Plane crazy! Rob’s inflight japes always leave best pal Romesh with a red face
Comedy duos don’t have to get on all the time, but it can help them soar to new heights. Just ask Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan. They return to our screens in Sky’s comedy Rob & Romesh Vs. Filmed before lockdown, the pair travel the world taking on various activities together – from ballet with one of the world’s most famous directors to basketball in Los Angeles.
If you think that sounds like an excuse for the comedy pair to hang out being funny with each other then you’d be correct.
Thankfully the pair have a natural chemistry with each other – although perhaps not when they’re flying at 40,000ft.
“Listen, I didn’t request separate flights but what I will say is that I was delighted when it happened!” said Romesh.
“Rob’s great, he’s a lovely guy, but when we’re together on a flight, if I ever say anything to the staff on the plane he’ll say:‘oh sorry about him, he’s a bit impolite’.
“He just makes it look like I’m being terrible, even if I’m just asking for something reasonable like a Diet Coke. He’s awful!” Romesh’s dry style may make it sound like he’s being serious. He isn’t, of course.
His calm and slightly pessimistic style contrasts with Rob’s puppy-dog enthusiasm for the wide range of topics they tackle. And the pair put that down to their friendship. “I think we’re just great mates!” said Rob. “You can’t write down why you like something, can you?
“When Romesh comes into a room it makes me happy. And when I go into a room that he’s in, it doesn’t make him unhappy.” Romesh, it seems, doesn’t disagree.
“I do think we complement each other as people,” said Romesh.
“Rob’s attitude towards things is often what I need to counteract how I’m feeling about something and vice versa.
“So sometimes I can be a bit too negative about stuff and Rob will often give me a pep talk.
“I think he can be positive about things often in spite of a complete lack of evidence that there’s any reason to be positive at all. I can often provide him with some much-needed realism.
“It’s stood us in good stead for when we’ve been away on holiday together with our families and stuff like that and it’s always worked as a friendship so hopefully it works as a TV prospect. I’ll leave it up to the TV viewers to decide that.”
Rob is naturally a bit more enthusiastic. “No, it will, Romesh – it will be great,” he added. “And if they don’t like it, they’re wrong. Put that in!”
Rob & Romesh Vs, Wed, Sky One, 8pm