You remember the egg. If you were anywhere near a television in the mid-nineties, specifically BBC Two on a Monday night, that opening credit sequence—a simple egg being cracked—is burned into your brain. It was messy. It was raw. Honestly, it was a bit gross if you think about it too long. But that was the whole point of the This Life TV show. It didn't want to show you the polished, wig-wearing courtroom drama of Kavanagh QC. It wanted to show you what happened when the robes came off and the tequila came out.
The show followed five twenty-something law graduates sharing a house in South London. Egg, Milly, Anna, Miles, and JP. They were messier than the kitchen sink after a Sunday roast. They were navigating the brutal world of the legal profession while simultaneously trying to figure out who they were supposed to be sleeping with, or lying to, or avoiding at the office. It felt real. It felt like the nineties.
What Made This Life TV Show Feel So Different?
Most legal dramas before 1996 were about the law. This was about the lawyers. Specifically, it was about how much they hated their jobs or how much they loved the power those jobs gave them. Produced by World Productions—the same powerhouse that eventually gave us Line of Duty—it had this handheld, frantic camera style. It felt like you were eavesdropping. You weren't just watching a scripted show; you were peeking through the banisters of a cramped London terrace.
The creator, Amy Jenkins, based a lot of it on her own experiences. That’s probably why the dialogue didn't sound like "television dialogue." People interrupted each other. They mumbled. They were occasionally incredibly unlikeable. Miles, played by Jack Davenport, was often an absolute nightmare—arrogant, posh, and dismissive. But then you’d see his vulnerability, and you’d get it. That nuance was rare back then.
The Characters Who Lived in That House
Let's talk about Anna Forbes. Andrew Lincoln might be famous for fighting zombies now, but to a certain generation, he will always be Egg—the guy who realized he didn't actually want to be a lawyer and spent his time trying to write a book while Milly supported them. But Anna, played by Daniela Nardini, was the undisputed queen of the show. She was fierce. She was self-destructive. She smoked like a chimney and didn't give a damn about your feelings.
When Anna and Miles had their legendary showdowns, the tension was thick enough to cut with a dull butter knife. It wasn't just "will they, won't they." It was "should they, and why are they so bad for each other?"
🔗 Read more: The Reality of Sex Movies From Africa: Censorship, Nollywood, and the Digital Underground
Then you had Milly and Egg. They were the "stable" couple. Until they weren't. The storyline where Milly, the high-flying, sensible one, has an affair with her boss, O'Donnell, was genuinely shocking at the time. It subverted the trope of the "boring" partner. It showed that even the people who seem to have their lives together are often just one bad decision away from blowing everything up.
Why We Are Still Talking About It Thirty Years Later
Technically, the show only ran for two seasons. That's it. Thirty-two episodes in total, plus a ten-year reunion special that remains... controversial among fans. But the impact was massive. It changed how the BBC approached youth-oriented drama. It moved away from the "educational" feel of shows like Grange Hill and into something more sophisticated and cynical.
The soundtrack was a character in itself. You had Blur, Portishead, Massive Attack. It was the sound of Britpop and Trip-hop. If you watch it back now, it's a perfect time capsule of London in the mid-90s. The chunky mobile phones. The smoking in offices. The sheer amount of beer consumed at lunchtime.
Honestly, the This Life TV show succeeded because it didn't try to be "important." It tried to be accurate. It captured that specific period of your life where you're technically an adult because you have a paycheck and a suit, but you still feel like a child who's moved into a house with four other children. You're playing at being a grown-up.
The Reality of the Legal World
Real lawyers at the time had mixed feelings. Some loved that it showed the grinding boredom of being a pupil barrister—the endless research, the hierarchy, the casual sexism of the senior partners. Others hated that it made them look like a bunch of hedonistic party animals. The truth, as it usually does, sat somewhere in the middle.
💡 You might also like: Alfonso Cuarón: Why the Harry Potter 3 Director Changed the Wizarding World Forever
The show didn't shy away from heavy topics either. Ferdy’s journey with his sexuality and his struggle to come out in a hyper-masculine environment was handled with a lot of grace, especially for 1996. It wasn't a "very special episode" kind of vibe. it was just his life.
The "This Life + 10" Reunion Mistake?
In 2007, the BBC brought the cast back for a one-off special. Most fans agree it was... a choice. By then, the characters were in their thirties. The magic of the original show was the frantic energy of youth. Seeing them as settled adults with "proper" problems felt a bit like going to a high school reunion and realizing everyone has become boring.
Egg was a successful author. Milly and Miles were still entangled in drama. It answered questions that maybe didn't need answering. Part of the allure of the original ending—Anna walking out, the house being sold—was the uncertainty. Life goes on, and you don't always get to see what happens next.
Cultural Footprint and Legacy
You can see the DNA of this show in almost every British ensemble drama that followed. From Teachers to Skins and even Fleabag, that DNA of flawed, deeply human characters who make terrible choices is present. It broke the "Hero" mold. You didn't necessarily want to be Anna or Miles, but you definitely knew people like them. Or you were them.
The cinematography was also a game-changer. Director Danny Boyle (yes, that Danny Boyle) was an executive producer, and you can feel that cinematic, restless energy. They used 16mm film which gave it a grainy, documentary-like texture. It wasn't pretty. It was authentic.
📖 Related: Why the Cast of Hold Your Breath 2024 Makes This Dust Bowl Horror Actually Work
How to Revisit the Series Today
If you’re looking to dive back in, or watch it for the first time, keep a few things in mind. The pacing is different from modern Netflix shows. It breathes. It lingers on silences.
- Watch for the guest stars: You’ll see plenty of faces who went on to be massive, like Martin Freeman or Geoffrey Streatfeild.
- Pay attention to the background: The set design for the shared house is a masterpiece of "shabby chic" before that was even a term. It looks lived-in.
- Don't expect a courtroom thriller: If you want Law & Order, look elsewhere. This is a character study that happens to take place in a law firm.
The This Life TV show remains a benchmark for British television. It caught lightning in a bottle. It represented a specific moment in time when the UK felt like the center of the cultural universe, but it grounded that feeling in the mundane, messy reality of five people trying to pay rent and not lose their minds.
To get the most out of a rewatch, try to find the original uncut versions. Some later edits for streaming or international broadcast trimmed the more "explicit" scenes or changed the music due to licensing issues. The original music is essential. It provides the emotional backbone for the entire series. Tracking down the original DVDs is usually the best bet for the authentic experience.
Once you finish the two seasons, skip the reunion for a few weeks. Let the ending of season two sit. Let that finality of the house being emptied stay with you. That’s the real heart of the show—the realization that these intense, life-defining friendships often have an expiration date, and that’s okay.