Romesh Ranganathan - Work In Progress

Romesh Ranganathan is at the Wyvern Theatre on Sunday 1 November, 8:00pm, for a work-in-progress show. That's exactly what it is: a night of new material he's road-testing before it goes on tour. If you've seen him before, you know the drill — he'll be working through bits of a set that aren't finished yet, shaping them in front of the crowd rather than delivering a polished, rehearsed hour. It's a different way of seeing a comedian, where the jokes are still being hammered out in the room.

For those who don't know him, Ranganathan has been on the circuit since 2010, gigging regularly at top venues across the country. That first year was a big one: he reached the Latitude New Act Final and the So You Think You're Funny? Final, and finished as runner-up in the Amused Moose Laugh Off. Since then, he's become a familiar face on TV, most notably with his own show Asian Provocateur on BBC Three in 2015, where he travelled to Sri Lanka to learn about his parents' country. A second series, Mum's American Dream, followed in 2016.

Critics usually describe his set as a mix of cutting one-liners and an acerbic take on the world around him — that dry, sharp-edged style he's known for. Because this is a work-in-progress, you're seeing that material in its rawest form, before it's tidied up for a full tour. It's a chance to see the process as much as the punchlines.

The show is at the Wyvern Theatre in Swindon, starting at 8:00pm on Sunday 1 November.