The awkward comedy of Romesh Ranganathan is deliberate – and it's working

Ahead of his Dubai show, the British-Sri Lankan stand-up reveals why his material is meant to make people feel better about themselves

Away from the stage, Romesh Ranganathan joins UK TV shows such as Have I Got News for You and Mock of the Week. Getty

Romesh Ranganathan is the world's most tired-looking comedian. On stage, he is frequently hunched over the microphone, eyes betraying perpetual exhaustion, as he wearily delivers meditations on life’s little frustrations.

This observation was brought to his attention during a Zoom call after a sold-out show in the Australian city of Adelaide, and he somewhat agrees with the description.

"I’ve never heard it described that way, but I think it nails it," he tells The National. "My comedy expresses the discontent that many people feel but don’t say out loud. A lot of people tell me after shows: 'You said what I was thinking but didn’t have the guts to say.' But most of the time, my frustration is with myself – it's my own inadequacy that becomes the target of my humour."

Beating himself up on stage is clearly working. Over the last decade, the British-Sri Lankan comedian has established himself as not only an international comedy star – his coming Dubai show on October 25 is part of a world tour taking him across Europe and the US – but also a popular television personality.

He has appeared as a guest on notable UK variety shows such as Have I Got News for You and Mock of the Week, in addition to a growing number of television projects such as the sitcom The Reluctant Landlord and the quirky travel series The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, which has taken him to exotic countries from Ethiopia to Latvia.

Those air miles, along with his experiences slinging barbs with guest panellists the likes of Jimmy Carr and Rob Beckett, have allowed Ranganathan to subtly refine his craft. He no longer "hunts" for material but allows it to come naturally. "That comes from experience, and the gap between who I am off and on stage has closed," he says. "Early on, I was always hunting for the funny and would have to turn on 'my act' when I got on stage, but now, if you spoke to me backstage, I am similar to who I am on stage. There is no showbiz version of myself."

This is largely due to Ranganathan's decision to dig deeper during his performances, often speaking about his own vulnerabilities. In last year's comedy special Irrational, he compares parenting to walking through a minefield, describing his role as a father as akin to being a "walking invoice". As for returning to Sri Lanka to reconnect with his roots, he speaks of the dilemma of worrying about "not being Sri Lankan enough, while conversely not being English enough".

That self-flagellation on stage has a purpose, Ranganathan asserts. The aim of his comedy is to make people feel content with who they are. "The truth is, one of the things I do when writing stand-up is that if I feel embarrassed to say something publicly, then I think I'm onto something good," he says. "If I'm expressing a thought that feels slightly awkward to say, I take it as a good sign. I think what I'm doing is showing that it's okay to feel that way.

"That's why I am a massive fan of The Simpsons, particularly Homer Simpson. He is such a great character because of his deficiencies and we are just grateful that it is displayed on screen. That’s kind of what I’m trying to do with my stand-up – showing that I'm pathetic because I do this, which makes you feel better about the fact that you might do it sometimes too. That's the idea."

Ranganathan understands this nuance better than most, having been a public advocate in the UK for mental health awareness. The day he spoke to The National, an interview was published in the UK newspaper The Times, where he revealed his lived experience with intense bouts of depression.

It's a conversation he would like to see more of in public. "I feel like in the last few years we've got better and better at it," he adds. "But one of the reasons that I talk about it so openly is that I just feel like people are very good at going through mental health issues, but presenting as if they're not going through that.

"And so what happens is often people can go through these kinds of struggles without anybody there to really support them. And I feel like if we are more willing to talk about it openly, the better. If, as friends, I suddenly see that there's something not quite right with you, I hope to genuinely ask you: 'Are you okay?'”

For such a solitary art form, Ranganathan says stand-up comedians may be more susceptible to mental health conditions than other performers. "I think stand-up is such a raw art form – it's just you, a microphone and the audience. That’s always been the essence of it," he says. "When you're performing, you’re often in a town where you don’t know anyone.

"So, you go from being in a room with two or three thousand people, having an amazing gig, to 20 minutes later sitting alone in your hotel room, just in your pants, not knowing anyone.

"That contrast can be mentally tough. There is a lot of energy exerted in doing the show, so you have to make sure you're eating properly, exercising and getting fresh air. I think you have to stay on top of those things to keep your mental health in check. "

Romesh Ranganathan is set to perform at Coca-Cola Arena, Dubai, on October 25. The show starts at 8 pm; tickets start at Dh195