So our two goofballs are Tiffany (Jessica Brown Findlay, dressed in the most baffling series of outfits I’ve ever seen in a streaming series) and Leon (Anthony Welsh, whose career run to date – appearances in Hanna, Brassic, The Great, Master of None – really did demand a romcom lead at this exact point). Tiffy Moore needs to move out of her cheating ex-boyfriend’s apartment, but can’t afford the rent in London.

I tried to watch Danny Boyle’s Yesterday with a musician, who drowned out most of the dialogue with an excessively detailed grumble about the impracticalities of the way it portrayed recording contracts. There’s only one love scene and it’s fade to black, but the book still has a fair amount of romantic tension and some sexual tension as well. The set up was the best part; when Tiffy and Leon finally met it was a bit of a let down because their in-person interactions couldn’t possibly live up to the charming notes that they left for each other. Downton’s Jessica Brown Findlay wafts along as the aimless, amiable Tiffany, while Brassic’s Anthony Welsh broods as the uptight-with-hidden-depths Leon.Like a packet of Hunky Dorys for a hangover or a hot bubble bath after a walk in the rain, reading The Flatshare is a pleasurable, if fleeting, experience. Their lives and routines are as disparate as their personalities: Tiffy is a chaotic, impulsive, talkative girl who “panic bakes” when things get tough. Each chapter is told from the perspective of one or other of them and the reader is immediately invested in Tiffy and Leon as characters – they are both likeable and their correspondence is touching, charming and genuinely romantic at times. Klariza Clayton ( Lovesick, Skins) plays Leon’s girlfriend Kay and Gina Bramhill ( Us, Sherlock) plays Tiffany’s co-worker Rachel.

I was willing to overlook this coincidence because they were so great to Leon and Tiffy, and interesting in their own right. I'm a huge fan of television so I really have found the perfect job, as I've been writing about TV shows, films and interviewing major television, film and sports stars for over 25 years.I appreciated that we actually got to see them perform those roles in their work environments and to meet a few of the people they work with. In January 2022, Paramount+ officially commissioned the six-part series, marking the platform's first British comedy. Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties. Perhaps she has two men to choose from and one is the worst man on the face of the planet, yes, but he is sexy in quite a dangerous way? Tiffany sleeps there 8pm until 8am, then changes the sheets and leaves so Leon, tired and aching from his nightshift on a palliative care ward (he’s so nice!

Obviously, it’s a romcom, a cost-of-living cheesefest, a baked camembert served with mozzarella dippers and a parmesan crisp on the side. Tiffany immediately starts leaving her pesky lady things everywhere: candles, floral cushions and herbal teabags. There’s a subtlety to the characterization and a light touch to the novel but there’s also some emotional heft. The concept of leaving one another notes without meeting was a wonderful vehicle for a great meet-cute.After a frosty start and some misunderstandings about tidiness, etiquette and whether you should move into another person’s flat and hang a huge vagina painting on the wall, Tiffany and Leon begin to communicate flirtatiously, via Post-it notes. So when she stumbles on an ad seeking a flatmate for a one-bedroom apartment, at the very affordable rent of only 350 pounds, she’s encouraged. Playing Tiffany and Leon are Jessica Brown Findlay ( The Riot Club , Munich: The Edge of War ) and Anthony Welsh ( The Great, Fleabag ) It’ll be a definite change of bathroom size for Brown Findlay, who is best known for playing Lady Sybil Crawley in Downton Abbey. The inspiration for Beth O’Leary’s quirky and clever debut novel came from living with her doctor boyfriend while he worked nights.