Ranj Singh
Born
Ranjit Singh

(1979-06-26) 26 June 1979
Medway, Kent, England
Occupation(s)Doctor
Television presenter
Employer(s)ITV
NHS

Ranjit "Ranj" Singh Sangha (born 26 June 1979)[1][2] is a British doctor, television presenter, author and columnist. He is best known as a celebrity dancer on the BBC One dance series Strictly Come Dancing, and co-creating and presenting the CBeebies show Get Well Soon from 2012 to 2015. He has also worked for ITV, on This Morning, as a resident doctor from 2016 to 2021, co-hosting Save Money: Good Health with Sian Williams[3] and winning Cooking with the Stars in 2022.

Career

Singh is an NHS clinician, having trained in London and worked in several hospitals as a specialist in paediatric emergency medicine.[4] Singh became a member of The Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health in 2007.

His television career began in 2012, having become the presenter for Get Well Soon, a children's television show airing on CBeebies, which he co-created with Kindle Entertainment.[5][6] In 2016, the show received a children's BAFTA award in the Interactive - Adapted category.

Singh has become a prominent contributor to factual programming and documentaries, appearing on This Morning as a resident doctor and on 20 July 2018, he was a guest presenter on the show, alongside Vanessa Feltz.[7] He has also contributed to a range of other programmes such as Inside Out, 5 News and Good Morning Britain. Ranj also appears regularly on various quiz shows and celebrity specials[8] and in 2017, he won BBC's Pointless Celebrities, alongside Hilary Jones.

In August 2018, it was announced that Singh would be a contestant on the sixteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing.[9] He was partnered with Janette Manrara and was the sixth contestant to be eliminated.[10] Following his stint on Strictly, Singh became host of his own medical advice show called 'Dr Ranj:ON Call' which began airing on ITV in March 2020.[11]

Outside of his work on Television, Singh has become the author of two children's educational books: Food Fuel[12] and Skelebones,[13] a Sunday Times bestselling cookbook[14] and is a contributor and columnist for Al Jazeera, Attitude magazine and NetDoctor.[15]

During the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, Singh stepped back from his media work to focus on supporting the NHS in his role as a paediatric emergency medicine specialist.[16] During the crisis, Ranj regularly used his platform to debunk the rise in misleading information confusing parents and the general public, [17] with concern that many are being 'duped' by rumours with even celebrities sharing 'fake' information.[18]

He was one of the four competitors who took part in the Christmas special edition of The Great British Sewing Bee that was transmitted on Boxing day 2020 on BBC One. His fellow competitors in the programme were Denise Van Outen, Shirley Ballas and Sara Pascoe.

In April 2021, Singh announced he would be appearing in his own West End musical for a new one-off show called Scrubs to Sparkles,[19] following his vocal performances on television show All Star Musicals in March 2021.[20]

From August to November 2021, Singh hosted the TV series Extreme Food Phobics, in which applicants would come to cure their food phobias.

In December 2021, Singh appeared as a contestant on a Strictly Come Dancing Special that was also the first episode of the revival series of the BBC game show The Weakest Link hosted by Romesh Ranganathan.

In December 2023, he opened up about his bad mental health whilst working for This Morning. He claimed the show's 'culture' was to blame.[21]

Personal life

Singh has two brothers Harminderjit and Jaskaranjit. He grew up in an Indian traditionally Sikh household and focused on schoolwork, gaining his first GCSE at just eight years old.[22][23]

Singh married Sulvinder Samra, a pharmacist, at a traditional Sikh ceremony in Nottingham in 2005, and divorced in 2011.[24] Singh came out as gay at the age of 30 in 2009 to his wife.[25]

He has discussed his sexuality in an interview for Attitude magazine in 2015 and in 2018 fronted the cover of Gay Times magazine as part of a special 'gaysian' celebration of LGBTQ Asians.[26]

Ranj has been an advocate for LGBTQ rights, especially among minorities, and won the Attitude TV Award in 2019 where he spoke about how "People from ethnic minorities, people of colour, or LGBT people are still at a slight disadvantage" in the media.[27] He is an advocate for LGBTQ+ inclusive education.[28]

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Network Notes
2022Olivier AwardsGuest Presenter
2016–2021This MorningHimselfITVResident Doctor (57 episodes)
2022Richard Osman's House of GamesHimselfBBC Two
2020Dr Ranj:On CallHimselfITV(4 episodes)
2020Sport ReliefHimselfBBC OneSpecial
2019-presentLorraine HimselfITV(2 episodes)
2019-20Would I Lie to You?HimselfBBC One(3 episodes)
2020Celebrity MastermindHimselfBBC OneEpisode 6
2020Celebrity CatchphraseHimselfITVChristmas Special
2020Celebrity ChaseHimselfITVContestant (1 Episode)
2019Celebrity Antiques Road TripHimselfBBC One1 Episode
2018Strictly Come DancingHimselfBBC OneContestant (Eliminated Week 7)
2019 The RanganationHimselfBBC Two1 Episode
2017-18Loose WomenHimselfITV6 Episodes
2018-21Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes TwoHimselfBBC Two12 Episodes
2018Saturday Mash-Up!HimselfBBC Two & CBBC1 Episode
2018The One ShowHimselfBBC One1 Episode
2017Celebrity EggheadsHimselfBBC Two1 Episode
2012-15Get Well Soon HospitalDr RanjCBeebies15 Episodes
2016Inside OutHimselfBBC OneBBC West Midlands, Brexit Special
2012-15Get Well SoonHimselfCBeebies13 Episodes
2015The Wright StuffHimselfChannel 51 Episode
2020The Great British Sewing BeeHimselfBBC OneChristmas Special
2013This WeekHimselfBBC One1 Episode

