| This Life | |
|---|---|
 Series logo | |
| Format | Drama |
| Created by | Amy Jenkins |
| Starring | Amita Dhiri Jack Davenport Jason Hughes Andrew Lincoln Daniela Nardini Ramon Tikaram Luisa Bradshaw-White Steve John Shepherd Natasha Little Cyril Nri |
| Country of origin |  United Kingdom |
| No. Drama is the specific mode of Fiction represented in Performance. Amy Jenkins (born 1966 in London) is an English Novelist and Screenwriter. Amita Emmanuelle Dhiri (born in 1968 in Brighton, England) is an English Actress. Jack Davenport (born March 1[[ 973]] is a British film and television Actor who became known in the mid 1990s for his role in the TV series This Jason Hughes is a Welsh Actor born in Porthcawl, Wales in 1971 best known for playing lawyer Warren Jones in Andrew Lincoln (born 14 September 1973) is an English Actor, known for his roles in the TV series This Life (as Egg and Daniela Nardini (born April 26, 1968 in Largs) is a British actress of Italian ancestry best known for playing Anna Forbes in the Ramon Pramod Junior Tikaram (born May 16, 1967 in Singapore) is a British stage and screen actor of Indo-Fijian and Sarawakian Luisa Bradshaw-White (born 9 December, 1975 in Eastcote, Greater London) is an English Steve John Shepherd (born 1973 is a British Actor. Career He first became known in 1996 when he played the role of Jo the law clerk in the critically Natasha Little (born 2 October 1969) is a British actress. She is best known for her work on British television but has also starred in many Cyril Nri (born 1961 in Nigeria) is a Nigerian Actor, Writer and director. The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located of episodes | 33 (List of episodes) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 50 minutes |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | BBC Two |
| Original run | March 18, 1996 – August 7, 1997 |
| Chronology | |
| Followed by | This Life + 10 |
| External links | |
| Official website | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
This Life was a BBC television drama, produced by World Productions and screened on BBC Two, running for two series in 1996 and 1997 and a reunion special in 2007. This is a list of episodes of the BBC television drama series This Life. Events 37 - The Roman Senate annuls Tiberius ' will and proclaims Caligula emperor Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) Events 322 BC - Battle of Crannon between Athens and Macedon following the death of Alexander the Great. Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar This Life was a BBC television drama, produced by World Productions and screened on BBC Two, running for two series in 1996 and 1997 and World Productions is a British television Production company, founded in the early 1990s by acclaimed producer Tony Garnett.
The series centred on the life of five twentysomething law graduates embarking upon their careers while sharing a house in south London. A twentysomething is a person in the age group of 20 to 29 Such a person may also be termed a vicenarian. London ( ˈlʌndən is the capital and largest urban area in the United Kingdom.
Contents |
Original production
The series was created by, and some episodes written by Amy Jenkins. Amy Jenkins (born 1966 in London) is an English Novelist and Screenwriter. Other writers contributed scripts including Joe Ahearne (who also directed some episodes — the only person to do both on the series), Ian Iqbal Rashid, Amelia Bullmore and Matthew Graham. Joe Ahearne (born 23 November 1963) is a British Television writer and director, best known Ian Iqbal Rashid (born 1971 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) is a Canadian / British Ismaili Muslim poet of Indian descent screenwriter Amelia Bullmore (born 31 January 1964) is an English actress writer and comedian Matthew Graham is a British Television writer and the co-creator of the BBC / Kudos Film and Television science fiction series Life Tony Garnett was the executive producer and Jane Fallon worked as a producer on both series. Tony Garnett (born 3 April 1936) is a Film producer who has worked in feature films and on British television. Jane Fallon is a British Television producer and writer whose best-known productions include the Comedy-drama Teachers, '20 Things To Do Before
When the first series was screened it was a modest critical success, rather than being a ratings 'hit'. Nevertheless, the original production agreement secured a second series. In the lead-up to the broadcast of the second series, the entire first series was repeated, helping to generate a critical 'buzz' around the programme, to the point that millions of viewers were waiting to discover the ultimate resolutions to the various plot-lines and generating front-page newspaper coverage.
