British Comedian Romesh Ranganathan Reveals What His Children Have Been Facing at School Despite Them Being British

Comedian and TV presenter Romesh Ranganathan has revealed that his three sons have experienced racist abuse at school.

Romesh, 48, has three sons with his wife Leesa, who is a drama teacher. Their sons are Alex, 16, Theo, 14, and Charlie, 11. The family lives in West Sussex, close to the area where Romesh himself grew up.

Speaking about his children’s experiences, Romesh said they have received racist comments from other children. Although he said it has not happened as often as it happened to him when he was younger, he admitted his sons have still had to deal with hurtful remarks.

He explained that there was one incident involving one of his sons speaking to a girl at school. Another child made a racist comment suggesting that his son would eventually marry his cousin.

Romesh also revealed that his eldest son, Alex, had been called a racist name while walking around school. He said hearing about incidents like this makes him question where children are learning such language.

The comedian believes that when young children make racist comments, there is a possibility they may have heard similar language from adults or other people around them. He said this can make him suspicious of the parents when he hears that their child has used racist language.

However, Romesh said he does not want his children to respond to racism with violence. He explained that racism is wrong and should be challenged, but he does not want racist insults to have so much power over his children that they immediately become angry or violent.

He said people should be able to respond to racism, but reacting violently could give the person making the racist comment power over their emotions.

Romesh then spoke about his own difficult experiences with racism when he was younger. He said racist insults were directed at him several times while he was growing up.

He remembered one incident after leaving school when a boy who was known for racist behaviour spat on him. He also said that while he was at university, he was attacked by skinheads after leaving a nightclub.

Romesh’s parents moved to Britain from Sri Lanka, and he grew up in Crawley. His childhood also included serious financial difficulties for his family.

He has previously explained that his family’s home was repossessed after his father faced financial problems and was sent to prison for fraud. The family later spent around a year and a half living in bed-and-breakfast accommodation while waiting to be given a council home.

Before becoming a successful comedian and television presenter, Romesh worked as a maths teacher. That was also where he met his wife.

He later built a career in stand-up comedy before appearing on popular television programmes. He eventually became the host of The Weakest Link in 2021 and has continued working across television, radio and the stage.