The week in audio: To Catch a Scorpion; Romesh Ranganathan; Uncanny Series 4 – review
Sue Mitchell pursues a notorious people-smuggler; Romesh Ranganathan settles into Claudia Winkleman’s seat; and Danny Robins takes his search for the paranormal to the US
April 2024
Romesh Ranganathan review – misanthropic midlife everyman wears his world-weariness well
Ranganathan’s Hustle delivers laughs, but not the shock of the new. It is at its best when we glimpse something meaningful beneath the standard-issue curmudgeonliness
TV tonight
TV tonight: Michael Sheen faces wildly personal questions in a dynamite interview
Thirty-five autistic and neurodivergent give the TV star the grilling of a lifetime. Plus: Romesh Ranganathan returns with Avoidance. Here’s what to watch this evening
The best theatre to stream this month
The best theatre to stream this month: Jekyll & Hyde, Daniel Kitson’s Tree and more
Forbes Masson stars in Gary McNair’s version of the gothic novella, Tim Key joins Kitson in an Old Vic two-hander and Jason Manford celebrates all musicals great and small
December 2023
2024 culture preview
The best theatre, dance and comedy tickets to book in 2024
The new year’s hottest shows include stage versions of Minority Report, Spirited Away and La Strada, performances by Keeley Hawes and Ian McKellen – plus laughs from Julia Masli, Rhod Gilbert and Ania Magliano
TV review
Rob & Romesh Vs Lapland review – their meeting with Santa is so unfunny it’s painful
The two comics head to the sparklingly weird place dedicated to Father Christmas … and fail to be amusing. Jokes are clearly contrived, rarely funny, and – on occasion – genuinely excruciating to watch
Claudia Winkleman to quit Saturday morning BBC Radio 2 show
Romesh Ranganathan to take over slot after Winkleman steps down in March 2024, corporation says
October 2023
Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget review – poultry derring-do boosted by some showstopping gags
The sequel to the 2000 hit verges on formulaic, feeling a little like it’s been produced by AI. But it’s largely redeemed by decent jokes and a lively, likable cast
August 2023
Takeshi’s Castle is back! UK television gets its best ever version of the Japanese gameshow
Romesh Ranganathan and Tom Davis host a fun, refreshing reboot of the classic show. Brace yourself for charm, dodgy sets and ludicrously difficult challenges
January 2023
TV review
Romantic Getaway review – Katherine Ryan and Romesh Ranganathan are brilliant in IVF heist caper
This romcom/thriller about a couple who steal from their work sees its two leads – and Johnny Vegas as their boss – form a killer trio. Expect daft fun
July 2022
TV tonight
TV tonight: another bad decision in the quietly devastating Avoidance
The best original photographs from the Observer
Original Observer photography
June 2022
TV tonight
TV tonight: Billie Eilish gets things underway at Glastonbury
‘I’m not just grumpy and deadpan’: standup Romesh Ranganathan reveals another side to his comedy
Observer TV reviews
The week in TV: Everything I Know About Love; We Own This City; My Name Is Leon; Avoidance
TV review
Avoidance review – Romesh Ranganathan may make you feel seen in the worst way
April 2022
TV tonight
TV tonight: Rosie Jones and Jen Brister are on the lookout in Where Have All the Lesbians Gone?
‘Forgotten how to behave’: comics say audiences more abusive post-lockdown
November 2021
Paul McCartney’s perfect sandwich revealed during talk about cookbook
Musician was talking to comedian Romesh Ranganathan about Linda McCartney’s Family Kitchen
September 2021
Cinderella review – Ella wears the trousers in goofy musical redesign
With help from mouse-turned-footman James Corden and a genderqueer fairy godparent, Camila Cabello’s Ella gets to go to the ball in an outfit of her own creation
