This Life

1996
This Life

Seasons & Episodes

  • 2
  • 1
  • 0

EP1 Last Tango In Southwark Mar 17, 1997

Anna and Miles have doubts about each other after finally getting together at a party. Egg says goodbye to both his father and his writing career. Milly is taken aback by the arrival of an attractive new trainee at the firm.

EP2 Guess Who's Coming to Dinner? Mar 24, 1997

Anna throws herself into her work, only to find herself up against Miles on a case, while Milly loses her cool. Kira's career suffers a setback. A dinner party is interrupted by Warren's ex-lover Ferdy.

EP3 The Bi Who Came In From The Cold Mar 31, 1997

Ferdy's mixed signals are causing problems for Warren. Anna blames Miles for spreading rumours at work. And Milly loses patience when Egg goes on a gambling spree.

EP4 How to Get in Bed by Advertising Apr 07, 1997

Warren begins losing patience with Ferdy, and his efforts to relieve his stress get him into trouble. Miles finds there is no such thing as uncomplicated sex after he resorts to the lonely hearts pages. Egg starts a new job, while Milly finds it difficult being the boss.

EP5 Small Town Boyo Apr 14, 1997

Warren's arrest has become common knowledge, and threatens to destroy a promising career. Ferdy is tempted to go back to his ex.

EP6 Unusual Suspect Apr 21, 1997

Warren faces the indignity of having to be part of an identity parade and appear in court. When Milly's boss forbids her from representing him, Anna steps in. Egg is left in the lurch with Nicki after a misunderstanding at the cafe. Kira plays hard to get after a night out with Jo. Ferdy's attempts to win round Miles backfire.

EP7 He's Leaving Home Apr 28, 1997

Warren is planning a world tour, but is he ready to finish his therapy? Milly and Miles disagree about who should take his room. Egg learns something new about Nicki. And Ferdy's sexual confusion is heightened when he ends up on a date with Kira and Jo.

EP8 Room With a Queue May 08, 1997

Miles takes matters into his own hands when the search for a new flatmate begins. Anna considers desperate measures to get work. Kira's strategy with Jo is starting to pay off.

EP9 Men Behaving Sadly May 15, 1997

Ferdy has an explosive encounter with his ex. Rachel finds a tactful way of letting Miles down gently. Nicki confides in Egg about the father of her child. And sexism at chambers sends Anna in search of sisterhood.

EP10 When the Dope Comes In May 22, 1997

Milly agonises over whether or not to accompany O'Donnell on a business trip to Paris. Miles and Egg get an unexpected visit from the police. Jo has to beat a hasty retreat from Kelly.

EP11 She's Gotta Get It May 29, 1997

The vote for Anna's tenancy is imminent, and Miles starts a whispering campaign against her. Kira arranges a date for Ferdy. Milly is brooding about Rachel and O'Donnell in Paris. And Egg has no luck getting on a catering course.

EP12 The Plumber Always Rings Twice Jun 05, 1997

Milly is suspicious of Rachel and O'Donnell's new rapport since the trip to Paris. A visitor to the house arouses Ferdy's interest. Anna's celebration with Sarah does not quite go as planned. Miles still resists his father's invitation.

EP13 Wish You Were Queer Jun 12, 1997

Miles and Anna become professional rivals. Nicki is upset by Egg's betrayal.

EP14 Who's That Girl? Jun 19, 1997

Will Miles make a hasty decision about his new girlfriend? Milly and Rachel's relationship comes to a head. And a lost condom sends Jo into a panic.

EP15 From Here to Maternity Jun 26, 1997

Milly throws caution to the wind when Egg accuses her of being boring. Anna gets some news from home. Ferdy needs some time on his own.

EP16 One Bedding and a Funeral Jul 03, 1997

Egg's younger brother comes to stay and finds a friend in Anna. Milly's reckless behaviour nearly gives the game away. Anna settles on alternative plans for her mother's funeral. And Kira tells Jo where to go.

EP17 The Secret of My Excess Jul 10, 1997

Miles offers Anna a shoulder to cry on. Milly begins to see the downside of her actions.

EP18 Diet Hard Jul 17, 1997

Egg's expectations for the opening night at the cafe prove to be slightly overambitious. Ferdy opts for a one-night stand. Kira and Kelly make plans for the future.

