A COMEDIAN and television star says he had to convince his own mum to get the Covid-19 jab amid fears and disinformation.

Romesh Ranganathan joined a celebrity campaign calling on people from ethnic minorities to get their vaccine for coronavirus.

The Crawley comedian, who used to be a teacher at the town's Hazelwick School, even had to convince his own mother who had doubts about the safety of the vaccine.

It comes amid fears that wrong information and conspiracy theories are spreading among some people from Black and Asian community.

Last year official statistics showed black and Asian people were more likely to die from Covid-19 than white people.

Key workers queueing to get the coronavirus vaccine outside Sussex House in Brighton, January 2, 2020

Key workers queueing to get the coronavirus vaccine outside Sussex House in Brighton, January 2, 2020

So father-of-three Mr Ranganathan, 42, has joined other prominent celebrities such as journalist Rageh Omaar and comedian Meera Syal.

He admitted that he was shocked to have to convince his mother Shanthi Ranganathan about the safety of the jab.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Mr Ranganathan said: “Yeah, well, my mum’s a key worker and where she works, it’s a lot of people from South Asian backgrounds.

“And so my brother and I are obviously very worried about her and then we just assumed that she was going to be willing and ready to take the vaccine.

“And then when it came down to us actually discussing it with her, she said, ‘I’ve actually got some doubts.’

Undated BBC Handout Photo from Asian Provocateur. Pictured: Romesh Ranganathan with a monster truck. See PA Feature TV Ranganathan. Picture Credit should read: PA Photo/BBC/BENJAMIN GREEN. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature TV

Undated BBC Handout Photo from Asian Provocateur. Pictured: Romesh Ranganathan with a monster truck. See PA Feature TV Ranganathan. Picture Credit should read: PA Photo/BBC/BENJAMIN GREEN. WARNING: This picture must only be used to accompany PA Feature TV

“And so, it took us by surprise, but we sort of were able to talk to her about and explain the various issues and now she feels okay to take it.

“It just feels so heart-breaking to me that people from ethnic minorities are inflicting a degree of separation upon themselves from not trusting in this, and I understand all the reasons why – I've heard all the arguments.

“But I just feel so strongly that we need to make sure we dispel some of these myths, so that people are getting involved and we can get ourselves out of this pandemic.”

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The advert appeared on ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and on Sky before 10pm on Thursday.

Adil Ray, a TV writer who started the campaign, told Sky News: “Even if it makes one person get the Covid-19 vaccine, then we’ve made a difference.”

26/03/19 PA File Photo of Romesh Ranganathan performs during the Teenage Cancer Trust comedy night, at the Royal Albert Hall, London. See PA Feature SHOWBIZ TV Ranganathan. Picture credit should read: Matt Crossick/PA Photos. WARNING: This picture must on

26/03/19 PA File Photo of Romesh Ranganathan performs during the Teenage Cancer Trust comedy night, at the Royal Albert Hall, London. See PA Feature SHOWBIZ TV Ranganathan. Picture credit should read: Matt Crossick/PA Photos. WARNING: This picture must on

Mr Ranganathan started his comedy career while still being a mathematics teacher. He has appeared on television programmes such as The Apprentice and Have I Got News For You.

In 2015, he presented a series for BBC Three called Asian Provocateur, in which he travelled to Sri Lanka to explore his ancestral country.

More recently, his latest series of The Ranganation has appeared on our screens and is available to view on iPlayer.