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Straight Outta Crawley: Memoirs of a Distinctly Average Human Being
Straight Outta Crawley is the hilarious and irreverent autobiography from comedian Romesh Ranganathan.
At the age of 9, Romesh Ranganathan delivered his first ever stand-up set at a Pontin's holiday camp talent competition, smashing the other competitor, a young girl playing the kazoo.
The gig went so well that Romesh retired his comic genius for 22 years, hiding behind the guise of a math teacher, before finally revealing himself again (no, not like that) at the tender age of 31. In 2010, Ranganathan staged his epic comeback gig to an almost silent room, and has since gone on to earn his place as the most in-demand overweight vegan Sri Lankan comedian in Britain.
Now, for the first time, he tells the full story of how he got here. From the delights of Sri Lankan hospitality to his struggles as a child, teacher and now parent, to his adolescent flirtation with a rap career and his attempts to make it in comedy, Straight Outta Crawley is Ranganathan's hilarious and irreverent autobiography.
At the age of 9, Romesh Ranganathan delivered his first ever stand-up set at a Pontin's holiday camp talent competition, smashing the other competitor, a young girl playing the kazoo.
The gig went so well that Romesh retired his comic genius for 22 years, hiding behind the guise of a math teacher, before finally revealing himself again (no, not like that) at the tender age of 31. In 2010, Ranganathan staged his epic comeback gig to an almost silent room, and has since gone on to earn his place as the most in-demand overweight vegan Sri Lankan comedian in Britain.
Now, for the first time, he tells the full story of how he got here. From the delights of Sri Lankan hospitality to his struggles as a child, teacher and now parent, to his adolescent flirtation with a rap career and his attempts to make it in comedy, Straight Outta Crawley is Ranganathan's hilarious and irreverent autobiography.
304 pages, Paperback
Published January 1, 2020
284 people are currently reading
1819 people want to read
About the author
Romesh Ranganathan
16 books70 followersRomesh Ranganathan is a comedian, actor and writer. A former maths teacher, he is now known for his award-winning series The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, his weekly topical show The Ranganation, his sitcom The Reluctant Landlord and the BAFTA nominated Asian Provocateur, which features Romesh's mum.
Amongst all of this, he still manages to squeeze in time to record his award-winning podcast 'Hip Hop Saved My Life', to write his regular Midlife Crisis column for the Guardian, and to pen his bestselling autobiography, Straight Outta Crawley. DJ Muffin drops the Mic is his first children's book and gave him an excuse to write about two of his favourite things - hip hop and cake.
Amongst all of this, he still manages to squeeze in time to record his award-winning podcast 'Hip Hop Saved My Life', to write his regular Midlife Crisis column for the Guardian, and to pen his bestselling autobiography, Straight Outta Crawley. DJ Muffin drops the Mic is his first children's book and gave him an excuse to write about two of his favourite things - hip hop and cake.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 387 reviews
February 12, 2019
Shame he dies in the end.
January 23, 2019
The mammy's boy Vegan with a posh brillo pan on his chin who cannot escape the handbag of his mother. Just few weeks ago on Jamie & Jimmy's Friday Night Feast show on Ch.4 when he had to cook & serve his Vegan lasagne to the guests which included his beady eyed mother.
If enjoy a good laugh this perfect book. But Do need to have seen him on the TV but Most people are not going to buy a autobiography of a star if don't like him.
I bought this because Of the reviews I seen on this site. This not first & know not be the last
This book shows the difference between 1970s stand up & today in that much more difficult today to be stand up. No Irish Jokes, etc this also shows that Romesh has guts any comic who stands by his original name Ranganathan & goes on stage as stand up before he was famous proved just how much he wanted to be good. The juggling a acts of been a father, a loving husband, a school teacher & stand up comic.
He pulls no punches he tells the story about how wet his pants or how was fat boy with bad wind. He didn't have to say these stories but He is brave enough too.
