The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, review: a refreshingly different travelogue with a potty-mouthed version of Michael Palin
"I’m not panicking,” insisted our host on The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan (BBC Two) as he entered the crime-ridden shanty town of Cité Soleil. “I’m just on high alert. This might be the one experience in my life when my lazy eye completely opens.”
This three-part travelogue saw the deadpan comedian from Crawley visiting countries off the tourist trail due to their bad reputation. His first destination was Haiti, the Caribbean island most renowned for, as he put it, “poverty and earthquakes”. That’s before the ever-diplomatic President Trump called it a “s---hole”.
Guided by Peabody award-winning journalist Jeremy Dupin, who hails from Haiti’s capital Port-au-Prince, Ranganathan hesitantly immersed himself in Haitian life. He visited the historic Iron Market (“It’s basically Tesco’s for black magic”), attended vodou ceremonies (“I know all about it – I’ve seen Live & Let Die”), recorded rabòday music and leapt off a waterfall.
In a refreshing change from gung-ho TV adventurers, Ranganathan admitted he frequently feared for his life. Dupin chided him for his cowardice. The pair’s burgeoning friendship, built on beers and bickering, was one of this fascinating film’s highlights. Asides to camera and chaotic peeks behind the scenes gave it a candid, freewheeling feel.
Ranganathan is ubiquitous on our screens, endlessly popping up on panel gameshows as well as hosting several of his own programmes. He risks overexposure, which would do him a disservice. On this evidence, he could carve out a niche as a sort of potty-mouthed Michael Palin.
He concluded by putting up a convincing case for Haiti being a worthy destination for ethical tourism. So will he be coming back next year? “Nah,” scoffed Ranganathan after briefly considering it. “I’m going to Portugal.”
