Diane Morgan On Comedy, Cunk and becoming a robot in Ann Droid

How did Philomena Cunk come about?


In this episode of The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Romesh is joined by Diane Morgan to talk about her new hit BBC iPlayer sitcom, Ann Droid and her journey into comedy, from working with Charlie Brooker, developing the iconic Philomena Cunk, to working on Ricky Gervais' new series, Alley Cats.


Diane reveals how working in a factory pushed her towards her goals and discusses her early comedy influences. The pair talk early career moves, the experience of attending drama school, all the way to working together on Last One Laughing. Plus, there's some mild hate for Hollywood and they get into the difficulties of going plant-based.

To top it off, there's an exclusive, a story of how to handle failure (comically) and a question, of course, from Shanthi.

A Ranga Bee Production in partnership with Platform Media.

Chapters
00:00 Intro
03:03 Last One Laughing
10:29 Dental nursing
13:31 A gift for Diane gone wrong
17:00 On being plant-based
20:08 Comedy influences
23:34 Career beginnings
27:08 Drama school
32:06 On Cunk and success
34:55 On Hollywood
35:33 LA’s vegan scene
38:31 Vegan hacks
41:01 A question from Shanthi on TikTok Shop
44:46 Dog owner stories
48:26 On Ann Droid
56:54 Robot contact lenses
59:53 Alley Cats
01:01:11 Misquoted
01:08:06 An exclusive
01:10:50 A rumour about Diane and Joe Wilkinson
01:12:27 Outro
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The world’s biggest stars join Romesh for candid conversations and loads of laughs. Every Monday, Romesh Ranganathan meets actors, musicians, comedians and icons who share stories you won’t hear anywhere else, combining humour, heart and genuine insight. Expect backstage anecdotes, untold tales from the spotlight, and extraordinary insight into what makes them tick. On Thursdays, Rom’s mum Shanthi joins the show to share family stories, answer audience questions, and offer her no-nonsense take on life, proving that the funniest and most relatable conversations often happen around the kitchen table. Leave a voice note for Romesh and Shanthi by messaging +447731623355, @theromeshshow on Instagram, or emailing [email protected]. A Ranga Bee Production in Partnership with Listen.

• No. of episodes: 94
• Latest episode: 2026-08-16
• Comedy Society & Culture

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