How his father was a cheat, an Asian Del Boy who he told off. All his toilet problems, his set to Coventry by his fellow teachers this lot of problems on becoming what is today. Explains it is not easy job as lot fucking Moran's think been stand up & if you are thinking going down road this almost a self help book. I also love that he is the Ambassador for CALM, a charity involved in helping men deal with with suicidal tenders I had not heard of CALM before.
If enjoyed this book you should also download the Jamie Oliver Ch.4 eps so See the final version of his everlasting search for Vegan cheese, that goes on about hell of lot in this book
I could go on & on bit like Romesh but It would spoil it..
If enjoy a good laugh this perfect book. But Do need to have seen him on the TV but Most people are not going to buy a autobiography of a star if don't like him.
I bought this because Of the reviews I seen on this site. This not first & know not be the last
This book shows the difference between 1970s stand up & today in that much more difficult today to be stand up. No Irish Jokes, etc this also shows that Romesh has guts any comic who stands by his original name Ranganathan & goes on stage as stand up before he was famous proved just how much he wanted to be good. The juggling a acts of been a father, a loving husband, a school teacher & stand up comic.
He pulls no punches he tells the story about how wet his pants or how was fat boy with bad wind. He didn't have to say these stories but He is brave enough too.
How his father was a cheat, an Asian Del Boy who he told off. All his toilet problems, his set to Coventry by his fellow teachers this lot of problems on becoming what is today. Explains it is not easy job as lot fucking Moran's think been stand up & if you are thinking going down road this almost a self help book. I also love that he is the Ambassador for CALM, a charity involved in helping men deal with with suicidal tenders I had not heard of CALM before.
If enjoyed this book you should also download the Jamie Oliver Ch.4 eps so See the final version of his everlasting search for Vegan cheese, that goes on about hell of lot in this book
I could go on & on bit like Romesh but It would spoil it..
June 7, 2019
I love Romesh Ranganathan as a comedian, and this was wonderfully funny in places.....but for me there were just not enough of those places to make the book worth reading :O(
August 12, 2019
I first encountered stand up comedian Romesh Ranganathan on the TV shows Live At The Apollo & Mock The Week. He was so funny that I then tuned into two of his his other series, The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan & The Ranganation which were both excellent. So, the next step was to tackle his autobiography.....
While, as you'd expect, it's full of amusing stories from his life there were plenty of serious moments that surprised me. He tells of his early of years trying to earn a living as a stand up comedian while holding down a full time job as a teacher. He is honest about the things he regrets & the people he feels he has let down. His family life is also explored in a perfect balance of comedy & tragedy.
Ranganathan's writing style makes for a smooth & enjoyable read. The only thing that could possibly top such a good book would be seeing him live on stage-& that's exactly what I'll be doing next month!
While, as you'd expect, it's full of amusing stories from his life there were plenty of serious moments that surprised me. He tells of his early of years trying to earn a living as a stand up comedian while holding down a full time job as a teacher. He is honest about the things he regrets & the people he feels he has let down. His family life is also explored in a perfect balance of comedy & tragedy.
Ranganathan's writing style makes for a smooth & enjoyable read. The only thing that could possibly top such a good book would be seeing him live on stage-& that's exactly what I'll be doing next month!
October 18, 2020
Romesh Ranganatham is a British stand-up comedian and television presenter. He was born in Crawley and this is his memoir.
I have enjoyed Romesh’s appearances on many television programmes including Live at the Apollo and Mock the Week plus many chat shows. I like his deadpan humour coupled with his ability to do a whole range of accents.
However, Straight Outta Crawley is a memoir and is a completely different vehicle to his television work. I loved how Romesh told his story in his usual television chat show manner with his trademark shooting off at tangents. I could hear his author’s voice bellowing loudly from the page.
Romesh’s stand-up comedy is good but his memoir is not a transcript of his stage show. If you are looking for humour or jokes to repeat to friends, this is NOT a book for you. Straight Outta Crawley is a story told in the fashion of a first date. Romesh is amusing and frank, for example…
I’ve read enough memoirs to know that people always describe their partner as the most wonderful, funny, intelligent person ever, and I always think it’s because they suspect their other half is going to read it. So, Leesa, if you read this, I was mainly looking at your arse.
