A high-flying London executive’s life is upended when she unexpectedly inherits a dilapidated farm.
When her best friend dies, high-achieving Londoner Erin (Ashley Jensen) is shocked to learn she has inherited his rural farm. Believing this to be her ticket out of the city, she arrives with plans for a quick sale. Her dream of a simple property deal is complicated when she discovers she is not the sole owner. Her friend’s handsome ex-boyfriend, Mike (Raza Jaffrey), also has a legal claim to the property and has no intention of selling. Forced into an uneasy partnership, Erin must contend with the chaos of farm life, a flock of unruly animals, and the attentions of a local vet, Kat (Sally Phillips).
This one-off romantic comedy was constructed as a classic fish-out-of-water tale. The teleplay, written by Daisy Coulam, serves primarily as a vehicle for the established screen persona of its star, Ashley Jensen. Her performance as the capable but flustered urbanite confronting rural chaos provides the programme’s comedic engine. The narrative relies on the well-established friction between metropolitan sophistication and agricultural pragmatism, pitting Erin’s designer wardrobe against the mud and mayhem of her new life. While the plot follows a predictable path, the production’s success rests on the warmth of its lead performers and the familiar comforts of the genre.
Broadcast: BBC One, 1 Episode, 21 December 2010
Written by: Daisy Coulam
Director: Mandie Fletcher
Producer: Ellen Taylor
Executive Producers: Jo Sargent, John Yorke
Main Cast: Ashley Jensen (Erin), Raza Jaffrey (Mike), Sally Phillips (Kat), Shaun Dooley (Matt), Lynda Baron (Mrs Hobbs), Jean Heywood (Olive), Sylvestra Le Touzel (Judith)