EP19 Milly Liar Jul 24, 1997

Miles wins his case, but Francesca has convinced herself that he does not want to go through with the wedding. Milly panics when a stupid lie backfires. Anna lets Miles in on an alarming secret, and Ferdy confesses all to Lenny.

EP20 Secrets and Wives Jul 31, 1997

Milly discovers the truth about O'Donnell's personal life. Miles becomes increasingly attracted to Anna on his stag night. Nicki puts her foot down at the cafe.

EP21 Apocalypse Wow! Aug 07, 1997

Can Miles go through with the wedding? Will Anna be able to deal with it if he does? Will Egg and Milly's new-found happiness last? Will Ferdy finally come to terms with his sexuality?
8.5| 0h30m| en| More Info
Released: 18 March 1996 Ended
Producted By: BBC
Country: United Kingdom
Budget: 0
Revenue: 0
Official Website: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00pft4t
Synopsis

Cult drama series about a group of aspiring young lawyers sharing a shabby house in London, charting their careers and personal lives.

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Reviews

Tom Clarke Part of what made This Life such a landmark television series was its uncompromising trendiness – its utter refusal to comply with standard dramatic devices. The shaky camera, the rough cuts, the sex and the swearing were genuinely ground-breaking, which is why Amy Jenkins' decision to make a one-off comeback 10 years on has just a tinge of sell-out about it. I suppose this is how die-hard Beatles fans felt when Paul McCartney released the Frog Chorus.Still, getting a glimpse of the whole "what happened next?" thing is always intriguing. In This Life +10 the group of law graduates reunite for gay biker Ferdy's funeral. The cause of his demise remains unexplained (maybe Ramon Tikaram was busy that day) though we do learn that he got it together with Welsh milksop Warren (Jason Hughes) in the years following the end of the series.It is swiftly apparent however that the five original housemates have drifted apart: Anna (Daniella Nardini) is the only practising lawyer and has quickly motored up the ranks of high-class defence attorneys; Miles (Jack Davenport) has acquired a country mansion, a hotel business and a Vietnamese bride; Egg (Andrew Lincoln) has written a best-selling novel based on the gang's experiences and is still with Milly (Amita Dhiri) who has popped a sprog; and Warren is dealing with Ferdy's death admirably thanks to his burgeoning career as a life coach/self help guru.Egg's status as a celebrity author prompts a sexy young filmmaker to organise a reunion between the flatmates at Miles's stately pile as part of a fly-on-the-wall documentary, and this is where the faintly absurd amateur psychology and pent-up tension begins to emerge.But, hey, this is a study in recent social history after all and Jenkins just about gets away with the clichéd set-up largely thanks to the edginess of the group dynamic (which is still as well observed as ever) and the chemistry between Lincoln and Davenport whose old buddy routine provides just about the only realistic friendship of the whole lot of them.Frankly the whole project is little more than an excuse to drum up the old neuroses and insecurities that plague those trying to come to terms with lost youth: Career woman versus housewife? Playboy versus responsible adult? Clapham Common cottager versus weird, over-analysing sperm donor? They are the identity crises that face us all… Still – there is much to enjoy. The soundtrack to Egg's ostentatious cooking routines and the group's booze-fuelled slanging matches has shifted from Massive Attack and Portishead to The Killers and Kaiser Chiefs – the use of contemporary music once again proving integral to This Life's success - but, in a nice conceit, as the action comes to a climax, the whole gang dance around like middle-aged loons to the Manic Street Preachers. Clearly these are nineties children at heart.Whether intentional or not, there is a spooky symmetry between the fates of the characters and their real life alter egos. Miles's success in industry and Egg's fame mirror the career paths of Davenport and Lincoln who clearly didn't need this nostalgic trip down memory lane as much as the others and it is a tribute to their evident respect for Jenkins and the original series that they agreed to the reunion at all.The biggest problem with the show has always been empathy. These people are egotistical, hopelessly unstable and borderline unlikeable - but they perfectly bring out the screwed-up wretch in all of us. One can easily forgive Jenkins her indulgence, for This Life +10 is a triumph of reminiscence and guilty pleasures.