My one sadness in my marriage is that I haven’t managed to convert Leesa to hip hop. She hates it. HATES IT. It would have been easier to convert her to Islam.
...Straight Outta Crawley has a good trawl of anecdotes but they are second rate. Romesh comes across as the bloke next door and very ordinary. I found nothing sparkling in his memoir which came across as sharing small talk with fellow dog walkers down our local park. Romesh is simply a normal bloke whose day job entertains loads of people on television. However his memoir leaves me with the impression of ships passing in the night. I found Straight Outta Crawley to be an Okay 3 star read that lacked any surprises or WOW! Factor. Although I love his stand-up comedy, it was sad to read that he has become another victim of abuse and hate mail on social media. I do NOT wish Romesh any bad feelings but I did not enjoy his memoir like I do his stand-up comedy. It was nice to read about the man behind the stand-up routines and my curiosity has been satisfied.
I have enjoyed Romesh’s appearances on many television programmes including Live at the Apollo and Mock the Week plus many chat shows. I like his deadpan humour coupled with his ability to do a whole range of accents.
However, Straight Outta Crawley is a memoir and is a completely different vehicle to his television work. I loved how Romesh told his story in his usual television chat show manner with his trademark shooting off at tangents. I could hear his author’s voice bellowing loudly from the page.
Romesh’s stand-up comedy is good but his memoir is not a transcript of his stage show. If you are looking for humour or jokes to repeat to friends, this is NOT a book for you. Straight Outta Crawley is a story told in the fashion of a first date. Romesh is amusing and frank, for example…
I’ve read enough memoirs to know that people always describe their partner as the most wonderful, funny, intelligent person ever, and I always think it’s because they suspect their other half is going to read it. So, Leesa, if you read this, I was mainly looking at your arse.
My one sadness in my marriage is that I haven’t managed to convert Leesa to hip hop. She hates it. HATES IT. It would have been easier to convert her to Islam.
...Straight Outta Crawley has a good trawl of anecdotes but they are second rate. Romesh comes across as the bloke next door and very ordinary. I found nothing sparkling in his memoir which came across as sharing small talk with fellow dog walkers down our local park. Romesh is simply a normal bloke whose day job entertains loads of people on television. However his memoir leaves me with the impression of ships passing in the night. I found Straight Outta Crawley to be an Okay 3 star read that lacked any surprises or WOW! Factor. Although I love his stand-up comedy, it was sad to read that he has become another victim of abuse and hate mail on social media. I do NOT wish Romesh any bad feelings but I did not enjoy his memoir like I do his stand-up comedy. It was nice to read about the man behind the stand-up routines and my curiosity has been satisfied.
January 18, 2019
Really enjoyed this mini autobiography from British comedian Romesh Ranganathan but you probably need to be a fan or at least be familiar with his comedy to enjoy this book.
I have the added bonus that he grew up in the same town as me so I know the clubs/pubs he refers to and we're the same generation, so probably even some bits that weren't funny made me laugh.
And I watch the UK comedy shows he goes on (Mock the week, Taskmaster) so this might not be for everyone but I really enjoyed it.
I have the added bonus that he grew up in the same town as me so I know the clubs/pubs he refers to and we're the same generation, so probably even some bits that weren't funny made me laugh.
And I watch the UK comedy shows he goes on (Mock the week, Taskmaster) so this might not be for everyone but I really enjoyed it.
May 10, 2023
I needed some light relief as my other current reading is quite dark. This provided it.
Fat Sri Lankan kid (his words not mine) somehow becomes one of the UKs favourite comedians. Romesh is a very good comedian, and his self deprecating deadpan style comes across in the book. I do sense though that a lot of hard work and drive bordering on compulsion led him to the dizzy heights.
