If you’ve never seen “The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan”, you missed out.
The British-Sri Lankan actor is known for his deadpan, self-deprecating humour. And he can hold his own on the airwaves, too.
The 45-year-old comedian, who received the BAFTA TV Award for Best Features for “The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan” in 2020 and, in 2021, the BAFTA TV Award for Best Entertainment Performance for “The Ranganation”, is also credited as a writer and actor on BritBox’s new dramedy, “Avoidance”, where he is cast opposite Mandeep Dhillon.
Fans of “CSI: Vegas” will remember her as Allie Rajan. In the six-part series, she plays Danielle, the sister of the protagonist, Jonathan (Ranganathan).
When his partner Claire (Jessica Knappett) throws him out, Jonathan takes their son Spencer (Kieran Logendra) and moves in with his sister Danielle and her wife Courtney (Lisa McGrillis).
This series looks at how the newly separated dad navigates the challenges of having no home, no friends and no ambition.
And he avoids conflict at all costs.
Expanding on the pull of the show, Dhillon said: “‘Avoidance’ is a celebration of what it is to be a loving and sometimes dysfunctional family unit. At its centre is Jonathan, a man who has some serious avoidance issues but who is being forced to change for the sake of his son.
“I think audiences will watch it and be able to relate. It’s a fun and bitter-sweet show.”
Unpacking her character, she added: “The only thing that is similar is that we share a slight OCD for needing things to be in order. I wish I had more similarities to Dan because I admire her so much, but the truth is, I don’t.
“Dan is very mature, something that I’m still working on and she can cook up a storm in the kitchen, again, something I’m still working on!”
Of all the projects she worked on, “Avoidance” is one of her more memorable ones.
She laughed: “I can honestly say this was the most unprofessional I have ever behaved on a set before. I would get the giggles almost every day and mid-scene would just be crying with laughter, which is a testament to the other cast members because they were so funny.
“One of the funniest scenes and hardest scenes was the scene in episode 1 where you meet Dan and Courtney. Having to eat that disgusting frittata was AWFUL!
“Myself and Lisa would corpse every time it got close to me having to try some because it genuinely was disgusting to eat. I also loved filming the argument between Dan and Courtney in episode 5.”
And she had nothing but praise for her co-stars too.
“Working with Rom, Lisa, Kieran and Jess was such a joy. We really did become a family on and off set. Rom is such a talented man and the loveliest person I have ever met, we really have become brother and sister,” she shared.
“Lisa, who is now my BFF, would have me crying with laughter in a take because she is so funny. Kieran is my spirit animal, and weirdly has the same maturity level as me (he is 10, and I am 31) and Jess loves my favourite Bollywood film, ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ and would even sing along to it with me. I mean what is not to love?”
She admitted that playing an aunt came naturally as she tapped into her real-life experience.
“I am an aunt in real life and so I was able to transfer the love I have for my niece onto Spencer. I love my niece as if she were my own daughter and I have a lovely relationship with all of my aunts, so I really wanted to bring that into Dan’s world.
“As I said before, Kieran is my spirit animal, we would make up songs and raps together and play silly games. He is basically on my level, or I’m on his level, so that made it so easy for me.”
Lastly, she touched on why this series works.
“When I read the script I thought it was a perfect balance of funny, heart-warming and important. I was so happy to read a script where this beautiful blend of a family just existed without question of their race, culture and sexuality.
“These characters all accept one another just as they are, even Jonathan, who is a hot mess. It made me so happy to see a brown family on screen who represent what it is to actually be brown, and normal.”
∎ “Avoidance” is streaming on BritBox.