The Flatshare

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Their lives and routines are as disparate as their personalities: Tiffy is a chaotic, impulsive, talkative girl who “panic bakes” when things get tough. These two cash-strapped 20-somethings come up with a unique way to be able to afford their sky-high rents in the capital city. We encounter Tiffy’s supportive-through-thick-and-thin friends, Mo and Gerty, as well, and they too add rays of light. She’s still consumed by what was a really toxic relationship, but the more she leaves that behind, the more we see her best qualities. Increasingly they become drawn into each other’s messy, complex lives and there’s an undeniable attraction between them but they must question whether their feelings are real, given that they’ve never actually laid eyes on one another.

Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties.They communicate – first passive-aggressively, then heartwarmingly, then argumentatively, then have a series of misunderstandings – exclusively via Post-it notes. It’s bright, feel-good and charming, full of happy coincidences that rarely occur in real life but are all the more satisfying for this reason. The Flatshare is set in London and follows Tiffany (Jessica Brown Findlay) and Leon (Anthony Welsh) are both low earners, struggling to afford somewhere to rent in the Uk capital. At Bother, Tiffany is tasked with doing edgy content, as it’s her job, and also the site is losing money and needs to get more hits. The flat turns out not to be Tiffany’s, at least not entirely: this is an adaptation of the 2019 novel by Beth O’Leary, and follows an untraditional flatsharing arrangement.

From these three images alone, I think you can already see just how beautiful this show is,' she told fans. This series is never trying to cram, and it’s never trying to rush to a cliffhanger set-piece at the half-hour mark, and you actually get to know the supporting cast as characters, rather than well-timed one-liners who help the leads figure themselves out. I like that the book dipped its toe in some serious waters even while managing to still be a fairly light-hearted romance. And finally, I love how Tif and Leon simply could not let go of talking thru post it notes even after they meet face to face. Tiffany immediately starts leaving her pesky lady things everywhere: candles, floral cushions and herbal teabags.

There’s a central love story with a happy ending and emotional justice so its a romance no matter how the publisher is pitching it. Executive producers include Miriam Brent, Rory Aitken and Eleanor Moran of 42 with Rhonda Smith producing. She isn’t supposed to ever meet Leon – it’s in the contract – though why they wouldn’t be allowed to say hello before they share a living space is unclear.

I think I would have appreciated Leon’s narration style less in print but I found it easy to go along with on audio. Tiffy and Leon complement each other well; it’s easy to envision a happy future for them, even if the epilogue was a touch too sweet.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! But what The Flatshare does best is knows exactly what it is – a fun and a little corny but whatever romcom – and does it really well. 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. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring Beth O’Leary’s captivating bestseller to television,’ say executive-producers Miriam Brent, Rory Aitken and Eleanor Moran.

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.

Working on The Flatshare and bringing Tiff and Leon to Rom-com life alongside the BRILLIANT Anthony Welsh was a dream come true. I was willing to overlook this coincidence because they were so great to Leon and Tiffy, and interesting in their own right. It’s more than a little convenient that Tiffy’s friends Mo and Gerty are a counselor and a criminal justice lawyer. The structure and tone of this novel and the burgeoning relationship of Tiffy and Leon has echoes of Emma and Dexter in David Nicholl’s One Day.