Gordon (Brammall) is driving to work when Ashley (Dyer),who,we can ascertain in the first minutes of the series,is pining for her ex after a break-up,walks in front of his car. A wordless “no,after you” back and forth ensues between the two,and when Ashley finally crosses the road in front of Gordon’s car,she impulsively flashes her breast at him by way of a thank-you. Understandably distracted,Gordon accelerates straight into a small terrier that has wandered onto the road.
Yes,it’s something of a “meet-cute” – the term given to the plot device of quirky first encounters between two characters destined to fall in love,and a phrase,I know,that won’t do anything to persuade romcom doubters to watch – butColin From Accounts is a romance that is neither predictable nor saccharine.
Gordon’s ex-girlfriend (Annie Maynard) is a vet,so the pair take the wounded dog to be treated at her practice. But the dog is critically injured – the bill will be $12,000 and he’ll now be “high needs”. Suddenly,reluctantly,Gordon and Ashley find themselves bound together by the dog and the debt. But mostly the debt. And when Ashley is chucked out of her sharehouse by her landlord for showing up with a dog,she winds up at Gordon’s house as a temporary measure.
And while it’s obvious where this will lead our protagonists,the bumpy journey there is sharply written,delightfully delivered,and,importantly for the romcom-averse,has more in common with the Rob Delaney-Sharon Horgan seriesCatastrophethan it does withBridget Jones.
While Gordon and Ashley aren’t complete opposites – she’s a trainee doctor and he runs a hipster microbrewery – there’s an age difference,which is played for laughs (although is presumably only about 10 years),and they (and their mates) are sceptical that anything good could come of a potential relationship.