Each week Romesh Ranganathan sits in a circle with 25 hand-picked members of the public—his mum Shanthi among them—and two comedian mates to tear apart whatever has dominated the news cycle. The format is loose: no desks, no audience, just a sofa and the sort of shouting-over-each-other that feels like family Christmas without the grudges. Episodes run 45 minutes on BBC Two, shot first at Television Centre, then Pinewood, and during lockdown from everyone’s living rooms.
Zeppotron’s casting brief was simple: find regular people who argue in supermarkets and tweet in all-caps. The result is a panel that includes a grandmother who swears at Question Time, a Deliveroo rider who rates politicians on their bike-lane policies, and Romesh’s mother delivering withering put-downs about his career choices. Celebrity guests rotate through the likes of Jon Richardson, Katherine Ryan and Danny Dyer, but the civilians steal every scene.
Ranganathan insists the show is topical, not political, a distinction that lets the conversation drift from Love Island to landfill taxes without ever feeling like homework. The second series, filmed remotely in 2020, kept the same energy by mailing participants ring lights and wine, proving that even Zoom can’t mute British indignation. Five series and 22 episodes in, the programme still closes with Loyle Carner’s “No CD” and the sense that democracy might work better if everyone had a mic and a biscuit.
Production Details
BBC Two / 5 Seasons / 30 Episodes / 2019 - Present
Showrunner(s): Richard Cohen, Ruth Phillips
Producer(s): Mark Barrett
Main Cast
Romesh Ranganathan as Self - Presenter
Shanthi Ranganathan as Self - Romesh's mum
Jon Richardson as Self
Rob Beckett as Self
Sara Pascoe as Self
Tom Allen as Self
Katherine Ryan as Self
Roisin Conaty as Self
Jack Dee as Self
Richard Osman as Self
Jo Brand as Self
Scarlett Moffatt as Self
