Romesh Ranganathan’s short film seems to have taken its inspiration from Dapper Laughs. Ranganathan plays a geeky guy on a first date at a bowling alley getting advice from his laddish alter ego, also played by RR, who mocks him for being such a hopeless nerd and suggests he try a bit more banter. Of course, apart from the premise Rom Com is not remotely like Dapper Laughs. This is actually funny, as we see how the date went in flashback alongside a nice montage of previous dates – RR, by the way, can do a mean robot dance.  

There is nothing particularly original here. Even the title is the title of an old Ranganathan stage show. But it is a great showcase for his acting talents as he gets to play two different personae (he’s also due to appear in House of Fools soon). Aisling Bea is also a lot of fun as his girlfriend, although whenever I watch her I can’t help thinking the producers have said “get me a younger, cheaper Sharon Horgan”. There is a delicious pay-off for both of them though, which ties things up in a neat little romantic bow and will probably prevent Rom Com from becoming a lad-friendly ITV2 series. 

Watch Funny Valentines – Romesh Ranganathan: Rom Com here.