Stretching IT OUT
Romesh Ranganathan returns as the conflictaverse (and Lycra-loving) Jonathan, navigating single life in this sitcom’s second run…
At the end of the last series, Jonathan told Claire he didn’t want to get back together – and a year later, he regrets his decision and is trying to improve himself,” explains series co-creator Romesh Ranganathan, who plays Jonathan alongside Jessica Knappet as his ex, Claire. “The other big thing is that his sister Dan and her partner Courtney [Mandeep Dhillon and Lisa McGrillis] are having a baby, while Jonathan and Claire’s son Spencer [Kieran Logendra] remains the most settled and stable character…”
So, as Jonathan embraces a new-found fondness for Lycra and daily affirmations while remaining hopeless at tackling tricky situations in an assertive fashion, Romesh and Jessica tell Inside TV more…
Hello, both! How does it feel to be back?
Jessica Having new faces joining us [Matthew Lewis as Claire’s new love interest and Aisling Bea as Jonathan’s potential new love interest] to carry on the story has been fun. Romesh We’re very lucky to have such a brilliant cast. I constantly spend my time being intimidated by their acting abilities…
Can you relate to Jonathan and Claire?
Romesh Jonathan’s personality is similar to mine in that he’s worried about upsetting anybody, so he inadvertently upsets everybody by not being decisive. The biggest difference is he’s really into cycling… and I’m not! I’m hoping he’ll have moved beyond the Lycra stage if we do another series, though, as I look so ridiculous, it might make a comeback… Jessica The biggest thing for me is that Claire gets together with a man who is better-looking than her, and unfortunately that is my lived experience!
And what about the hilarious scene in this series’ opener at Spencer’s school charity event, where Jonathan performs to a certain track?
Jessica Romesh insisted on something musical… Romesh Jonathan is forced into a moment of desperation to win back Claire. I loved doing it the first three or four takes, but by the end, I don’t think anybody wanted to hear that song ever again!