Inside Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett’s friendship as Celebrity Traitors begins

Will Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett’s friendship be a tool or a hindrance on The Traitors? (Picture: Alan Chapman/Dave Benett/Getty Images) The Celebrity Traitors is back this week, and with it a whole new roster of famous faces vying to see who can be the best faithful – or the best traitor – in the castle. It is a line-up that includes celebs from different corners of the showbiz world, including actors Richard E. Grant and Michael Sheen, Love Island host Maya Jama and comedian James Acaster. Some people in the castle will already be well acquainted with one another, particularly in the case of comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan. The two have hosted shows together numerous times in the past, but will that sense of familiarity and years of friendship be a help or a hindrance in the castle? Time will tell just how that pans out in the competition, but for now let’s take a look back at how their friendship was forged – and what they’ve said about going on Celebrity Triators together. When did Romesh Ranganathan and Rob Beckett become friends? Rob, 40, and Romesh, 48, both met on the comedy circuit when they were both young comedians making a name for themselves. ‘I remember my friend saying ‘I’ve seen this Romesh and he’s pretty good.’ I thought I’ll be the judge of that,’ Rob told the Royal Television Society in 2021. To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video He added: ‘I went to see him at his dad’s pub and I thought ‘Yes, he is good.’ I was quite annoyed at that point because I wanted to be the only good one at comedy.’ ‘I’d seen Rob perform. He was a bit obvious, but he smashed it,” remembered Romesh. “Coming up through comedy and telly, which is quite a middle-class world, we bonded because we both felt we didn’t belong,” recalls Beckett. ‘We really did get on…Having a mate that you can share the madness with was great,’ he added. What shows have Rob and Romesh been in together? Emerging on the comedy circuit together, Rob and Romesh quickly became regular faces on a number of TV panel shows. Both separately and together, they have appeared on series like Taskmaster, Have I Got News For You, 8 Out of 10 Cats and A League of Their Own. They’ve been a dynamic duo on TV for years (Picture: CPL Productions/Sky UK/Amit Vachharajani Rob & Romesh Vs sees the pair travel the globe and take on a variety of challenges. David Fisher/Shutterstock) Together as a duo, they have hosted the Sky One entertainment series called Rob & Romesh Vs, which started in 2019. The show sees the friends take on unlikely situations, immersing themselves in a variety of different worlds of sport and performance, from tennis to ballet to drag. ‘Everything we do, we’re hoping we find some undiscovered ability, and it hasn’t happened for me yet,” Romesh said about the show. ‘The ballet revealed a really annoying trait of Rob where he’s happy to say we’re doing this as a team until he spots any kind of distance between us in ability. ‘Once he knows he’s better than you, he’ll cut you loose in a heartbeat.’ ‘If I’m half good at something, I’m like a rat up a drainpipe,’ Rob added. They have also presented together at the likes of the Royal Variety Performance and the Bafta TV Awards twice in 2023 and 2024. What have they said about being on Celebrity Traitors together? When it comes ot going head-to-head on this series of Celebrity Traitors,s it would seem neither Rob nor Romesh have any problem banishing the other should it come to it. Asked about his feelings on being on the show together, Romesh told the BBC: ‘Well, it’s weird, isn’t it? Because Rob is one of my best friends, and we’ve worked together for a decade now, but I still won’t be able to trust it.” He continued: ‘I mean, he’s just as easily going to be on my side as he is going to twist the knife in my back given the opportunity. I mean, it’s completely unpredictable. Ramesh said Rob is not to be trusted in the castle (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert/Cody Burridge/BBC Creative) Rob is simply here to ‘play a great game’ (Picture: BBC/Studio Lambert/Cody Burridge/BBC Creative) ‘Whereas this time, he can’t be trusted. It can’t be the end of the relationship because it’s financially beneficial. But I think if it wasn’t financially beneficial, then it could be the end of the friendship.’ Rob, for his part, said he’s very happy to simply play the game: “Claudia knows who will be best suited to make it a great game, and I want it to be a great game. ‘So, I’d happily be either. Claudia and the producers are the experts in this, not me, but I’m very happy to do both, and I’ve got no qualms about killing people off.’ It’s also not lost on Rob how weird it is to be taking part in the show with not just one of his mates: ‘Romesh, obviously everyone knows we’re such good friends, but Joe Lycett and James Acaster, I did gigs with them nearly 20 years ago, in pubs in Soho in front of eight people, and now all of a sudden we’re in this situation.’ He continued: ‘So, it’s quite a reflective moment to consider this journey we’ve all gone on to now be on the biggest show on TV. Everyone wants to be on it, and we’re very lucky to be here and to be here with friends and people that I’ve come through the ranks with and been able to confide in over the years. It’s quite nice to see all of us here as grown-ups.’ A fellow comedian, Alan Carr, managed to make it all the way to the final and win the £100,000 for his chosen charity. Will Rob or Romesh be as lucky? We’ll just have to tune in and find out. 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