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Season 4, Episode 3
Richard Ayoade is joined by comedians Katherine Ryan and Tom Rosenthal to try out dating gadgets - including a £1,500 handbag that displays messages and a carbon dioxide cooling vest to make sure the wearer remains ice cold however hot things get. For those already in a relationship, Richard and actor Sanjeev Bhaskar investigate 3D chocolate printing, virtual flowers and a new system that teaches people how to play romantic music on the piano
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16x9
Education/Science/Factual Topics
Technology
Cast & Crew
Richard Ayoade
(Presenter)
Katherine Ryan
(Contributor)
Tom Rosenthal
(Contributor)
Sanjeev Bhaskar
(Contributor)
Mark McQueen
(Series director)
Chris Richards
(Series producer)
Steve Gowans
(Executive producer)
More Information
Did You Know..
Richard Ayoade
(Presenter)
Best Known For:
The IT Crowd.
Early-life:
Born Richard Ellef Ayoade on June 12, 1977, in London. His mother is Norwegian, his father Nigerian, and Richard is their only child. The family left the capital when he was young and settled in Ipswich. He was interested in film from an early age, and wrote plays and sketches while still at school before landing a place at Cambridge to study law, where he met David Mitchell and joined the famous Footlights group. On leaving university he spent two years writing for TV sketch shows and attempting to become a stand-up comedian.
Career:
Ayoade's breakthrough came when he and Matthew Holness created fictional horror author Garth Merenghi; a stage show featuring the character won the Perrier Award, which was followed by the Channel 4 series Garth Merenghi's Darkplace. Ayoade went on to appear in The Mighty Boosh, Nathan Barley, Bunny and the Bull, and The IT Crowd. He made his big-screen directorial debut with the acclaimed Submarine (which he also wrote, adapting it from the novel by Joe Dunthorne), and has since directed The Double as well as numerous music videos for acts such as the Arctic Monkeys, Super Furry Animals, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Kasabian. He's was a team captain on Channel 4 panel show Was It Something I Said? and took over as host of Gadget Man from Stephen Fry.
Quote:
"I find performing very difficult. It's difficult to be a good actor. I get very nervous, even though it sounds disingenuous, because you could legitimately go, 'Well, why do it?'"
Trivia:
Here's Ayoade's tips for aspiring directors: "Try not to get depressed. You need to be healthy so don't get a cold. Get comfortable shoes because you don't sit down for two months."
Katherine Ryan
(Contributor)
Born:
June 30, 1983
in
Sarnia, Ontario, Canada
Best Known For:
Being a comedian.
Early-life:
Katherine was born in Sarnia, Ontario, Canada, on June 30, 1983. During her childhood, Katherine and her two younger sisters spent most summers in Cork visiting their paternal grandparents. She went on to study city planning at university and ended up training waitresses at Hooters. In her spare time, she attended open mic comedy nights.
Career:
Ryan moved to the UK to work for a fashion magazine and began finding stand-up work. She is now a regular guest on Mock the Week, 8 Out of 10 Cats and Never Mind the Buzzcocks. She has also starred in the sitcoms Campus, Episodes and Badults.
Quote:
'In the UK, people will go out and see music and comedy every night of the week, but that just doesn't happen in Canada and America.'
Trivia:
Ryan has battled two bouts of skin cancer.
Tom Rosenthal
(Contributor)
Born:
January 14, 1988
in
London
Best Known For:
Friday Night Dinner.
Early-life:
Thomas Alan Smith Rosenthal was born in London on January 14, 1988, the son of TV producer Christine Smith and sports presenter Jim Rosenthal.
Career:
In 2011, Rosenthal began starring in Channel 4 comedy Friday Night Dinner alongside Simon Bird. His other TV credits include Plebs, Breathless and Broadchurch. When he is not acting, he is performing stand-up.
Quote:
'I still get petrified before I go on stage. I actually get worried if I'm not nervous beforehand.'
Trivia:
Rosenthal supports Arsenal FC.
Sanjeev Bhaskar
(Contributor)
Born:
June 28, 1964
in
Ealing
Best Known For:
The Kumars at No 42.
Early-life:
Born on June 28, 1964, in Ealing, London, to Asian immigrants living in Hounslow. He gained a degree and worked in marketing for seven years, writing monologues and sketches as a hobby. After realising he didn't like working in an office, he began performing comedy routines in clubs. His friend, musician Nitin Sawhney, encouraged him after the duo realised nobody was doing stand-up about being Asian and British. They formed a double act called The Secret Indians (Non-Asian) in 1996.
Career:
As Bhaskar and Sawhney's stage act grew in popularity they were noticed by the producer of sketch show The Real McCoy, who introduced Bhaskar to Kulvinder Ghir, Nina Wadia and Meera Syal - who then formed the Goodness Gracious Me team. It began on radio, before making its TV debut in 1998. It was an instant success. Since then, he's appeared in Notting Hill, The Guru, Anita and Me, and cult chat-show The Kumars at No 42. He's also starred in the West End in long-running hit Art and visited his ancestral home in what is now Pakistan during the travelogue India with Sanjeev Bhaskar. Other acting gigs include sitcom Mumbai Calling and daytime drama The Indian Doctor.
Quote:
'Most of my characters are based on truth. The Kumars at No 42 are basically my parents.'
Trivia:
He married actress Meera Syal in 2005. They have a son, Shaan.
Mark McQueen
(Series director)
Chris Richards
(Series producer)
Steve Gowans
(Executive producer)