I enjoyed reading it but marked it down a notch as some of the stories I had heard before. Harsh? Maybe
Update: Romesh is at Lattitude this year. Should be a blast
Fat Sri Lankan kid (his words not mine) somehow becomes one of the UKs favourite comedians. Romesh is a very good comedian, and his self deprecating deadpan style comes across in the book. I do sense though that a lot of hard work and drive bordering on compulsion led him to the dizzy heights.
I enjoyed reading it but marked it down a notch as some of the stories I had heard before. Harsh? Maybe
Update: Romesh is at Lattitude this year. Should be a blast
October 30, 2018
Quite a few laugh-out-loud moments but the structure of the book was a bit hard to follow... It also just sort of ended without any warning!
March 4, 2020
The mystique is obliterated. I was disappointed by his shallow, regurgitating defence at the end of chapter nine; punching down subverts nothing. I am however heavily into self-deprecation and anecdotes of social inoperativeness (plus laid-back veganism) so this book had the highest laugh rate out of any comic memoir I've read so far. That's excluding when he's slagging off his loved ones as part of his routine and for the most part excluding his recounting a succession of humiliations contained within a single ongoing lifetime.
January 7, 2021
Rather enjoyed this. Mr Ranganathan is a good story teller who would rather tell a tale than embellish for the sake of laughs.
Definitely worth a read!
Definitely worth a read!
June 28, 2019
This was an enjoyable read that made me laugh throughout. I love Romesh's dry humor, but I still much prefer his shows to this book. My main issue was that in some places it felt very disjointed and jumbled, and I felt myself getting a little lost.
November 29, 2020
Loved it! Review coming soon!
October 18, 2018
i love, love romesh! i listened to every episode of "hip hop saved my life" and i think his mom is a legend. this is the only book i was almost tempted to get the audio version of.
he "warned" us that he likes to go off on a tangent, but i think it works. he mostly shares his pre-fame life, that i don't know how imagined before (or just thought, oh, he was a maths teacher, decided to become a comedian and it magically happened), but the story is, of course, much more complicated. the part about his father is especially emotional and personal.
there is a lot of laughs, though, and i genuinely enjoyed it. is it weird that i never noticed that he has a lazy eye?
he "warned" us that he likes to go off on a tangent, but i think it works. he mostly shares his pre-fame life, that i don't know how imagined before (or just thought, oh, he was a maths teacher, decided to become a comedian and it magically happened), but the story is, of course, much more complicated. the part about his father is especially emotional and personal.
there is a lot of laughs, though, and i genuinely enjoyed it. is it weird that i never noticed that he has a lazy eye?
October 10, 2018
As someone with strong affiliations with Crawley, I pre-ordered this book as I knew I had to read more about Romesh’s start in life. I saw quite a few of his early gigs before he hit the big time, so I really enjoyed reading about the other, lesser-known facets of his life. I love Romesh’s self-deprecating sense of humour, and the book being written in this very style meant it was a very easy, enjoyable book to read. He’s had some obstacles in life but has followed his passion and come good, and that’s really lovely to see. Highly recommend this book if you’re a fan of Romesh.
November 7, 2018
I liked it. But 30% of the book was him explaining how he said something to someone that made him look like an asshole but, really, he's not an asshole, it was all a big misunderstanding.
August 31, 2024
I had the pleasure of seeing Romesh Ranganathan live earlier this year in Eastbourne a town on the south coast about twenty miles from his hometown of Crawly. He was very funny!
This book had a good few laughs out loud moments but I think it may have been even funnier if it was written a few years later. Parts of the book talking about the racism he has endured throughout his life were quite upsetting even though he seems to take it in stride the majority of the time.
Mr Ranganathan has gone from strength to strength with so many new things under his belt … host of ‘League of Their Own’, ‘Avoidance’ on BBC1 and a Radio 2 Saturday morning show. This book shows you how he got there!
This book had a good few laughs out loud moments but I think it may have been even funnier if it was written a few years later. Parts of the book talking about the racism he has endured throughout his life were quite upsetting even though he seems to take it in stride the majority of the time.
Mr Ranganathan has gone from strength to strength with so many new things under his belt … host of ‘League of Their Own’, ‘Avoidance’ on BBC1 and a Radio 2 Saturday morning show. This book shows you how he got there!
