Crawley residents hit back at Ray Winstone's 'cheap version of Surrey' jibe on Romesh Ranganathan's podcast

Winstone – who stars in the newly released second series of The Gentlemen on Netflix – was speaking to Ranganathan on his podcast when he asked where the comedian lives, guessing North London.

Ranganathan replied: "No, Crawley."

Winstone then asked: "Near Gatwick? Is that so you can get away quickly. Who would live near Gatwick? Who in their right mind? Does that come under Surrey."

After Ranganathan explained that Crawley is on the border of Surrey, Winstone added: "A cheap version of Surrey – you haven't quite made it enough to get the big house down the road, have you."

Ranganathan responded: "F****** hell, what a take-down. In 20 seconds, you made me feel I need to speak to my therapist."

Winstone then quipped: "You need to talk to your agent."

The exchange was made in a light-hearted tone, with some Crawley residents pointing out that Winstone was simply having a joke at Ranganathan's expense.

Michael Barker said: "Winston was only having a wind up, he would have said the same thing about any other town had that town been where Romesh was from."

But others were keen to defend the town.

Jean Goodrich, from Three Bridges, has lived in Crawley in the same house since 1982.

She said: "I like it here. It's a busy town with close links to Brighton and central London, and right on the edge of wonderful forests, Tilgate and Ashdown. There's lots to do here for entertainment, especially for kids.

"I was born and lived in Islington, moving out to Croydon as an adult.

"I can walk about and socialise at night in Crawley as a lone female.

"Crawley is a great town. I don't know what all the fuss is about."

Jean also has a connection to Ranganathan's own Crawley story, with both of her sons having attended Hazelwick School, where the comedian previously worked as a teacher.

She added: "I think Crawley gets a bad rap which it doesn't deserve. I dare anyone to come and spend time in Crawley neighbourhoods, talk to people, and stop listening to silly rumours."

Elizabeth Cooper, who described herself as Mrs West Sussex and lives in Crawley, said the town's community spirit was one of its biggest strengths.

She wrote: "Crawley is filled with kind, caring people. I have never felt more of a community than in Crawley.

"Yes, we can hope for development of infrastructure over time (as every town does) but the support you see from our community is second to none, and I saw this with my bra collection campaign for domestic violence victims.

"The women (and men!) really championed this cause and together we donated 4300+ bras to victims who have almost nothing when they start anew. I love the people here."

Dawn Corrie also highlighted Crawley's green spaces and community.

She said: "I love my town it has some beautiful parks and green spaces. Surrounded by areas of woodland. But what makes it really amazing is the people it is full good caring people. You just need to give people the chance and you’ll see that."

Richard Davi took a more tongue-in-cheek view of Winstone's comments.

He said: "He's not 100% wrong... Crawley is a great place to leave from. Excellent road / rail and motorway access."

The comments came after readers were invited to respond to Winstone's assessment of Crawley following the podcast exchange.

Have your say by emails [email protected] or join the discussion on our Facebook page.

You can find The Romesh Ranganathan Show, wherever you get your podcasts – including YouTube and Spotify.