Romesh Ranganathan is back as Jonathan in the BBC sitcom, Avoidance.
As the title suggests, Jonathan is not someone who wants to confront things head-on.
Created by Ranganathan and Benjamin Green, who also directs, can we expect more evasive action in series two?
The strapline for the show states: “If series one was about a break-up and rebuilding a broken home, series two is about falling in love, messy reconciliation and a baby.”
Who is in the cast of Avoidance?
Romesh Ranganathan plays Jonathan
Ranganathan, initially known for his stand-up comedy, has seen his career expand into presenting and acting.
He has been a regular panellist on The Apprentice: You’re Fired!, Play to the Whistle, and The Museum of Curiosity.
In 2020, he won the Bafta TV Award for Best Features for The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan. In 2021, he went on to win the Bafta TV Award for Best Entertainment Performance for The Ranganation.
In 2023, he won the Audio and Radio Industry Award for Best Specialist Music Show for his weekly BBC Radio 2 show, For The Love of Hip-Hop.
He also has a podcast, hosts The Weakest Link, and has ventured into writing for children with Lil’ Muffin Drops the Mic.
Later this month Ranganathan will take over the BBC 2 Saturday morning show (10am-1pm) which was left vacant after Claudia Winkleman stepped down in March to spend more time with her family. His first show will be on 20 April.
Series two of Avoidance was written by Ranganathan, Benjamin Green and Jessica Knappett.
Jessica Knappett plays Claire, Jonathan’s ex-partner
Comedian, actress, and writer Knappett created, wrote, executive produced, and starred in the hilarious sitcom Drifters (2013-16). The original E4 comedy was repeated on Channel 4 and ran for four seasons.
She said the series, in which she played the character Meg, was semi-autobiographical.
Knappett has appeared as Lisa in The Inbetweeners film and had parts in the Alan Partridge Movie Alpha Papa and the TV film Irreversible.
On the airwaves, she played Carly in the BBC Radio 4 comedy series Shedtown alongside Johnny Vegas.
Lisa McGrillis plays Courtney the wife of Jonathan’s sister, Dan
Lisa McGrillis’s career began with a string of theatre productions, including The Pitman Painters in 2007.
She went on to perform in Much Ado About Nothing at Shakespeare’s Globe in 2011 as Margaret the maid. When the show’s star, Eve Best, fell ill, McGrillis stepped in to play Beatrice. #
Other appearances include with Russell Tovey in The Pass at the Royal Court in 2014.
On TV she the played the character DS Rachel Coles in Inspector George Gently and performed opposite Lesley Manville in the BBC sitcom, Mum. Other roles include in the 2020 BBC sitcom, King Gary, and in the Channel 4 drama Deadwater Fell.
The cast also includes:
- Mandeep Dhillon as Dan (Jonathan’s sister)
- Kieran Logendra as Spencer (Jonathan and Claire’s son)
- Matthew Lewis as Brett
- Aisling Bea as Megan
Where was Avoidance filmed?
Among the locations for the series are:
Bracknell
In the first episode of the first series Bracknell and in particular, the cafe next to the bus station was spotted.
Bracknell News reported at the time that “‘Bus Station Cafeteria Ltd’ was first seen three minutes 17 seconds into the first episode where the main character, Jonathan, is having breakfast with his son Spencer.”
The cafe would go on to make regular appearances throughout series one.
Berkhamstead
Scenes were also shot around this Hertfordshire location, again for the first series.
According to Herts Live, photos showed camera crews up and down the High Street.
Shooting also took place outside the Fred & Ginger Coffee along Berkhamsted High Street, as well as by a barber shop.
How many episodes of Avoidance are there?
In series one of Avoidance, there were six episodes.
Series two will also have six episodes.
Each episode is half an hour long.
Ranganathan said of the new series: “I think with series two the big change…is that Jonathan thinks he has made improvements – he is still the avoidant character that he always was but he’s tried to make changes and improve himself.
“Whether those improvements have made any real difference remains a source of debate between Jonathan and the other characters in the show!”
How can I watch Avoidance?
Episode one will air on Friday 5 April at 9.30pm on BBC One.
All six episodes will be available as a boxset on BBC iPlayer.
You can also catch up on season one on BBC iPlayer.
Click here for episode one of series one.
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