It's the eternal question - not, 'What's the meaning of life?' but 'What should I watch next?' Shortly followed by 'What can I watch next as that half hour palette-cleanser show I like to watch before bed?' The answer is Colin From Accounts.
If you haven't already seen it, you're in luck, there are now two seasons for you to catch up on and they are both just as good as each other.
Fans of Starstruck will love this comedy, which shares its warmth, odd meet-cute and actually believable characters, mixed with an unashamed romantic vibes with Rose Matafeo's comedy, which was also available on iPlayer and got a word-of-mouth following. And it's not just the Antipodean link.
The first season sees characters Ashley and Gordon (no, neither are called Colin) meet in a meet-cute when Ashely accidentally flashes her boob at Gordon while he's driving and he ends up running over a dog. In a twist of fate, the dog, later called Colin from Accounts, becomes their responsibility and slowly a burgeoning romance forms. The rest of the eight half-hour episodes follow the couple through a will-they, won't they arc that feels familiar enough to be comforting, but unfamiliar enough to keep your interest. And the supporting cast are hilarious and fully-rounded too.
The show was written by the stars - Harriet Dyer (who plays Ashley) and Patrick Brammall (who plays Colin) who are also a real-life couple. We don't know why this makes the show both 100 per cent more adorable, but also approximately 200 per cent funnier (especially the age-gap digs).
Comedy actors Harriet and Patrick met in August 2017 on the set of comedy series, No Activity, and in March 2021 they got married just five days after getting engaged. The couple adopted their first child, a daughter, later that year. Speaking to The Guardian about working together as husband and wife, Dyer says each season they have one 'mega fight' to 'clean the pipes – get the gunk out'. Brammall also joked, 'It’s too much time to spend with anybody, let alone your partner. For a year we’re in each other’s pockets constantly, so then we have to take care to spend time apart. Rediscover ourselves.”
The show is a full family affair - it's dedicated to Dyer's grandmother Joan and her old family films make up some of the opening titles, including a shot of her sister being knocked over by a dog.
However, the couple claim that the couple isn't just based on them.
'Not at all,' Dyer told The Sydney Morning Herald. 'We enjoy that there’s comedy in our age gap. For a minute there, he was 41 and I was 29, which is what Gordon and Ash are for most of this season. But when he was 41 and I was 29, I was like, ‘This is so f---ed up.’ There’s a whole decade between us. On paper this looks bad. We’re missing this decade where so much happens.
'I feel like I’m in my 40s by proxy and suddenly I’m drinking tea on the couch. I had a bit of a moment. I was like, ‘Do I get my 30s? What is my 30s? Do they exist?’ So that was the only thing we really wanted to steal.'
As for the second season airs in the UK, Dyer and Brammall reflect on the success of the show around the world, with fans including Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Lena Dunham, Richard Curtis and Andrew Scott. Dyer said, 'To hear that Lena and Phoebe loved it meant everything to me as a female writer and creator. They’re the cornerstone.' As for whether their global success has changed the way they approach the script - no way. 'I said no, we’ll just keep it super Australian and if people have to Google words or rewind or put on their subtitles, then they can,' said Dyer. Paraphrasing Derry Girls creator Lisa McGee at last year’s Bafta Awards she added, 'There’s a whole universe in the specific.'
Seasons one and two of Colin From Accounts are available on BBC iPlayer now.