Romesh Ranganathan and Sally “Traffic” Boazman are both BBC Radio 2 icons – Romesh a comedian-turned-radio presenter, and Sally a traffic reporter. But in a shock move, the pair ditched the talk show studio to perform in the BBC’s Piano Room, daring to cover one of pop’s greatest hits despite having next to no musical training or talent at all!
This moment could have ended in absolute chaos, but Romesh and Sally’s performance reveals the very magic that makes these two presenters such stand-out stars in the eyes of the British public.
With more than 38,000 views to date, Music Man readers can watch the disaster unfold in the video above…
It’s easy to suppose that playing pop hits requires little talent, unlike dabbling in the complex realms of jazz and classical music. But as soon as Romesh and Sally find themselves on the other side of the studio glass, they make it clear how tricky music truly is, especially if you’ve been thrown in at the deep end.
Romesh sits at the piano while Sally takes the mic, about to gobsmack fans with one of the most unique covers of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up” that the world has ever heard.
A fellow BBC presenter introduces the pair by saying, “They’ve worked, they’ve studied really hard,” sparking nervous laughter from Romesh and Sally, who promptly dive into their rendition.
Romesh hits the keys like a primary school piano student, stammering out simple chords to a basic beat whilst using every ounce of his concentration. Meanwhile, Sally sings with the confidence of someone who’s spent their life behind the mic, albeit chatting rather than singing, yet all those years of experience can’t help her stay in tune as she reads Rick Astley’s lyrics off a printed sheet, turning their performance into a hilariously strange karaoke-style set.
A pro guitarist playing alongside them desperately tries to hold the chaos together, lending melodic riffs to the cover while trying not to break down in laughter at the live disaster he’s starring in.
Make sure you don’t miss Sally jumping into the chorus far too soon, quickly reverting to the correct lyrics in a side-splitting moment, or Romesh muddling up his chords before the second verse hits, tearing up the flow of their cover!
Despite how their cover turned out, fans have been handing it to Romesh and Sally for taking on such a difficult musical challenge and turning it into comedy gold; the pair stepping leagues outside of their comfort zones and realizing that music isn’t all about perfection, but about entertaining the masses, no matter how basic their musical talent might be.
One top commenter even noticed, “Oh bless, [Sally] looks like she’s reading a traffic report in great detail! I adore these two as a partnership, very funny people both.”