Avoidance: Romesh Ranganathan BBC sitcom release date, trailer, and cast with Jessica Knappett

Avoidance, a new sitcom written by and starring Romesh Ranganathan, is starting on BBC One on Friday 10 June.

The series, which also stars Jessica Knappett and Mandeep Dhillon, is about a man with severe conflict avoidance issues who’ll do anything to avoid acknowledging that his wife is leaving him.

Here’s everything you need to know about Avoidance.

What is it about?

Husband and wife Jonathan and Claire are splitting up – or, at least, Claire is trying to split up with Jonathan, who insists that their issues will resolve themselves if they just wait a little while longer.

To avoid telling their son Spencer about their divorce, Jonathan takes Spencer to stay with his sister Danielle and her wife Courtney, hoping that’ll make it easier to avoid confront any issues.

In the end, of course, it only creates more problems – which Jonathan tries as hard as he can not to acknowledge.

Who stars in Avoidance?

Romesh Ranganathan plays Jonathan, a debilitatingly conflict-averse individual. Ranganathan is probably best-known as a stand-up comedian, both as a regular guest on panel shows like Rob & Romesh Vs and Have I Got News for You, and as host of programmes like The Weakest Link and The Ranganation. As an actor, he’s appeared in Casualty, Cinderella (2021), and sitcoms King Gary and The Reluctant Landlord.

Jessica Knappett plays Claire, Jonathan’s soon to be ex-wife. Knappett is another popular comedian, appearing on shows like 8 Out of 10 Cats and Taskmaster, as well as in comedies like Ghosts and Drifters.

Mandeep Dhillon plays Danielle, Jonathan’s sister. Dillon is probably best known for appearing in prominent transphobe Ricky Gervais’ Netflix sitcom After Life, but you might also know her from Some Girls, 24: Live Another Day, and Peacock. She was also really good in sci-fi noir The City and The City.

Lisa McGrillis plays Courtney, Danielle’s wife. McGrillis has previously appeared in series like Mum, King Gary, and No Offence.

Kieran Logendra plays Jonathan’s son Spencer in his first television role.

Who writes and directs Avoidance?

Romesh Ranganathan has written and co-created the series with Ben Green, his regular producing partner on shows like Asian Provocateur and Just Another Immigrant. Ranganathan has previously written the sitcom The Reluctant Landlord (in which he also starred), and is currently writing a sitcom called Romantic Getaway (in which he’ll star alongside Katherine Ryan).

Is there a trailer?

Yes, there is. You can see it right here.

When and how can I watch Avoidance?

The series begins on BBC One on Friday 10 June, with the first episode airing at 9:30pm. The series will continue airing on Friday nights each week, and every episode will also be available on BBC iPlayer as a boxset.

How many episodes is Avoidance?

There are six episodes in Avoidance, each half an hour long.

Why should I watch Avoidance?

Avoidance is one to check out if you’re a fan of Romesh Ranganathan’s comedy style – he’s said that Jonathan, the character he plays here, is loosely based on elements of his own personality.