I CAME AWAY LESS CYNICAL'

Romesh Ranganathan goes on a hilarious journey of self-discovery in his new documentary series Romesh: Can't Knock The Hustle

- WORDS: JEN PHARO

Romesh Ranganathan has done some bizarre things in the name of comedy. But even longtime fans of the funnyman will be shocked to witness him strip off with a group of strangers before upending his bare buttocks to the sun in his new show.

Because that's exactly what happens in Romesh: Can't Knock The Hustle, as our hero attempts to become more comfortable with his own body by taking part in perineum - or "butth**e" - sunning.

"The one thing that stood out above and beyond everything else was the rewilding exercise, which is going into the woods with a group of men, stripping off and openly commenting on each other's genitals," says Romesh.

Romesh travels to Vancouver Island to take part in the challenge as he uses his new four-part TV show to belatedly investigate the accuracy of the bold observations he made in his stand-up show Hustle.

"I'm very much a cover-up-and-hide type of guy," says Romesh, 47. "I feel more attractive in the dark. I'm a big fan of layers. So the idea of kind of taking all of that off, with a load of guys who were in much better shape than me... I found it very intimidating."

So far, so uncomfortable - and from here, things only got worse for Romesh, whose director wasn't afraid to remind him that exploring new ideas is exactly what the show is about.