In this new three-part series he’s travelling way beyond his comfort zone and the world of complimentary breakfast buffets, to some of the most beautiful, but dangerous places on earth. Hosted by locals and fully immersed in the local culture, he gets an eye-opening, and at times heart-stopping, insider’s guide to countries that are big on natural beauty, character and charm.
In the first episode, Romesh gets an insider’s guide to Haiti to find out if his preconceptions about the Caribbean island are right, or if there is more to the country than the “sensational headlines” he’s seen on the news.
Everything Romesh has ever heard about Haiti has been negative. They had dictator who terrorised the island, a 2010 earthquake that crippled the country and then a devastating hurricane. That’s all before President Trump called it something unmentionable.
But are all the bad news reports fair? Does Haiti deserve its reputation? Haiti is in the middle of the Caribbean, surrounded by Cuba and Jamaica and the Dominican Republic. It should be paradise - why doesn’t anyone go there?
To find out, Romesh Ranganathan, comedian and coward, is travelling across the Atlantic to spend a week in the country. This isn’t his typical holiday destination - he avoids 'culture' and he rarely leaves the comfort of the hotel swimming pool. In almost every conceivable way he is the wrong person to send, except one - he is honest.
Landing in the Haitian capital Port au Prince, Romesh sets to work getting to grips with a country that - arguably more than any other - has suffered from a bad reputation.
Guided by his host - Peabody award-winning journalist Jeremy Dupin - Rom throws himself into Haitian life. It’s a chaotic journey that will take him from the iron market to vodou ceremonies, from cathedrals destroyed by the earthquake to the slums.
So has the world got it wrong about Haiti? But has the world got it wrong about Haiti? Romesh sets off to find out.
The Misadventures Of Romesh Ranganathan, Sundays from July 1, BBC2, 10pm.
Pictured: Romesh Ranganathan with Jeremy Dupin at Bassin Bleu, Haiti
