Accidental Farmer

Ashley Jensen plays an advertising executive who moves to the country for a variety of reasons. It's a fish-out-of-water comedy/drama. Not that it's dramatic. Or comedic. In fact, watching one of your poor little pet goldfish flailing wildly and slowly dying on your living room carpet alongside your crying infant children is funnier than this. And that's not funny at all, is it? Do you see what we're saying here?

After her stints on US sitcoms Ugly Betty and Accidentally On Purpose, Ashley Jensen is back on UK soil - in every sense.

In this comedy pilot, she stars as Erin, a high-flying control freak advertising executive whose perfect life unravels when she discovers her boyfriend is a cheating git. Drunk, hurt and in possession of his credit card, she buys herself a run-down farm in Yorkshire. As you do.

Initially, a hungover Erin wants to get out of the purchase, but when her ex mocks her ability to make it as a farmer, she decides to prove him wrong. Armed with designer wellies and hand sanitiser, she heads for a new life in the country and, hey presto, another duck-out-of-water comedy is born.

It's a slow start, not helped by the fact that Erin is a horrible cow (of the human variety). But when she meets her new octogenarian sitting tenant, Olive, things quickly pick up. Joined by a cute comedy piglet and stereotypical TV country types (bar Olive, who is wonderfully refreshing) Erin becomes softer and more likeable and the overall result turns out to be a rather jolly show.

Jensen made her name starring opposite Ricky Gervais in Extras, but don't expect anything like the same kind of edgy humour here.

Even so, this pilot shows promise so don't be surprised if the Beeb ­commissions a full series.

Ashley "Extras" Jensen returns to our screens in this 60-minute comedy with a speculative but entertaining plot. In it Jensen is a London ad exec who discovers her boyfriend is sleeping with a girl half her age. Her revenge? Burn his ties? No, she buys a rundown farm with his credit card and starts running it. No previews were available, but expect lots of town/country gags from the always likable Jensen.

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