LGBT+ subculture that has always been there, but is now really coming into the mainstream. It’s all about celebrating and expressing who you are, and being inclusive, and I love that. Plus, it’s hilarious. The comedy is brilliant, the guest judges are great, and we’ve now got the UK version. It’s had its first series and I think they’re now in the middle of filming the second, so I’m really looking forward to that. It’s nice to see a bit of LGBT+ culture coming into the mainstream and normalising it for everyone and saying, “Yeah this is a part of everyday life.” Have you ever done drag yourself? [Laughs.] Nope! I would not make a very pretty woman. You so would! I don’t think I would, but I do have a drag name. If I ever did do it, it would be Curry Bradshaw. It’s got to be! I do like dressing up for fun – fancy dress, Halloween and all that. I’m really into face paint for festivals and things like that. But drag? No, I couldn’t. It’s just too complicated for me. There are
‘If I ever did drag, my name would be Curry Bradshaw’
some technical aspects that I wouldn’t be very good at. [Laughs.] Anatomical aspects that are quite tricky… and I’m not sure I could manage that. Those eyebrows would be very difficult to block… Right? Can you imagine trying to get rid of these things? I’m not designed for drag, but I love it. Your eyebrows are iconic. Have they always been amazing, or did you hate them when you were a kid? It’s funny you should say that, because, growing up, I was teased relentlessly for them. I was this little kid with these huge eyebrows, even my teachers used to make fun of them. It made me very self-conscious. So, for the vast majority of my teens and twenties, I was very paranoid about them. And now the tables have turned – big brows are in! All of a sudden, I’m being complimented on them, and I’m happy to rock a big brow now. I’m very popular in Liverpool. Yeah, you know what? I celebrate them now. I am proud of my brows for the first time in my life. ■
Dr Ranj: On Call starts on ITV, Tuesday 3 March, 7.30pm