Colin From Accounts season 3 ending explained: Do Ash and Gordon end up together in the finale of TV's most perfect comedy?

Nobody is ready to say goodbye to Colin From Accounts, a TV gift so rare it's like a unicorn covered in gold dust that came to our screens once in a blue moon.

Three seasons doesn't seem long enough for a show that's this perfect, but when it goes out on a high and nails the landing like the final series does, it makes it a little easier to bid it farewell.

But the question on everyone's lips remains: Do Ash and Gordon end up together in the finale?

Their unconventional union hasn't been easy. From Ash flashing her boob at Gordon and causing a crash that maimed a dog they ended up sharing care of, leading to an uneasy relationship where neither were sure at times whether they could make it work, sometimes the whole thing has been entirely unromantic.

Audiences have been waiting for them to choose each other, and watching this happen has shown just how hard and messy relationships can be, and how human nature can make everything so damn difficult while we all do our best.

Season 3 picked up after a three year time jump. Ash had left Gordon after his inappropriate proposal at Megan (Meggles) and Rumi's wedding, and both are seeing other people.

They reunite when Gordon needs to see a doctor and unknowingly gets given an appointment with Ash, now working as a GP. A lot happens in between, so let's break down that beautiful finale and answer the ultimate question - can they make it work?

Colin From Accounts ending explained

In the season 3 finale, it's nearly Christmas and all the key male characters are gathered for a choir practice and are singing Deck The Halls - the reasons for which become clear later on.

During a candid conversation with Gordon, Chiara and Brett's new boss Jared, Brett gets past Jared's hard, apparently toxic exterior to find out he's actually quite lonely and vulnerable.

During the conversation Jared reveals himself to be an ardent animal lover - another shocker - and informs Brett, who is supposed to be watching Colin while brewing a drink made from raisins, that raisins are toxic to dogs. You might see where this is going.

Cut to Ash, and she's getting more frustrated than ever with Meggles' mumfluencing. We don't blame her - Ash's best friend has gone from cool best mate to an uptight online parenting influencer caught in the perfect parenting vacuum of being absolutely boring.

Meg later admits that she turned to influencing after having difficulty bonding with baby son Genre, and needed to attempt to prove her worth as a parent by pretending to be a faultless mother. She wants to return to medicine and find some semblance of herself again.

Ash is still also dealing with her feelings after deciding to really make sure Gordon knew she was "all in" for rekindling their relationship, but then finding him at the Elvis party of episode 7 drunkenly snogging Chiara.

Gordon's explanation for his actions stick faithfully to the shows theme that everyone is human and we can all make utterly stupid mistakes sometimes.

He reveals he'd been freaked out by Ash wanting to be back in his life and being so earnest with it, and was also feeling the heavy emotional burden of having put his mum in a care home and helping his brother Heavy cope with his divorce.

He just wants Ash to hear him out but she's having none of it. She's visibly devastated and he's genuinely sorry, but neither can reach an understanding.

Gordon hilariously tries to get advice and sympathy from Chiara, who he deems "half responsible" for messing things up with Ash.

She gives him the best and most deserved response to this neediness of her time: "I'm struggling with neurodivergence, in an open, loveless marriage, and I'm genuinely lost. And now I have to coach soccer - and I hate soccer."

Gordon, don't keep expecting things from a midlife, overburdened mum. She doesn't have time for your nonsense. Saying that, she does eventually visit Ash at her practice to tell her in her own very Chiara way that Gordon loves her and to stop being an idiot about a drunken snog.

Ash becomes convinced the universe is giving her a 'sign' she should be with Gordon after she finds a picture of herself as a kid sitting on Santa's knee - one of his helper elves looks to be none other than Gordon.

While Ash overanalyses everything about her relationship with him, from how the universe brought them together to why he'd keep messing things up if they were "meant to be", Lynelle gets a visit from the police.

Now, as supporting characters go, Colin From Accounts has some of the best in history. But if forced to make a decision, the wildly self-absorbed Lynelle and mesmerisingly grotesque Lee are probably the best.

Anyway, having been warned that she could be in trouble for misuse of funds from her preposterous 'charity' Women Against Women Against Men (WAWAM) it looks like Lynelle really is in trouble.

And no prizes for guessing who is behind the trouble (hint, he's wearing an ankle tag and has just been added to a register, and lives in her house.)

When Lee is arrested, Lynelle finally gives in and realises she's looked the other way for too long. Sick of his indiscretions and creepy criminality, she gives him the push and recognises her worth.

With Ash still ruminating on fate, what's meant to be and stars aligning, Colin gets into the raisins Brett was using for brewing earlier on, and gobbles some up.

We then have a full circle moment when Ash and Gordon rush him to the vets where they're met by none other than Yvette the vet, who famously tried to claim Gordon had made her pregnant in season 2.

While waiting for news about Colin, Gordon debunks the myth of the Santa photo - it isn't him in the picture, he never worked as an elf. This should be a sign for Ash that she really needs to stop letting outside things and 'magic' decide her life path.

As if reading our thoughts, Gordon takes Ash to the Echo Park Brewery, all decked out for Christmas despite her loathing for the holiday, and tells her just that - they don't need to believe the universe has a plan, or an excuse to be together, they've chosen each other and that's enough.

Agreeing to be a couple once again, Gordon goes ahead with a big gesture he's been planning. The choir practicing at the start of the episode jumps out from behind the bar, to serenade Ash. But wait, it's not the carol they were practicing at the beginning that they sing, but Slice of Heaven by Dave Dobbyn and Herbs instead.

Hold on - amid the happiness, there's a call from the vet about Colin... and it looks like he might not have made it... except - he has! It's all fine, no tears need to be shed and the reunited couple get to take him home.

So, we're minutes from the closing moments of the finale and here's where we we leave our beloved characters: Brett is happily in a relationship with Carmen, who is real after all.

Chiara remains in an open relationship with her husband, "so open you can hear the wind whistling through it," and they'll be staying together for the kids for the time being.

Lynelle is hopefully off to work on herself and her issues, and needs to stay out of relationships for quite a while. Lee needs to be nowhere other than prison.

Did we say there's no need for tears? Well, we were wrong. As Nick Cave sings Into My Arms (well played guys,) we see an alternate world that replays the opening scenes from season 1.

An able Colin escapes his first owner, and runs to the crossing where Ash originally flashed her boob at Gordon. In this world, she doesn't do it, Gordon doesn't crash and Colin doesn't become disabled. Both of them go on with their lives without knowing each other.

At this point, Gordon wakes up and is disappointed to find he dreamed the entire show. We are BURNING WITH RAGE that every season was part of his dream, until, sighs of relief all round, Ash and a disabled Colin walk into the bedroom.

It wasn't all a dream after all, and the couple exchange a tender embrace with Colin by their side. It couldn't have been a more perfect ending, and if you're not fighting back the tears to the dulcet tones of Nick Cave at this point, you're dead inside.

And this forces audiences to do a 180 degree turn on shutting down Ash's musings on fate - Gordon's dream proved that her split second decision to flash him did indeed change the entire course of their lives - is fate something to believe in or not?

That's for the viewer to decide, but we're of the opinion that giving too much time to what the universe wants is a waste of time. Live and love in the present, don't waste it looking for 'signs' that something is worth your effort, if you actually want it to be.

The words of Chiara are fitting to remember at this point as we say the final goodbye, "Fate is for people who don't want to make decisions." Farewell Colin From Accounts, we'll really flipping miss you.

All episodes of Colin From Accounts are currently streaming on BBC iPlayer.