Bibliography

Non-fiction

  • Save Money Lose Weight : London: Transworld Publishers: 2019: ISBN 9781473570726

Children's Non-fiction

  • Food Fuel, Level 9 Illustrated by David Semple : London: Oxford University Press: 2015: ISBN 9780198306429
  • Skelebones, Level 10 Illustrated by David Semple : London: Oxford University Press: 2015: ISBN 9780198306467
  • How To Grow Up Shah Rukh Khan: The No Worries Guide For BOYS: Illustrated by David O' Connell : London: Hachette Children's Group: 2021: ISBN 9781526362957

Awards

Year Award Category Result
2019 Attitude Awards Shah Rukh Khan Won
2018 British Academy Children's Awards Pre-School Live Action - Get Well Soon Hospital Won
2016 British Academy Children's Awards Interactive: Adapted - Get Well Soon Hospital App Won

References

  1. ↑ "Dr Ranj's Top Ten Questions And Answers". mumazine.com. 6 June 2016. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 7 November 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  2. ↑ @thismorning (26 June 2018). "After we caught you dressed like this in the studio, we're imagining you're going to have a good night!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  3. ↑ Nisbet, Megan (29 July 2018). "Dr Ranj real life uncovered away from ITV's This Morning". OK! magazine.
  4. ↑ The Guardian (4 July 2018). "Confessions from A&E: Peppa Pig, the unsung hero of paediatric medicine - video". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  5. ↑ "Get Well Soon". CBeebies. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  6. ↑ "Dr Ranj Singh talks about his new CBeebies show, Get Well Soon". BBC Media Centre. 7 September 2012. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  7. ↑ Hughes, Roxanne (20 July 2018). "Vanessa Feltz STUNNED at Dr Ranj outburst as she admits fears for show". Daily Express.
  8. ↑ IMDb. "Ranj Singh". IMDb. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  9. ↑ "Dr Ranj Singh is the seventh celebrity contestant confirmed for Strictly Come Dancing 2018". BBC Media Centre. 16 August 2018. Retrieved 30 August 2018.
  10. ↑ "Dr Ranj Singh becomes the sixth celebrity to leave Strictly". BBC Blogs. 4 November 2018. Retrieved 7 November 2018.
  11. ↑ Molina-White, Lidia. "Dr Ranj: On Call – Everything you need to know". Radio Times. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  12. ↑ Singh, Ranj; Semple, David (illustrator) (26 March 2015). Food Fuel. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0198306429.
  13. ↑ Singh, Ranj; Semple, David (illustrator) (26 March 2015). Skelebones. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0198306467.
  14. ↑ Penguin Books. "Save Money Lose Weight by Dr. Ranj Singh". Penguin Random House Canada. Retrieved 13 April 2020.
  15. ↑ Singh, Ranj. "Dr Ranj Singh". NetDoctor. Hearst UK. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  16. ↑ Harvey-Jenner, Catriona. "Famous faces who have stepped up to work during the coronavirus crisis". nz.news.yahoo.com. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  17. ↑ Singh, Dr Ranj. "Doctor's Note: Coronavirus myths and misconceptions". www.aljazeera.com.
  18. ↑ Hodge, Lisa (3 April 2020). "TV Doctor warns parents not to be 'duped' over virus child separation fears". dailyrecord. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  19. ↑ Tutton, Charlotte (15 April 2021). "This Morning's Dr Ranj Singh teams up with The Chase's Jenny Ryan for new show". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  20. ↑ Tutton, Charlotte (21 March 2021). "All Star Musicals fans 'speechless' over Dr Ranj's 'unexpected' singing talent". mirror. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  21. ↑ https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-67704005.amp
  22. ↑ BBC. "BBC One - Strictly Come Dancing - Dr Ranj Singh". BBC. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  23. ↑ @DrRanj (2 February 2021). "I have a complex relationship with my Indian farming heritage ..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  24. ↑ Adejobi, Alicia (30 November 2018). "Dr Ranj responds to ex father-in law about him coming out as gay". Metro. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  25. ↑ "Strictly's Dr. Ranj Singh: 'Coming out as gay to my wife was hard, but telling my family was another level'". Attitude.co.uk. 5 November 2018. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  26. ↑ Connolly, William J (20 November 2018). "Dr Ranj Singh Gaysians cover interview: "As queer Asians, we have so much to offer ourselves and to the wider world"". Gay Times.
  27. ↑ Attitude (9 October 2019). "Attitude TV Award: Dr Ranj Singh". Attitude.co.uk. Archived from the original on 12 April 2020. Retrieved 12 April 2020.
  28. ↑ Wareham, Jamie. "Dr Ranj's Personal Reason For Supporting LGBT Inclusive Education". Forbes. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
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