Synopsis
Series one
This Life was based around life in a London law firm and barristers' chambers of a group of twentysomething trainee solicitors and pupil barristers, but essentially it was a character-driven drama. A barrister is a Lawyer found in many Common law Jurisdictions that employ a split profession (as opposed to a Fused profession) in relation Egg and Milly are in a relationship dating from their university days but their career choices create tension between them: Milly is a high-flyer, spending much time working with — and becoming attracted to — her older boss, whereas Egg suffers a crisis of dissatisfaction with, and drops out of, his law career. Anna and Miles have a love/hate relationship which causes conflict at work (where they share a room and often have to compete for cases) and at home. A love-hate relationship is a personal relationship involving simultaneous or alternating Emotions of Love and enmity The latter is exacerbated when Miles invites his girlfriend, the drug addicted, bulimic, manipulative Delilah (Charlotte Bicknell), to move into the house with him. This results in conflict in the house (referenced in the episode title "Sex, Lies and Muesli Yoghurt"). When Miles, who hasn't been practising safe sex with Delilah, discovers that she is still sleeping with her heroin addict ex, Truelove, he has an HIV scare. Safe sex (also called safer sex or protected sex) is the practice of Sexual activity in a manner that reduces the risk of Infection with Human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV) is a Lentivirus (a member of the Retrovirus family that can lead to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
The other house-mate, Warren, is an "out" gay man. He spends some time dealing with issues around his sexuality, especially in relation to "coming out" to friends and family, and in a unique (at the time) plot device he is frequently seen discussing his feelings with a therapist (Gillian McCutcheon) who is heard but never seen by the viewer. Closeted Coming out (that is " coming out of the closet " describes the voluntary public announcement of one's Sexual orientation and/or Gender identity Gillian McCutcheon is a British based actress who has appeared in many programmes over the years Miles appears at times to dislike Warren, and subjects him to occasional homophobic abuse when angered.
Series two
During the second season, storylines were expanded to include other connected characters. These included Ferdy (Ramon Tikaram), Rachel (Natasha Little) and Francesca, whilst previously secondary-characters Jo (Steve John Shepherd) and Warren's cousin Kira (Luisa Bradshaw-White) were featured more heavily as they embarked upon a relationship. Ramon Pramod Junior Tikaram (born May 16, 1967 in Singapore) is a British stage and screen actor of Indo-Fijian and Sarawakian Natasha Little (born 2 October 1969) is a British actress. She is best known for her work on British television but has also starred in many Steve John Shepherd (born 1973 is a British Actor. Career He first became known in 1996 when he played the role of Jo the law clerk in the critically Luisa Bradshaw-White (born 9 December, 1975 in Eastcote, Greater London) is an English Ferdy was a largely improvised, complex (and sometimes unwilling) bisexual character and was seen as a replacement for Warren when Jason Hughes decided to leave the show (he did return for the final scene). Bisexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of both sexes or to a bisexual orientation Finding a relationship with Anna impossible, Miles began a relationship with the beautiful Francesca, a woman nearly a decade older than him. Miles proposed to Francesca, but still harboured feelings for Anna.
Rachel was involved in a long-running passive-aggressive feud with Milly, although on the surface the pair were able to work together without mention of their mutual dislike. Milly's dislike of Rachel was very strong, viewing her as a threat to her relationship with O'Donnell, and disliking her apparently perfect demeanour. Milly confided in Anna that she found Rachel almost suffocatingly "nice". The tension between the two went unresolved throughout the second series, culminating in the final scene, in the episode "Apocalypse Wow!". At Miles and Francesca's wedding reception, Rachel is floored by a swinging punch from Milly, after Milly learns that Rachel has told Egg about her affair with her boss O'Donnell.
Post production
The second series ended with a close-up of an advert for the house, and the original intention was to re-cast with new characters. The controversial stage writer Mark Ravenhill was involved in drafting story-lines and early scripts for a third series, but the plans were aborted, and the decision was taken to end the programme "on a high". Mark Ravenhill (born June 7 1966) is an English playwright His most famous plays include Shopping and Fucking (first performed Series one and two are available on DVD from BBC Worldwide, as a box set and as two individual series volumes.
In 2001, NBC Television broadcast a loosely adapted U. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. The National Broadcasting Company ( NBC) is an American Television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's S. remake titled First Years. It attracted scathing reviews and low ratings, and vanished quickly.
