Comedian Romesh Ranganathan is being sent packing by his mum – to Sri Lanka, where she wants him to get in touch with his roots.
The Mock The Week star was born and bred in Crawley and freely admits to having no idea about his cultural heritage, not being able to speak a word of Tamil, and having no real desire to visit Sri Lanka where his family are from.
He says he has been embarrassed about his lack of knowledge but has felt no drive to do anything about it – until now, when his mum has arranged for his cultural education to begin thanks to BBC Three series Romesh’s Return Ticket.
Romesh said: “I am both excited and nervous to be exploring the country of my heritage. My mum has long been frustrated with my lack of cultural understanding, and I am looking forward to her finally telling me that she loves me.”
The series, due to air later in the year, will see each of the six episodes revolve around one of Romesh’s Sri Lankan relatives or friends, who will take him to must-see sights and school him in important cultural issues while he visits the country.
Commissioning editor for BBC Entertainment Ed Sleeman said: “We are delighted to commission Romesh to front this show where the audience is really going to get to know one of the finest comedians in Britain. Across the series, we will watch the man from Crawley explore his heritage in Sri Lanka… whether he likes it or not. I can’t wait to see what happens!”
