Boy Meets Girl (2009)

Veronica (Rachael Stirling), who is really Danny, is bored by her dreary fiance's wedding plans and dreams of escaping her unhappy life with her new love. Danny (Martin Freeman), who is really Veronica, is miserable, too, but wants his old life back. And he/she is very determined as the end of this bittersweet and rather endearing gender-swap drama approaches. There are some tender moments as Veronica/Danny tries to hang on to the life she has become used to but, after a chance meeting with Danny/Veronica (it's not really as confusing as it sounds), she knows that that life isn't really hers at all. So the pair come to an irrevocable and possibly dangerous decision as an electric storm approaches. Though the ending may feel a bit flat, there's still a strong sense that the lives of everyone involved have changed for ever.

The man trapped inside a woman's body (Rachael Stirling) seizes the chance to embark on a lesbian affair. A friend of his in the know complains that he is taking advantage of the girl's ignorance. "You're not who she thinks you are," he says. To which the man/woman replies: "In a way I am. She sees me for who I am, just not for what I am." The problem with all this tortuous nonsense is that it doesn't even work as enjoyable entertainment. There is no suspense or laughter, and there is certainly nothing to be learnt from it. All that remains is Stirling putting on a deep voice amid a mess of pointless gender confusion. As the man/woman says: "This is hard for me to get my head around."

The past four weeks have been a fun and charming ride, but as we reach the final episode, it's obvious that the plot has painted itself into a bit of a corner. The only possible outcome of this farce must be they will somehow return to their old bodies - which will of course depend on lightning striking twice in the same place.

Now that he's mastered walking in heels and applying eyeliner (the only skills any woman needs obviously) Danny is rather enjoying being Veronica and having Fiona in love with him. And he's in no hurry to return to his previous grotty existence. Interestingly, the scene where Veronica's friend Siobhan catches her in bed with Fiona and then phones to deliver a stern telling off about how this is hurting her boyfriend suggests that writer David Allison doesn't really know women as well as he thinks. A real best friend would of course turn up at Veronica's with a bottle of wine and make lots of supportive and sympathetic noises while all the time making sure that she's brought up to speed on every last scandalous detail.

Poor Paterson Joseph - despite the fact his belle Veronica (Rachael Stirling) shows no enthusiasm for their impending nuptials (that would be because Veronica is really Danny...), he's convinced she's just overwhelmed by his proposal. Yes, Boy Meets Girl has had its plot holes. But the reality-warping gender-swap comedy drama is at its finale now and overall it has worked well: Martin Freeman has done a gentle, tender job of revealing his feminine side while Stirling has been scene-stealingly blokey as Danny/Veronica. Tonight the pair finally meet, hatch a plan to return to their former selves and embroil themselves in a few surprising twists and turns along the way.

Boy Meets Girl: plot meets fail

When you put so much effort into following a TV drama, the last thing you want is for it to fall apart at the end...