October 8, 2025
I've been meaning to listen to Romesh Ranganathan's memoir for a while, especially after seeing him perform live as he is a brilliant comic. I'd definitely recommend listening to the audiobook of Romesh narrating this himself. Although this book was written 7 years ago, it still felt just as current and funny and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with this memoir. I'd highly recommend if you enjoy this style of deadpan and self-deprecating comedy.
5 stars
5 stars
January 18, 2020
Not a big fan of biographies to be honest but this one caught my eye (on a kindle daily deal). Glad I gave it a go as I really enjoyed.
Romesh tells of his route to where he is now and it hasn't been easy. There are times you cringe along with him, times (more of these) where you laugh along and times when you just think, 'yup, I can really relate to that'
More please 😉
Romesh tells of his route to where he is now and it hasn't been easy. There are times you cringe along with him, times (more of these) where you laugh along and times when you just think, 'yup, I can really relate to that'
More please 😉
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 25, 2019
I was laughing throughout this book. Super funny guy!
February 2, 2025
This has been my bath book for weeks and I've finally finished it. An absolute hoot.
March 14, 2019
I listened to the audio version and laughed out loud. Romesh is relatable and funny. I loved learning a little bit more about his backstory too.
January 25, 2019
So disappointed with this and him....
I liked him as s comedian but this just didn’t work for me. Most of it was stories followed of up with ‘in only joking ‘ or ‘well not really’. Also lots of ‘Ive got lots of attitude because of my childhood ‘yawn yawn.
Also it was all over the place and the book just didn’t flow he started a story and went off on a tangent for most of the book so it felt messy
Finally, his wife deserves a medal
I liked him as s comedian but this just didn’t work for me. Most of it was stories followed of up with ‘in only joking ‘ or ‘well not really’. Also lots of ‘Ive got lots of attitude because of my childhood ‘yawn yawn.
Also it was all over the place and the book just didn’t flow he started a story and went off on a tangent for most of the book so it felt messy
Finally, his wife deserves a medal
December 8, 2018
Usually memoirs by comedians are funny, that's why I read them. Not sure who considered this book 'hilarious'.
It wasn't.
It was, at best, mildly interesting.
Always nice to see a very flawed, very human ...er...human succeed in something they want to do.
I mean the stand up comedy part. Not the writing part. I was ambivalent on the book at best.
It wasn't.
It was, at best, mildly interesting.
Always nice to see a very flawed, very human ...er...human succeed in something they want to do.
I mean the stand up comedy part. Not the writing part. I was ambivalent on the book at best.
September 5, 2021
Very few laughs. His upbringing was averagely interesting.
December 17, 2019
I've always loved Romesh Ranganathan and I'm so glad I decided to read his book on audio book. It was so good, with touching moments and hilarious anecdotes that had me laughing throughout.
Right from the introduction I realised just how genuine and incredibly funny Romesh was going to be throughout. Mentioning that his mother bought him a "rank" suit for his birthday then claiming to be wearing it as he wrote the rest of the rest of the intro (with the curtains drawn) out of guilt.
And you learn throughout this book how important family is to him. He writes with poignancy about hard times in his childhood, and with his own wife and children whilst he was a struggling comedian closer to modern day. He remains so grateful for the people who have loved and supported him throughout which is lovely to read.
This book isn't so much an autobiography of linear events throughout his life as a mixture of childhood events (some hilarious awkward boy meets girl moments) and to my delight, the journey he made from maths teacher to successful comedian. I say often on here how fascinated I am by the mindset and process of wanting to make strangers laugh on a massive scale and to my delight, he goes into so much detail.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that such a detailed account of this could be boring as I've read it written badly in such books as Kevin Bridges last few chapters but Romesh is skilled at feeding you the interesting facts. It's helps (sorry Romesh) that his path was bloody hard and even though you know he made it you still feel yourself rooting for him.
