Comedian and broadcaster Romesh Ranganathan is set to make his West End debut this year in the major new revival of Alan Ayckbourn’s Woman in Mind.
Woman in Mind will play the Duke of York’s Theatre in London from 9 December 2025 to 28 February 2026.
Romesh Ranganathan will play Dr Bill Windsor in the comedy, joining already announced stage and screen star Sheridan Smith as Susan in the West End this Christmas.
Following the West End, the production will tour to Sunderland (4 to 7 March 2026) and Glasgow (10 to 14 March 2026).
Romesh Ranganathan is an acclaimed comedian, host and broadcaster, including Sky’s A League of Their Own, The Weakest Link, and his own BBC Radio 2 show. He has also hosted the TV BAFTAs and narrated a number of documentaries.
Romesh Ranganathan said in a statement: “I’m honoured to be stepping onstage in a play for the first time (since primary school) alongside the incredible Sheridan Smith and company. It’s very much a mix of feeling excited about such an amazing experience as well as a real rich vein of extreme nerves. Alan Ayckbourn’s Woman in Mind is an amazing play and I look forward to helping to bring it to life. I’m also playing a doctor which means that my mum might finally feel something approaching pride.”
Full cast announced
The full cast has also been announced for Woman in Mind.
Joining Sheridan Smith and Romesh Ranganathan in the show are: Louise Brealey (Harry Potter, HBO) as Muriel, Tim McMullan (Magpie Murders) as Gerald, Sule Rimi (Fat Ham) as Andy, Chris Jenks (Anna Karenina) as Tony, Safia Oakley-Green (Out of Darkness) as Lucy, Taylor Uttley (Beyond Paradise) as Rick, and Katie Buchholz (Witness for the Prosecution) and Michael Woolfitt (Catherine Called Birdy).
More about Woman in Mind
Alan Ayckbourn’s darkly comic masterpiece is a moving and hilarious journey through fantasy and reality, as one woman’s search for happiness takes a startling turn.
This production is directed by former Donmar Warehouse artistic director Michael Longhurst (Next to Normal), and produced by Wessex Grove and Gavin Kalin Productions.
The wider creative team for the show includes set and costume design by Soutra Gilmour, lighting design by Lee Curran, sound design by Paul Arditti and casting by Jim Carnahan CSA and Liz Fraser CSA.
Michael Longhurst is an acclaimed director, and former artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse, with his recent productions including Much Ado About Nothing at the RSC; Olivier Award winner Next to Normal (Donmar Warehouse / West End); and Second Best at Riverside Studios starring Asa Butterfield. Coming up, he is directing Relics at the Lyric Hammersmith Theatre in June 2026.
Starring Sheridan Smith
Sheridan Smith is starring as Susan in the West End production of Woman in Mind.
A double Olivier Award winner, Sheridan Smith (I Fought the Law, Cilla, Gavin & Stacey) is one of Britain’s most-loved actresses. She returns to the Duke of York’s Theatre following her triumphant run in Shirley Valentine last year.
What is Woman in Mind about?
In Woman in Mind, Susan is a frustrated housewife, married to a dull and detached vicar. One moment she’s in her suburban garden; the next, after a bump on the head, she finds herself swept into a glowing fantasy world of tennis whites, champagne, and unconditional love.
Her “perfect” family live in a stately home, adore her unconditionally, and treat her like royalty. But back in reality, Susan’s real husband condescends, her sister-in-law grates, and her estranged son can barely stand to be near her.
As her fantasy and reality blur, hilarity gives way to heartbreak — and Susan begins to realise she’s losing her grip on both worlds.
Tickets to Woman in Mind
Woman in Mind is playing the Duke of York’s Theatre in London from 9 December 2025 to 28 February 2026.
Book tickets to Woman in Mind at the Duke of York’s Theatre in London
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