A familiar face on our TV screens, Dr Ranj’s journey to celebrity status began with hosting CBeebies series Get Well Soon and Get Well Soon Hospital. Subsequent spells in the limelight saw the real-life medic become a household name via spots on popular TV shows This Morning, Strictly Come Dancing and a festive edition of The Great British Sewing Bee. 

What’s On recently caught up with the good doctor to talk about his upcoming (and third) appearance in panto, this time playing Spirit of the Bells at Birmingham Hippodrome...

Television medic and presenter Dr Ranj was in his 30s the first time he saw a pantomime - and immediately fell in love with its crazy Christmas spirit. He determined there and then that one day he would tread the boards in panto - and this year sees that wish come true for a third time as he stars in the Birmingham Hippodrome production of Dick Whittington.

Dr Ranj will be playing Spirit of the Bells alongside a cast including Marti Pellow as the Ratman, Matt Slack as Dick, Suzanne Shaw as Alice, Andrew Ryan as the Dame (Felicity Fitzwarren) and Doreen Tipton as Doreen the Cat.

“I love doing pantomime,” he says. “During the pandemic we missed it a lot. For me it’s a chance to experience the magical land of theatre at one of the best times of the year. Just seeing the reaction of families and kids when they come to pantomime, there’s no feeling like that, and to be part of that magical experience is really special. 

“And then I get to do it alongside an incredible cast. And to do it at the Hippodrome - that’s a dream come true. Everyone knows about the Hippodrome theatre - it’s beautiful, massive and gorgeous. Everyone says ‘If you’re going to see a pantomime, you have to go to the Birmingham one because it’s spectacular.’ So when I was asked if I would do it, I couldn’t say no.”

Dr Ranj is looking forward to joining the cast and spending time in Birmingham. “Dick Whittington is a classic pantomime, and I’m playing the ‘fairy godmother’ type of character. It will be a lot of fun. The cast are all completely new to me. Matt Slack is a legend, but I’ve never worked with him. I grew up listening to Marti Pellow - I was a massive fan of Wet Wet Wet - so it’s going to be very hard for me not to fan boy when I’m working with him.

“I love Birmingham. I’ve been to the city loads of times and have worked here too, with Birmingham Children’s Hospital. The city is a firm favourite of mine, but I’ve never got to appear at the Hippodrome before, so I can’t wait.”

It may be difficult to believe but Dr Ranj - who’s a practising doctor working in the NHS as well as a television presenter - never went to a panto as a child. “I used to go to theatre shows with school, but even then, not that often. I hadn’t actually seen a pantomime until I was a grown-up. I was in my 30s! I went to see one that my friend was in, in Horsham. I remember watching it and thinking ‘This is fantastic, one day I want to do panto!” And five or six years later, lo and behold, I ended up doing a panto and absolutely loved it.

“Everything about pantomime was completely new to me. I was coming at it as a grown-up, learning all about this weird and wonderful world, all its traditions - but this is the beauty of it. As much as kids love it, as a grown-up coming into it brand new, I absolutely loved it too. I got it; I understood why everyone loves it so much. And panto is for everyone - that’s the best part.”

Dr Ranj first became a favourite with TV viewers via his CBeebies’ series Get Well Soon and Get Well Soon Hospital. Then, in 2018, he competed in Strictly Come Dancing with partner Janette Manrara and joined the Strictly tour in 2019. Other television appearances include This Morning, the Christmas special of The Great British Sewing Bee, Dr Ranj: On Call and Cooking With The Stars.

With such a varied career, he knows his fellow cast members will have plenty of material for the personalised jokes which make up so much of the entertainment of pantomime. “Matt Slack has already warned me that he’s going to be poking fun at me, but luckily I have thick skin! I’m sure they’re going to pick up on my medical stuff and me being a doctor, so I’m fully prepared for a lot of doctor jokes. They’re probably also going to poke fun at me doing Strictly. But it’s all in good spirit and done as friendly banter. As long as it gives people a laugh, I don’t mind.”

Having come to theatre via television, Dr Ranj has realised that being on stage has its own particular challenges - especially in pantoland... “You never quite know what’s going to happen with pantomime, so you’ve got to be flexible and dynamic. Once you get into the swing of a show and understand it, I think that becomes a little bit easier because you can then vibe and riff off each other. It keeps you on your toes, but that’s part of the excitement, and part of the enjoyment for the audience.

“I always find learning lines challenging. It takes me a bit longer to get things into my head. And for me, because I’ve not trained as a theatre performer and am very much coming at it from the outside, I know I’ve got a lot more to do in many ways, but I take it as an opportunity to learn from the people I’m on stage with.”

Dr Ranj is remaining tight-lipped about whether he will be tripping the light fantastic in Dick Whittington - although he would be more than happy to pull on his dancing shoes. “I’d love to do a bit of dancing in the show. It’s a great way to keep fit. In the past, I’ve looked forward to panto because I can get fit, and then, over Christmas, eat what I like. Dancing would certainly get me ready for Christmas Day!”

Dick Whittington runs at Birmingham Hippodrome from Sat 17 December to Sun 29 January

By Diane Parkes