ON DEMAND HIGHLIGHT: This Life

The mid-1990s classic, following a houseshare of twentysomething law graduates, arrives on iplayer today. Here’s our rundown of the show and why it was such a hit…

Cool Britannia: The first series was broadcast in 1996 on BBC2, but it wasn’t until it was repeated in the run-up to the second series that it became a word-of-mouth cult hit. The show is now synonymous with ‘Cool Britannia’, a pop-culture era of pride in British music and film, from the Spice Girls to Oasis, Four Weddings And A Funeral to Trainspotting.

Housemates: Living together in a townhouse in London’s Borough area, the main residents (centre, left to right) were lovable Warren (Jason Hughes), feisty Anna (Daniela Nardini), dropout Egg (Andrew Lincoln), who was dating

ambitious Milly (Amita Dhiri), and posh boy Miles (Jack Davenport), who had a fierce love/hate relationship with Anna.

Comeback: The cast reunited for a one-off special in 2007, tying up some of the tangled loose ends left at the abrupt end of the show’s original run.

Life after This Life: Possibly the show’s biggest breakout star, Andrew Lincoln gained international fame for The Walking Dead (2010-18). Jason Hughes moved on to Midsomer Murders (2005-13), while Jack Davenport starred in The Morning Show (2019-21).