Ranganathan, Davis relaunch podcast as ‘broadcast-quality’ show on YouTube, Spotify

Tom Davis, left, and Romesh Ranganathan

Comedians Romesh Ranganathan and Tom Davis’s Wolf & Owl is the latest podcast to get the video treatment as Ranganathan’s prodco Ranga Bee goes direct to viewer on YouTube.

The podcast will relaunch tomorrow (March 3) as a video podcast on YouTube and Spotify and becomes the latest podcast to embrace video, driven by the popularity of the format on social media when clipped up.

Wolf & Owl launched five years ago during the pandemic and sees the two comedians, who co-starred in the BBC sitcom King Gary, in conversation via Zoom and responding to listener contributions.

After racking up more than 300 episodes, it will now be filmed in-studio and in-person with “broadcast-quality production,” according to Ranga Bee, which has taken over production of the podcast in partnership with podcast specialist Platform Media.

A 45-minute main show will be released on YouTube and Spotify every Tuesday, followed by a 20-minute bonus episode every Friday dedicated entirely to answering listener questions.

It comes after Ranganathan has made a major push into podcasts, having previously fronted Romesh: Talking to Comedians on BBC Three in 2017, which was followed by five seasons of comedy show The Ranganation on BBC Two between 2019 and 2022.

Ranga Bee and Platform Media already produce the popular video podcast The Romesh Ranganathan Show, which launched last year and sees celebrities interviewed by the comedian, who continues to front a host of TV shows including The Weakest Link on BBC One and Romesh Ranganathan’s Parents’ Evening on ITV.

Ben Green, co-founder and managing director of Ranga Bee, said: “It’s a brilliant show with an exceptionally loyal audience. Moving it into our premium, video-first model built to showcase the very best comic talent is the natural next step for our growing podcast slate.”

Ranga Bee is behind shows including Romesh Ranganathan’s Parents Evening, The Cynic (Netflix), Go Get Arty (CBBC) and Avoidance (BBC One), while its podcast arm was launched last year.

As well as The Romesh Ranganathan Show, Platform Media produces video podcasts fronted by Graham Norton and Ant & Dec, as well as visualised companion shows for Netflix, Disney+ and the BBC for their shows Wednesday, Rivals and The Traitors, respectively.