Ranganathan riles up Boazman in a debut lacking substance
Romesh Ranganathan Radio 2
★★★★★
Oh, dear. It all started so promisingly for Romesh Ranganathan on his first show as Claudia Winkleman’s replacement on Radio 2.
Slots don’t come much bigger than the flagship Saturday 10am to 1pm programme, and the 46-year-old comedian admitted he was nervous.
But he kicked things off strongly – he was personable and had our goodwill – so it was shame that things unravelled into a show that felt undercooked and, at times, chaotic.
Perhaps he had too much on his plate. His show was sandwiched between gigs on Friday and Saturday and running the London Marathon on Sunday. But as the late Steve Wright taught us, it takes meticulous preparation to sound effortless on air. More work is required
The glaring issue was Ranganathan’s relationship with much-loved show staple Sally Boazman, AKA Sally Traffic. Prior to the show, he said his “key objective” was winning over Boazman. “If she doesn’t like me, you know which one of us is going,” he told Radio Times. Hmm.
Their early interaction was sweet. Ranganathan presented Boazman with a pair of trainers decorated with pictures of her favourite motorway services (Tebay) and her favourite motorway (M40).
But then Ranganathan’s comedy partner Rob Beckett turned up. The pair “bantzed” over Boazman’s traffic report. It was toe-curling.
“This is a nightmare… I’m going to hit you in a minute… I’m so sorry, listeners,” Boazman said. (She and Ranganathan had a love-in at the end, but it smacked of rearguard action).
The new features showed potential but need work. A game called Family Three Tunes) saw members of a family choose their favourite song. Boazman then spun a wheel to decide which track was played. Fine. But there surely needs to be an element of competition, peril or dirt-dishing? Otherwise it’s just pot luck. Another piece of furniture,
The music was good, ranging from Go West and Chic to Blur, with a smattering of Ranganathan’s beloved hip hop.
Ranganathan’s mother also came on. She could be an enjoyable regular – she sounded wonderful – but slightly undermined things by admitting she hadn’t listened to her son’s first show.
I hope everything settles. The show needs more warmth and substance and less clamour. Luckily for Ranganathan, it’s a marathon, not a sprint.