The young production team behind This Life went on to further success:
- Jane Fallon went on to become Executive Producer on the Channel 4 series Teachers which also starred Andrew Lincoln. Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began Teachers is a British Television Comedy-drama, originally shown on Channel 4. Andrew Lincoln (born 14 September 1973) is an English Actor, known for his roles in the TV series This Life (as Egg and
- Joe Ahearne later went on to write and direct the cult Channel 4 series Ultraviolet (1998) which also starred Jack Davenport. Channel 4 is a public-service Television and Radio broadcaster in the United Kingdom centred around a television channel of the same name which began Ultraviolet is a 1998 British television serial written and directed by Joe Ahearne and starring Jack Jack Davenport (born March 1[[ 973]] is a British film and television Actor who became known in the mid 1990s for his role in the TV series This He also directed episodes of the first series of the revived Doctor Who, starring Christopher Eccleston, in 2005. Doctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Christopher Eccleston (krɪstəfə ˈɛkəlstən born 16 February 1964 is an award-winning English stage, Film and Television Actor
- Matthew Graham co-created the BBC One series Life on Mars (2006) and has written episodes of Hustle, Spooks and an episode of Doctor Who in 2006
- Ian Iqbal Rashid went on to write and direct the feature films "Touch of Pink" (Sony Picture Classics, 2004) and "How She Move" (Paramount Vantage, 2008). Matthew Graham is a British Television writer and the co-creator of the BBC / Kudos Film and Television science fiction series Life Life on Mars is Hustle is a British television comedy-drama series made by Kudos Film & Television for BBC One in the United Kingdom. Spooks is a BAFTA award-winning British television drama series produced by the independent production company Kudos for BBC One Ian Iqbal Rashid (born 1971 in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania) is a Canadian / British Ismaili Muslim poet of Indian descent screenwriter Touch of Pink is a 2004 movie about Alim ( Jimi Mistry) a young gay Ismaili Muslim man How She Move ] ] is 2008 Canadian film directed by Ian Iqbal Rashid and starring Rutina Wesley, Clé Bennett and
This Life + 10
In 2006, the BBC reconvened the original cast for a special one-off 80-minute special, looking at what had happened to the lead characters in the intervening ten years. The resulting new episode, entitled + 10 onscreen with the original title sequence used intact making the title of the programme simply This Life as before and the title of the episode + 10, was screened on 2 January 2007, and was a co-production between BBC Wales and the original producers World Productions. Events 366 - The Alamanni cross the frozen Rhine River in large numbers invading the Roman Empire. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. BBC Wales ( BBC Cymru) is a division of the British Broadcasting Corporation for Wales. This Life + 10 was written by Jenkins, directed by Ahearne and produced by Garnett. It gained 3. 5 million viewers, with a 14% audience share. [1].
Synopsis
The 2007 reunion episode begins with Ferdy's funeral, at which Miles, Egg, Milly, Anna and Warren are in attendance. Following the funeral, the group are filmed by a documentary-maker who want to report on the inspirations for Egg's first book (a fictionalised account of life in Benjamin Street), in expectation of his soon-to-be-released second novel. She suggests that the group should stage a reunion which she will film.
Miles and Francesca divorced after only a few months. He has given up the law in favour of owning a successful chain of hotels called Hobotel, which he is expanding into the Far East having been living in Hong Kong for several years. He now lives in Whithurst Park, a huge house in Sussex, with his Vietnamese second wife Me Linh.
Warren is a successful life coach, but has an unhappy life himself. Grieving for Ferdy, he has become an habitual user of herbal and new-age remedies, drugs and concoctions.
Anna is still a barrister, and a high-flyer, and has resolved her excessive drinking and drug habits but is starting to feel the biological clock ticking, to her surprise and dismay. She visits a sperm bank.
Milly and Egg's relationship survived her affair with O'Donnell, and they now have a three-year-old son called Oscar, with Milly as a full-time mother and Egg as a successful writer. Milly is not entirely happy with the sacrifice of her career for motherhood, and neither is Anna at the idea.
The group re-unite at Miles' country home, observed by the documentary film-maker. Me Linh inexplicably storms out soon after her husband's guests arrive. Tensions run high in the house as the former friends resolve their differences. Warren discovers that Miles always liked him, despite constantly having hurled abuse in his direction. Anna and Milly fight as each has what the other has missed out on (Milly has motherhood, whilst Anna has a career). Egg reveals he hasn't written a single word of his second book, and destroys the documentary tapes so he can enjoy a less-pressured life with his family and friends. Anna agrees to have a child with Warren, if he gives up dependency on supplements, which she flushes down the toilet. As the bailiffs move in, Miles admits that he is actually broke, and that is why Me Linh has left him. He sleeps with Anna one more time before departing to travel.
