Ranj Singh
Ranjit "Ranj" Singh 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 also appears on ITV This Morning, as a resident doctor, as well as co-hosting ITV Save Money: Good Health alongside Sian Williams.
Career
Singh is an NHS clinician, having trained in London and worked in several hospitals as a specialist in Paediatric Emergency Medicine 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. In 2016, the show received a children's BAFTA award in the Interactive - Adapted category.
Ranj 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.. 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 and in 2017, he won BBC's Pointless Celebrities, alongside Dr. Hilary Jones.
In August 2018, it was announced that Singh would be a contestant on the sixteenth series of Strictly Come Dancing. He was partnered with Janette Manrara and was the sixth contestant to be eliminated.. 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.
Outside of his work on Television, Singh has become the author of two children's educational books: Food Fuel and Skelebones,, a Sunday Times bestselling cookbook and is a contributor and columnist for Al Jazeera, Attitude magazine and NetDoctor.
During the 2019 Coronavirus outbreak, Dr Singh stepped back from his media work to focus on supporting the NHS in his role as a paediatric emergency medicine specialist. During the crisis, Ranj regularly used his platform to debunk the rise in misleading information confusing parents and the general public, with concern that many are being 'duped' by rumours with even celebrities sharing 'fake' information.
Personal life
Singh grew up in a traditionally Sikh household, and focused on school work gaining his first GCSE at 8 years old. Singh is gay, having come out at the age of 30 in 2009, he 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. Ranj has been an advocate for LGBTQ rights, especially among minorities, and won the Attitute TV Award in 2019 where he spoke of how "People from ethnic minorities, people of colour, or LGBTQ people are still at a slight disadvantage" in the mediaRanj was married to a woman after leaving university, but subsequently divorced.
Filmography
Television
Year | Title | Role | Network | Notes |
2016–present | This Morning | Himself | ITV | Resident Doctor |
2020 | Dr Ranj:On Call | Himself | ITV | |
2020 | Sport Relief | Himself | BBC One | Special |
2019-present | Lorraine | Himself | ITV | |
2019-20 | Would I Lie to You? | Himself | BBC One | |
2020 | Celebrity Mastermind | Himself | BBC One | Episode 6 |
2020 | Celebrity Catchphrase | Himself | ITV | Christmas Special |
2020 | Celebrity Chase | Himself | ITV | Contestant |
2019 | Celebrity Antiques Road Trip | Himself | BBC One | 1 Episode |
2018-19 | Strictly Come Dancing | Himself | BBC One | Contestant |
2019 | The Ranganation | Himself | BBC Two | 1 Episode |
2017-18 | Loose Women | Himself | ITV | 6 Episodes |
2018 | Himself | BBC Two | 11 Episodes | |
2018 | Saturday Mash-Up! | Himself | BBC Two & CBBC | 1 Episode |
2018 | The One Show | Himself | BBC One | 1 Episode |
2017 | Celebrity Eggheads | Himself | BBC Two | 1 Episode |
2012-15 | Get Well Soon Hospital | Dr Ranj | CBeebies | 15 Episodes |
2016 | Inside Out | Himself | BBC One | BBC West Midlands, Brexit Special |
2012-15 | Get Well Soon | Himself | CBeebies | 13 Episodes |
2015 | The Wright Stuff | Himself | Channel 5 | 1 Episode |
2013 | This Week'' | Himself | BBC One | 1 Episode |
Non-fiction
- Save Money Lose Weight : London: Transworld Publishers: 2019:
Children's Non-fiction
- Food Fuel, Level 9 Illustrated by David Semple : London: Oxford University Press: 2015:
- Skelebones, Level 10 Illustrated by David Semple : London: Oxford University Press: 2015:
Awards and nominations
- Winner 2019 - Attitude TV Award
- Winner 2018 - Pre-School Live Action - Get Well Soon Hospital
- Winner 2016 - Interactive: Adapted - Get Well Soon Hospital App