Must Watch reviews: Colin from Accounts

Every week, the Must Watch podcasters review the biggest TV and streaming shows.

This week, Hayley Campbell and Scott Bryan join Naga Munchetty to review Australian comedy ‘Colin from Accounts’.

The much-loved comedy is back for a second season after the BBC acquired rights to the show earlier this year.

Created, written by and starring Patrick Brammall and Harriet Dyer, the eight-part series centres on their characters, Ashley and Gordon, two single(ish), complex humans who are brought together by a car accident and an injured dog.

‘There is no joke that’s too gross for them’

Naga: “I've heard so much about Colin from Accounts, and I think I'd seen before now about three or four minutes of it and I never really got it. I was talking to one of my friends, she just went, ‘I really like it because it's just like hanging out with friends’. Now I get it. I do get it.

“So, Hayley, is it a Must Watch?”.

Hayley: “Absolutely. It was in the first season and it is now. I love the fact that the two leads and the creators of the show are actually married in real life. It's Harriet Dyer and Patrick Brammall. I think the fact that they're married leads to this obviously very easy, believable chemistry.

“But also there is no joke that's too gross for them because they live together. There's a lot of toilet humour in this, which is my favourite. I also love how Australian it is. It's incredibly ‘sweary’, but in that Aussie way where it's more like punctuation than anything actually offensive.

“This new season has all sorts of new problems and twists. It's going in an unexpected direction but I think if you like shows like Catastrophe or Starstruck, you will love this. Like you were saying, it's one of those shows that you hear people talking about all the time, and I think you just fall in love with it very easily.

“[Looks at Scott…] Are you going to tell me I'm crazy now?”.

‘It’s a rebellion against a conventional rom-com’

Scott: “No! I would also say this is a Must Watch. They’re married in real life. It makes the show feel completely realistic.

“Colin From Accounts is also a bit of a rebellion against a traditional rom-com while still being very much a rom-com. And I think the other reason why it works, is just the fact that it is a continuation of something that has been happening on TV quite recently, which is a show in which the people who are starring in it also write it.

“‘Baby Reindeer’ stars and is written by Richard Gadd. Michaela Coel writes and stars in ‘I May Destroy You’ and Patrick and Harriet write and star in Colin From Accounts. It gives these shows an edge because it feels intrinsically personal.”

All episodes of ‘Colin from Accounts’ are now available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Must Watch is released as a podcast every Monday evening on BBC Sounds and all other podcast providers.

This week the team also reviewed ‘Kaos’ and ‘The Zelensky Story’, click here to listen to the latest episode.