When Nina (Ashley Storrie) meets her beloved younger sister Evie (Kat Ronney)’s new fiancé in the first episode of Dinosaur, she can predict exactly how he’ll respond as her neurodivergence comes up in conversation. “Autism is a superpower!” he trills, before launching into an irrelevant anecdote about an autistic classmate who ended up on Countdown. Cue a cataclysmic eye roll from Nina.
Dinosaur goes beyond those platitudes and stereotypes. The show started life in 2021 as a comedy pilot for the BBC, conceived by playwright Matilda Curtis; Storrie, who has autism, was cast as Nina and came on board as the show’s co-writer too. The broadcaster picked it up for a full series, and the resulting six episodes explore Nina’s close bond with Evie – and how the latter’s surprise engagement to Ranesh (Danny Ashok) threatens to upend the life the sisters share in Glasgow.
One of the ways in which Nina’s autism manifests is a reliance on routine. Her brother Bo (played by It’s a Sin’s David Carlyle) jokingly refers to her as “the most risk-averse person on the planet”. Flighty Evie’s decision to spend the rest of her life with someone she met six weeks ago means that the siblings’ rituals – like “takeaway Tuesdays” spent with Deliveroo and The Real Housewives – are under threat. But a chance meeting with her new barista Lee (Lorn Macdonald) encourages Nina to slowly embrace a bit of change: whether that’s by braving the horror that is a work team-building outing to a bowling alley, or by giving Ranesh the benefit of the doubt.
The first episode takes a little while to get into gear. When Evie arrives at the museum where Nina works to drop her big sparkly wedding bombshell (she is a palaeontologist who loves nothing more than cataloguing prehistoric poo, hence the show’s title), it’s possible to predict stretches of dialogue beat for beat. Of course, Evie’s going to take a “dramatic pause” before sharing her news, then ponder how long said dramatic pause is meant to be. Of course, Nina’s going to respond with “To who?” when Evie tells her she’s engaged.
Duty bound: Nina, left, is recruited as Evie’s maid of honour (BBC/Two Brothers Pictures/Mark Mainz)
But when the big plot points have been set up, Dinosaur finds its stride as a character-driven comedy. Nina’s parents Diane and Ade, played by Sally Howitt and Greg Hemphill, are a delight (“Our son-in-law, a creative strategist,” Diane coos upon hearing Evie’s news). Her future brother-in-law Ranesh is cringe-inducing: he’s the sort of person who bangs on about the pasta recipe he learned on a trip to “Firenze” and exclaims “Glass ceiling, who?” when a woman gets promoted at work. But despite the garbled internet speak, Ashok plays him as fundamentally well-intentioned, even when he wears a horrible cowboy hat-trilby hybrid to a party (grounds to call off a wedding immediately in my book).
Once she’s anointed as Evie’s maid of honour, Nina’s begrudging forays into the wedding industrial complex will prompt snorts of recognition from anyone who’s ever been added to a hen do WhatsApp group under duress.
“If Patrick Dempsey can do a good job for the first half of the 2008 romcom Made of Honour before he ruins the wedding, then so can I,” she tells herself – although a near-catastrophic engagement drinks do and a bridesmaid dress fitting that triggers sensory overload will push her good intentions to the limit. And Evie’s confession about why she said “yes” raises more serious questions about how we value women’s achievements: “Everyone’s really proud of me and I’ve never had that before,” she admits, admitting she wants to “hold on to it as long as possible”. Nina ponders her sister’s point before asking if she’d choose Ranesh over being friends with Taylor Swift. It’s a lovely balance of the silly and the heartfelt – just like Storrie and Curtis’s show.
‘Dinosaur’ is on BBC One and iPlayer
From news to politics, travel to sport, culture to climate – The Independent has a host of free newsletters to suit your interests. To find the stories you want to read, and more, in your inbox, click here.
News Related
-
Asylum seekers travel in an inflatable boat across the English Channel, bound for Dover on the south coast of England (Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP) Up to 40 Conservative MPs are poised to rebel over Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation policy as they question ministers’ commitment to the scheme. A major row is ...
See Details:
Up to 40 Tory MPs ‘set to rebel’ if Sunak’s Rwanda plan doesn’t override ECHR
-
In the saltmarsh fringing where the Ballyboe River dissolves into Trawbreaga Bay, a little egret wears its plumage like a windblown stole. Our car swoops across the 10 arches of Malin bridge and we park along the village green. Malin is almost as far north as you can get on ...
See Details:
Country diary: A tale of three churches
-
Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/EPA Hampton Court is an enduring monument to the power of Henry VIII, a pleasure palace down the Thames from Westminster and the City of London. On Monday it was the scene of power projection of a different kind, as Rishi Sunak pitched for investment from some of ...
See Details:
Sunak woos business elite with royal welcome – but they seek certainty
-
-
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to bring an overseas defender to the Premier League in January, according to a fresh report. Postecoglou’s centre-back options The Lilywhites currently have Micky Van De Ven, Ashley Phillips, Cristian Romero and Eric ...
See Details:
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January
-
A £100m campaign urging households and businesses to use less water will be funded from customers’ bills, Ofwat has said. Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign The regulator’s chief executive David Black told MPs that if the measures worked it would be cheaper than building ...
See Details:
Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign
-
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football – FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – Group B – Canada Training – Olympic Park, Melbourne, Australia – July 24, 2023 Canada’s Christine Sinclair during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo (Reuters) – BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, will be renamed “Christine Sinclair ...
See Details:
Soccer-Venue renamed 'Christine Sinclair Place' for Canada soccer great's final game
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Phil Taylor makes his pick for 2024 World Darts Championship winner
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Soccer-Howe aims to boost Newcastle's momentum in PSG clash
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Hamilton heads for hibernation with a word of warning
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Carolina Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich after 1-10 start to the season
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
This exercise is critical for golfers. 4 tips to doing it right
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
One in three households with children 'will struggle to afford Christmas'
-
OTHER NEWS
Kobbie Mainoo made his first start for Man Utd at Everton (Photo: Getty) The Football Association are reportedly confident that Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo will choose to represent England ...
Read more »
Michael Smith will begin the defence of his world title on the opening night (Picture: Getty Images) The 2024 World Darts Championship is less than three weeks away and the ...
Read more »
For the first time a long haul commercial aircraft is flying across the Atlantic using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A long haul commercial flight is flying to the US ...
Read more »
The King has met business and finance leaders from across the world at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the conclusion of the UK’s Global Investment Summit. Charles was introduced ...
Read more »
After Ohio State’s 30-24 loss to Michigan Saturday, many college football fans were wondering where Lou Holtz was. In his postgame interview after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 17-14 in ...
Read more »
Darius Slay wouldn’t have minded being penalized on controversial no-call No matter which team you were rooting for on Sunday, we can all agree that the officiating job performed by ...
Read more »
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) Quarterback Mac Jones remains committed to finding success with the New England Patriots even though his future is up in the air following ...
Read more »