Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan on the return of their Sky travel series

Rob & Romesh Vs returns to Sky and Now TV for a ninth series next Wednesday, with Messrs Beckett and Ranganathan  taking on four more challenges. Here the pair - currently also appearing in BBC One's The Celebrity Traitors – talk about their adventures..

Vs Kung Fu

You were trained by Jet Li’s Kung-Fu stunt man Paco Yick and took on some aerial stunts. How did you find that?

Rob: I found it terrifying, but also one of the coolest things I've ever done. It felt like a bit of a crash course. We started with the basics and by the end of day one we were jumping over a motorbike. It might have escalated a bit quickly, but it was an incredible experience and it looked amazing on screen.

Romesh: I don't think many training schedules should end with "jump over a motorbike" on day one. That's a pretty steep learning curve. But it's the sort of thing every kid imagines when they think about kung-fu. We got to do the cool movie stuff, which was incredible.

Rob: It's nice to have something where we actually look cool rather than pathetic.

Romesh: Paco was brilliant. We completely fell in love with him. He's totally desensitised to how dangerous any of it is.

Rob: He treats life like a toddler who's never fallen over.

You also took on some Warrior Monk training. How was that? 

Rob: It was brutal, although Romesh definitely got the worst of it.

Romesh: My training mostly involved being whacked with a stick. Apparently that's how they do it. If your form isn't right, you get corrected pretty quickly. It was intense and, if I'm honest, we're probably a bit too old to be starting that sort of training.

Rob: Watching Romesh get corrected was very funny. Obviously you don't want your mate to get hurt, but when you could see his posture slipping, you knew what was coming next.

Vs The Supernatural in New Orleans

Did you believe in ghosts before visiting New Orleans and, if not, do you now?

Rob: No and no. I don't believe in ghosts, but I do believe in energy. I'm a big energy guy. I think certain rooms can carry an atmosphere based on what's happened there over time.

Romesh: A very big energy guy.

Rob: I'm basically the Red Bull of vibes.

What was it like visiting New Orleans? 

Rob: It was incredibly hot and everyone seemed to be having a very good time. There's such a strong character to the city.

Romesh: I'd been before when I did some Wrestling training. I was so bad at it that it actually made me cry, so it was nice to return under slightly different circumstances. New Orleans has such a unique identity. Everywhere you go feels completely distinctive.

Rob: It almost feels European. There's so much history and culture there. It feels very different from anywhere else in America.

Rob, you met your spirit guide. Tell us about that...

Rob: I think what I experienced was really the power of meditation. Whether it was a spirit guide or not, meditation can take you to a calmer place where you're making decisions based more on instinct and gut feeling rather than fear. It helps quieten all the noise.

Romesh, you met an idol of yours via the art of spiritual channelling...

Romesh: It was amazing to meet The Notorious B.I.G. Obviously, that's not something I'd ever be able to do in real life.

Rob: The most amazing thing was that apparently he doesn't always channel Biggie, so Romesh was very lucky.

Romesh: Exactly. Biggie doesn't normally just pop in. It was a very special occasion.

Rob: It would've been a bit disappointing if Gandhi had turned up.

Romesh: Now, whenever I listen to Biggie's music, I can think, "I've chatted to that guy."

Vs Bowling in the USA 

Romesh, in bowling, you surprised quite a few people when you threw your first few balls...

Romesh: For a brief moment I thought I'd discovered a hidden talent. I got four or five strikes in a row and genuinely thought, This might be my thing. Unfortunately, the rest of the episode put that theory to bed fairly quickly.

Rob: It was unbelievable. Then he got some professional coaching and somehow got worse.

Romesh: The coaching managed to remove whatever natural ability I'd accidentally stumbled across.

Rob, how did you find the Underground Bowling Association  Civil War event?

Rob: I loved it. Everyone involved is completely obsessed with it, which makes it brilliant. It's like those really intense local sporting rivalries. The passion, the banter and the personalities were incredible. Honestly, there should be a reality show about that whole world.

Vs Tour De France

Josh Widdicombe and Tom Davis joined you to form a Peloton. What was it like bringing your podcast partners into the mix?

Rob: It made our job much easier because they're both so funny. Sometimes we could just stand back and let them do the work. They also both look hilarious on bikes.

Romesh: In very different ways. It was like being joined by a hobbit and an orc.

Rob: It was our version of Twins.

Romesh: It elevated the whole episode. We've known each other for years, so there was a real chemistry there, and they brought loads of energy to it.

Rob: It also felt quite emotional. We all started together nearly 20 years ago doing tiny gigs for no money. To see everyone doing so well and still being the same people they've always been was really special. The thing they couldn't believe was how stressful the challenges actually are. The travelling and visiting places is great, but there's always a humiliating challenge waiting for you at the end. 

Romesh: It genuinely felt like taking your spouse to work. We'd spent years telling them stories about the show and then they finally got to experience it for themselves.

The shaving and waxing got a bit out of hand. Were you surprised?

Rob: That felt inevitable.

Romesh: I wasn't surprised it got out of hand. What has surprised me is that my leg hair still hasn't properly grown back.

Rob: Mine hasn't either.

Romesh: I've genuinely become concerned by it. There are random patches growing back in strange places and I'm still waiting for the rest to return.

Rob: Now every time I watch Josh presenting Strictly, I just think about the fact he's standing there with bald legs underneath those fancy trousers.

You had some tips from a sports psychologist. What was that session like?

Rob: Honestly, we behaved like schoolboys. We probably didn't make the most of Ben's expertise because we spent most of the session giggling.

Romesh: I really felt for him. It was like being asked to teach a classroom made up entirely of attention- seekers.

Rob: I imagine after spending time with us he probably needed to speak to his own psychologist.

Romesh: We'd like to officially apologise to Ben.

Rob: I wouldn't. I'd like Ben to thank us. We challenged him professionally. It was all part of his personal development.

Romesh: I think there's every chance he's left the industry.

Published: 7 Oct 2026