Tom May Ah, now here's a series I am in a few minds about, and that I have changed my mind over over time. I feel that the seemingly universal tide of praise this show gets needs a little tempering.It was generally well written, but rarely brilliant. The acting likewise was mostly good in a naturalistic way, with Andrew Lincoln good as Egg, veering between genuinely likeable and a little irritating, Jason Hughes as Warren proving the making of the show in many ways; a well-written gay character impressively acted. Definitely pointed the way to "Queer as Folk" to some degree. Daniella Nardini was of course, a delicious, refreshing presence, though I do feel the character became a bit of a self-parody in some of the later episodes of the long Series Two. Likewise to some extent, Miles becomes less interesting as the overlong Series Two goes on, though overall Jack Davenport does a good job in portraying an infuriating, smug cad. Natasha Little I do like, but then that's my own peculiar penchant for her strangely alluring ice maiden, the subtle "bitch" they just call "Rachel"... ;-) On the whole it was good ensemble acting, certainly a lot better than in the shows imitating "This Life". While you may feel it a mite unfair, I would bring up the show's influence on British TV since it finished in 1997, with endless shows hung up over largely Southern middle-class repellants. Largely, these shows have duller characters and more annoying dialogue than "This Life", and I am talking "Teachers" and that neurotic, depressing, incredibly po-faced, glorified soap "Attachments". Only "Queer as Folk" can stand as a good programme, but then that was in many ways a far more groundbreaking series than "This Life", even if it too did suffer some diminishing returns with its follow-up special. Suffice it to say that the writers and actors of "This Life" have been involved in quite a few things since, but well, not too many TV programmes I can put names to. Amy Jenkins, the show's creator, but not actually the script writer of too many episodes, has claimed a large amount of the credit for it, and went on to do some badly received work in the film and novel fields.It certainly is a question; how groundbreaking was "This Life"? I doubt you could say it alone "led the way" in breaking more taboos as regarding language, sexuality and sex itself, though perhaps it became in a sense "the programme of a generation", attracting a youth audience that perhaps hadn't been so targeted by drama series before. Oh, and of course, it "pioneers" in jerky, neurotic camerawork. Pioneering perhaps in the context of British TV drama, but then what about Woody Allen's 1992 film, "Husbands and Wives"?Mention of that film indeed prompts me to reflect that "This Life" lacked a sustained wit... yes, at times Anna and Warren are witty characters in a waspish vein, but... well, I suppose this goes with the territory of drama that is primarily going for realism, trying to capture the behaviour of mid-twenties professionals. I do get the impression that "This Life" will to some extent date, and will not have quite the same impact as it did on a first viewing, back in 1996-97.I was a massive fan of it then, but can now see its faults a little more objectively. Series One I believe still stands up very well, with the show still fresh and unlike Series Two, actually focusing a bit on their actual work as lawyers, rather than just their personal lives. When Warren leaves in Series Two it goes downhill, with perhaps the endless agonizing of Milly over Rachel and some newer characters not quite interesting so much. I feel it became too much of a superior middle class soap, too predictable and set in its ways. Yes, the last episode is a corker in many respects. It actually does tie it up in a satisfying manner - where *would* it have gone from there?! Though that's not quite so compelling a question as with "Twin Peaks"' ending. It's a fine, revitalizing episode to the series, but by no means one of the few best episodes of UK TV television - heck, has no one seen "The Singing Detective", "Edge of Darkness", "The Prisoner", "Shooting the Past", "GBH" or "Brass Eye"? Anyway, while I would certainly accept that "This Life" defined a particular era in a way, it was a limited drama series, certainly no work of genius or great invention. Good television, but perhaps not so lasting television.Rating:- *** 1/2/*****
Malc-3 I still hold firmly to the belief that the last episode of this landmark show is the best 40 mins of British TV drama ever. Any number of storylines coming sharply to a head, the terrific wedding reception with its toilet sex and terrible dancing, darkest secrets coming horrifyingly to light and the legendary punch. But how sad! If we'd known then that there would never be another series we would have stormed the BBC ourselves. But think positive. The show is endlessly rewatchable, and its influence has lived on in Queer as Folk, Attachments, Teachers, Metropolis, Tinsel Town and most contemporary drama since.Just please, please publish the damn scripts!
ldeorio A near-perfect study of life's transitional period between careless partying and responsible adulthood, this addictive British series touches a nerve with anyone who's waged that cumbersome battle. The absorbing characters and first-rate acting draw the viewer in until you feel like you want to jump into the fray yourself. Don't miss this on BBC America.