Romesh Ranganathan on overexposure and feeling ‘intimidated’ by Sheridan Smith

Comedian Romesh Ranganathan will make his West End debut later this year, co-starring in a play with Sheridan Smith. But although it’s first time acting on stage, he tells BBC News he’s aware of the risks of overexposure.

The 47-year-old is already one of the most familiar faces in British entertainment, with a CV that includes The Weakest Link, A League of Their Own, a BBC Radio 2 show, hosting the TV Baftas, and several documentaries and sitcoms.

From December, Ranganathan will also appear in a new production of Alan Ayckbourn’s Woman in Mind. But taking on new roles isn’t without risk, in an entertainment landscape where the public can grow tired of seeing the same stars.

“Well, I just want to put this out there, and I’d love you to publicise this as much as possible: I do say no to stuff,” Ranganathan jokes to BBC News. “I’m not just walking around taking whatever’s offered.

“The truth is, people say to me ‘you’re on everything’ – that accusation has been levelled at me.

“But I feel like whenever I’m thinking about doing something, I’m just asking, do I think think this will be good, is it something I’d watch, is it something I think I’d be able to do a decent job at? And then, if the answer to those questions is yes, that’s what makes you do it.

“I mean, obviously I need a fee as well,” he laughs, “there’s no point in doing it totally for the love of the game.”

Many figures at the very top of television – Ant and Dec, Michael McIntyre and Claudia Winkleman – are selective with their choices, notably hosting no more than three or four shows each per year.

But when a particular star is in demand, it can be tricky to strike the delicate balance between saying yes to work while not taking on too much.

“I understand the thing about overexposure, but if that happens, it happens,” Ranganathan reflects. “I try not to overthink things that much, to be honest.

“You normally just have a gut feeling whether something’s good or not or whether you’ll be good for it or not.

“But who knows, maybe after this play goes out, the general public might say ‘OK we’ve had enough’, and I’ll go and work in a café or something.”

Ranganathan will join the previously announced Smith in Woman in Mind, which will run at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre from 9 December until 28 February, before playing additional dates in Sunderland and Glasgow in March.

Ayckbourn’s psychological comedy follows a woman named Susan, who has an accident that leaves her with a head injury. A new fantasy life emerges in front of her, before the line between her real and imagined lives begins to blur.

“I play her doctor, who basically is the only link between the two worlds throughout the play,” Ranganathan explains.

Smith shot to fame in the early noughties sitcoms The Royle Family and Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps, and went on to appear in The Railway Children Return and ITV’s Cilla, which saw her portray the legendary British entertainer Cilla Black.

But she has also has a huge number of stage credits – she led West End hits such as Funny Girl and Shirley Valentine, and has won two Olivier Awards for her roles in Legally Blonde and Flare Path.

Announcing her role in Woman in Mind last month, Smith told BBC Radio 2’s Scott Mills: “I’m so excited, this is an amazing part for an actress.

“It’s thought of as one of Alan Ayckbourn’s finest plays, it’s really funny and it’s got a lot of darkness as it goes on.

“There are loads of characters, it’s just bonkers and brilliant, it’s kind of like a big farce. I can’t wait to get started.”

Woman in Mind premiered in 1985 and has since been revived in the US and the UK several times. Stockard Channing, Julia McKenzie and Dame Helen Mirren have all previously played the role of Susan.

Ranganathan says he and Smith had a text exchange when he was cast, adding: “It’s both exciting and intimidating, because she’s obviously incredibly talented, phenomenal at what she does, so it’s an honour to be doing it opposite her.

“But also what it means is my abilities will be in sharp contrast to that, so there’s a little bit of added pressure. But we’re both excited, I’ve not worked with her before so I’m looking forward to that.”

The comic has previously acted in TV sitcoms such as Avoidance and Romantic Getaway, but this will mark his first time acting on stage. “Well, since primary school”, he laughs. “I might have played second shepherd in the Nativity.”

Ranganathan says he feels “nervous” about his West End debut, but adds: “It was something I’d been thinking about doing for a while.

“I’d been talking about it for maybe a year or two, my wife is an ex-drama teacher and has a real passion for theatre, so it’s something I started discussing, but I didn’t know what it would be. This kind of popped up and they were kind enough to let me read for it, and it felt like an opportunity too good to miss.”

The new adaptation will be directed by Michael Longhurst, with Ranganathan noting: “It’s going to be very close to the source material, but the way it might be performed and presented might be a little bit different.

“But what I want to do is allay any fears that we might decide to rap it,” he jokes. “There’s nothing like that in the works.”