| Worth seeing: | for its quirky Australian take on romantic comedy, which falls a little short of Season 1 but remains well above average |
| Featuring: | Harriet Dyer, Patrick Brammall, Alex Malone, Annie Maynard, Celeste Barber, Darren Gilshenan, David Roberts, Emma Harvie, Genevieve Hegney, Glenn Hazeldine, Helen Thomson, John Howard, Michael Logo, Sam Cotton, Tai Hara, Tony Llewellyn-Jones, Virginia Gay |
| Key crew: | Madeleine Dyer, Robyn Butler, Trent O'Donnell, Wayne Hope, Ian Collie, Kevin Greene, Rob Gibson, Harriet Dyer, Patrick Brammall |
| Channel: | BBC iPlayer, BBC2 |
| Length: | 28 minutes |
| Episodes: | 8 |
| Broadcast date: | 3rd September 2024 |
| Country: | Australia |
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
Young doctor Ashley (Harriet Dyer) and older brewery owner Gordon (Patrick Brammall) have recently moved in with each other to start a new life together – just the two of them – without Colin, the dog, who brought them together.
After much heart-wrenching, they did the right thing and gave him up at the end of Season 1, but they’re struggling without him and determined to get him back.
Missing Colin isn’t the only thing causing problems for this nascent relationship – there’s some unwelcome news from Gordon’s ex-girlfriend, his oaf of a brother comes to stay unexpectedly, Ashley’s mother tries to involve them in a questionable charity and their best friends are having issues of their own.
WHAT’S IT LIKE?
When we first met Colin From Accounts, a disabled dog who uses wheels for back-legs, we were getting to know the two strangers, brought together by their efforts to nurse him back to health after an accident.
It was one of the sharpest, brightest and funniest sitcoms of recent years – an unexpected low-budget Australian hit – and a lot to live up to.
The real-life-couple of Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer are back on top form in their efforts to meet their own very high standards, as writers, directors and stars of the show.
While it reaches the same heights in many respects – particularly the dry humour, sly observation and edgy undertones – the overarching narrative feels a little less focussed. Season 1 was all about how an unlikely couple came together through the love of a dog – but there’s a lot less of Colin this time around; Ashley and Gordon’s relationship is established and doesn’t always feel destined for success. While their lovers’ tiffs provide laughs, they don’t leave you with the tingly feeling in your tummy that you might expect from a rom-com.
And it feels more bitty – rather than unfolding a coherent story over eight half-hour episodes, this feels more like a compilation of random surreal encounters with supporting characters who feel confected with comic intent, rather than come across as real people, and it seems to be less about Ashley, Gordon and their dog and more about the gallery of grotesques that surround them.
But while the overall plot feels a little arch and the series doesn’t flow as well as the first, it remains well above average for the genre, still with plenty to recommend it, from the quirky Australian humour, the warmth of the central characters and the authenticity of the difficulties that life throws at you.