It's a fantastically written account of what it takes to make it in his business with extras thrown in, such as difficulties facing racist hecklers, saying the wrong thing to girls as an awkward teen (and man) and a hell of a lot of heart. I loved it!
Right from the introduction I realised just how genuine and incredibly funny Romesh was going to be throughout. Mentioning that his mother bought him a "rank" suit for his birthday then claiming to be wearing it as he wrote the rest of the rest of the intro (with the curtains drawn) out of guilt.
And you learn throughout this book how important family is to him. He writes with poignancy about hard times in his childhood, and with his own wife and children whilst he was a struggling comedian closer to modern day. He remains so grateful for the people who have loved and supported him throughout which is lovely to read.
This book isn't so much an autobiography of linear events throughout his life as a mixture of childhood events (some hilarious awkward boy meets girl moments) and to my delight, the journey he made from maths teacher to successful comedian. I say often on here how fascinated I am by the mindset and process of wanting to make strangers laugh on a massive scale and to my delight, he goes into so much detail.
You'd be forgiven for thinking that such a detailed account of this could be boring as I've read it written badly in such books as Kevin Bridges last few chapters but Romesh is skilled at feeding you the interesting facts. It's helps (sorry Romesh) that his path was bloody hard and even though you know he made it you still feel yourself rooting for him.
It's a fantastically written account of what it takes to make it in his business with extras thrown in, such as difficulties facing racist hecklers, saying the wrong thing to girls as an awkward teen (and man) and a hell of a lot of heart. I loved it!
October 17, 2019
I listened to this on audiobook. Narrated by the author.
I enjoy Romesh’s style of humour so when I found out he wrote a book, I was keen to get my hands on it.
Whilst some of it made me laugh, the book as a whole was a bit...meh. I enjoyed the parts about his schooldays and was curious as to how he got from teacher to stand up comedian, but the timeline felt very disjointed. It jumped around a lot as he described the push and pull of teaching and trying to do live comedy.
I also found his attitude towards aspects of veganism really confusing and annoying - especially about his children who he is not raising vegan. He provides very little reasoning behind this. Yay that he is vegan but huh?
Also, this book ended very abruptly. (Like this review.)
I enjoy Romesh’s style of humour so when I found out he wrote a book, I was keen to get my hands on it.
Whilst some of it made me laugh, the book as a whole was a bit...meh. I enjoyed the parts about his schooldays and was curious as to how he got from teacher to stand up comedian, but the timeline felt very disjointed. It jumped around a lot as he described the push and pull of teaching and trying to do live comedy.
I also found his attitude towards aspects of veganism really confusing and annoying - especially about his children who he is not raising vegan. He provides very little reasoning behind this. Yay that he is vegan but huh?
Also, this book ended very abruptly. (Like this review.)
April 12, 2021
I did enjoy this book and it did make me laugh. But I found the ending abrupt and disappointing which left a bad taste at the end, hence the lower score. It was interesting to hear about his life, pre-comedy, rise through comedy and onto TV. It does reflect about British experience of racism as well in a humorous way to highlight issues we as a society often want to push under the carpet. But it isn't an issues book, it just reflects life for Romesh. Although I found all the jokes about replacing his wife a bit tedious.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2021
Very funny memoir about a funny comedian. The anecdotes were amusing and interesting. He tells stories of his family and how he got to were he is in comedy. I already found Romesh’s stand up funny so was really looking forward to this book and wasn’t disappointed. I’m so glad he stuck with comedy and kept going even through the tough times. It’s inspirational and comical as he regales the audiences with ups and downs and downright awkward and embarrassing moments.
Will be reading his next book, great job
Will be reading his next book, great job
July 28, 2019
I love Romesh as a stand-up comedian and have thoroughly enjoyed his TV shows. This is a well-written auto-biog with real humour and some rapping! The parts talking about Romesh's childhood and career as a teacher, were eye-opening, but once we reached Romesh's career as a stand-up, frankly the life of a TV comedian is less interesting than one would expect and seems to involve a lot of name-dropping, travelling, drinking and bombing.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 387 reviews