10 April 2024 – Handsome, pretentious, cringy. He means well, but his earnestness sometimes doesn’t land, particularly with Nina – he believes autism is a superpower but doesn’t know much more about it. He knows Nina and Evie are close but hasn’t yet worked out that Evie is putting on a cool girl act. When Evie’s with him she joins him at art exhibitions and slam poetry nights (but, in truth, Evie loves reality TV and takeaways!).

Tell us about your character Ranesh?

Ranesh is a people pleaser. He is also, in equal measures, oblivious to if his attempts at people pleasing work or not. He is quite a childlike person with a very positive aspect on everything – I would like to think I share some of those qualities! He is someone who is very optimistic, I think, and I hope people gain as much enjoyment from watching him as I have playing him.

Ranesh feels like an outsider at the beginning of the show, how do we see his relationship with Evie’s family develop throughout the series?

I suppose with Evie, it’s almost like puppy love, in some ways, that’s how it comes across. They do genuinely love each other. I think they found a certain bond with one another, a connection where they can just be themselves. With Nina and the rest of the family, Ranesh is someone who will work hard for you to find him loveable. Without giving too much away, those attempts work to various degrees and some members of the family take longer to get to that point than others do.

Ranesh has a strained relationship with his father, how much does that play into his character and behaviour?

As for his relationship with his Dad, I think he spent his entire life seeking the approval of his father and that’s dictated who he is in many ways. Something that he now, having failed to do so with his Dad, is trying to seek approval with everyone else in his life. Again, to various levels of success.

Ranesh rushes into marrying Evie after only 3 months. What’s the most impulsive thing you’ve ever done?

I’ve never done anything as impulsive as rushing to get married but where I used to live, there used to be a lake and there was a nice fishing spot for a lot of people. To get to the fishing spot you had to cross this stone bridge, it was only small, maybe about 50, 60 steps to get there. I decided in between jobs that my housemate, who was a special effects make-up artist, put me in a costume to make me look like a troll. She put me in a blonde wig, I looked like Rod Stewart! I had a fake nose too. I would go every morning and hide behind the bushes at the foot of the bridge and when someone would walk through and reach halfway I would just jump out and scare them. I would say to them ‘If you want to pass the bridge, you have to pay the price’. I’d then ask them a question, it would usually be movie trivia, and if they got it right, they could pass. Sometimes even if they didn’t, I’d let them pass, and we built up a nice community. Des O’Connor was one of the people that used to fish there – randomly. So, that was quite impulsive when I left that, but it was also quite impulsive me doing it in the first place.

What was your first impression of the script and what made you want to be involved in the show?

When I first read the script, I found it to be funny, of course, and really grounded and human. I think there are characters in this show that people will watch and think ‘Yeah, I’m like that person’. There are other characters who are more heightened, with the volume button dialled up, who I think people will watch and think ‘I know someone like that’. That for me was a really appealing part of the show. At the same time, I’ve always wanted to be part of a comedy series so that was a big, big factor for me. Rosalie Clayton, our casting director, as well as being a lovely person is very good at what she does. So, her involvement acted as a sign of quality I think, of what the show could be. Then I met Niamh our director, and I knew this was a team that really cared about telling the story and telling it well.

Do you have a favourite moment or scene within the series?

The engagement party was a lot of fun to do. We were in a very hot venue, with a lot of bodies there, so that kind of made it a little tougher than you would expect. It was just nice to be in the company of such a great cast who were all really firing on all cylinders, and it was hard to keep a straight face with some of the lines that were coming up throughout the scene.

What have you enjoyed the most about working on Dinosaur?

I’ve really enjoyed the collaborative feel of everything. Just the opportunity to play and create and work with such a talented bunch of people – it’s been a lot of fun. I think this for me, from every side, has been the best cast I’ve ever worked with. Every member of the cast has been firing on all cylinders, there are no egos, we’re just coming in and wanting to tell a good story. It is very much a collaboration, there is this feeling when we come in where we can just be open with ideas, even if it’s for other people, and we know it’s for the better of the show.

Were there any funny stories from filming?

It’d be hard for me to repeat some of those stories! However, I will say that David Carlyle is so brilliant in this show. He plays Bo, Evie and Nina’s brother, and I don’t think he realises how funny he is. There are moments throughout the scenes where he’ll be delivering a line in a certain way and I’m really finding it tough not to break out laughing. He’s so so funny in this. Some of my standout memories have been working with him and just watching him in action.

How do you think audience will react to the show?

I think audiences around the world will enjoy this show because there is something for everyone. It is a very funny script and is silly at times but there’s also a lot of heart and a lot of warmth to it as well. I would say that there is a running theme of that sense of belonging, of people wanting to belong. I think audiences will identify with that because at some stage in our lives we’ve all wanted that sense and urge of belonging so that’s a big key theme within this. There is also that sense of just wanting to be wanted and I think that’s a big theme in the show as well.

Three words to sum up Dinosaur?

Very rib tickling… although rib tickling might be one word with a hyphen, so I’d say rib hyphen tickling!