Production notes
Lead cast
- Miles Stewart (Jack Davenport)
- Jamilla "Milly" Nasim (Amita Dhiri)
- Egg (Edgar Cooke) (Andrew Lincoln)
- Anna Forbes (Daniela Nardini)
- Warren Jones (Jason Hughes)
- Ferdy (Ferdinand Garcia) (Ramon Tikaram)
- Michael O'Donnell[1] (David Mallinson)
- Kira (Luisa Bradshaw-White)
- Jo (Steve John Shepherd)
- Rachel (Natasha Little)
- Graham (Cyril Nri)
- Hooperman (Geoffrey Bateman)
Supporting cast
- The Office star Martin Freeman appeared early in the second series, pictured stealing money from Milly and Egg's bedroom after a party, and accidentally drinking Egg's urine from a can, believing it to be beer. Jack Davenport (born March 1[[ 973]] is a British film and television Actor who became known in the mid 1990s for his role in the TV series This Amita Emmanuelle Dhiri (born in 1968 in Brighton, England) is an English Actress. Andrew Lincoln (born 14 September 1973) is an English Actor, known for his roles in the TV series This Life (as Egg and Daniela Nardini (born April 26, 1968 in Largs) is a British actress of Italian ancestry best known for playing Anna Forbes in the Jason Hughes is a Welsh Actor born in Porthcawl, Wales in 1971 best known for playing lawyer Warren Jones in Ramon Pramod Junior Tikaram (born May 16, 1967 in Singapore) is a British stage and screen actor of Indo-Fijian and Sarawakian Luisa Bradshaw-White (born 9 December, 1975 in Eastcote, Greater London) is an English Steve John Shepherd (born 1973 is a British Actor. Career He first became known in 1996 when he played the role of Jo the law clerk in the critically Natasha Little (born 2 October 1969) is a British actress. She is best known for her work on British television but has also starred in many Cyril Nri (born 1961 in Nigeria) is a Nigerian Actor, Writer and director. This article is about the original version of The Office For the US version see The Office (US TV series, and for a comparison of the various versions from around the Martin Freeman ( September 8 1971) is an English Actor. He is most famous for his roles as Tim Canterbury in the BBC 's Urine is a liquid waste product of the body secreted by the Kidneys by a process of filtration from Blood and Excreted through the Urethra.
- Another later well-known actor appearing early in the second series is Martin Hancock, who went on to star in Coronation Street as Spider, followed by Holby City as Reg Lund. Martin Hancock is an English actor well known for his role as Emily Bishop 's nephew Geoffrey 'Spider' Nugent in the British soap Coronation Street and Reg Coronation Street (commonly known as 'Corrie' is an award-winning Soap opera created by Tony Warren Holby City, styled as HOLBY CI+Y, is a BAFTA award winning Medical drama Television serial transmitted by BBC One in the United
Locations
- The opening scenes show the house as being on Benjamin Street, which is in EC1 in Clerkenwell. Clerkenwell is an area of central London in the London Borough of Islington. However the building is actually Anchor Terrace, a terraced house on Southwark Bridge Road. Anchor Terrace is an early-19th-century building on the east side of Southwark Bridge Road in London, situated very close to the River Thames. In Architecture and City planning, a terrace(d or row house or townhouse (though the latter term can also refer to Patio houses Southwark Bridge is an Arch bridge for traffic linking Southwark and the City across the River Thames, in London, England The house has since been converted into flats. As the characters are often seen commuting from South London it is unclear why the Benjamin Street sign was filmed.
- The law firm's offices were filmed on High Holborn near the junction with Chancery Lane. High Holborn is a road in Holborn in central London, England. Chancery Lane is a principal thoroughfare of the City of London. The location for external shots of Moore Spencer Wright are at the bottom end of Borough High Street, now the FTC Kaplan offices. Founded in 1958 FTC Kaplan is one of the United Kingdom 's longest established financial training
- The barrister's chambers external shots were filmed outside Verulam Buildings on Gray's Inn Road, part of Gray's Inn. Gray's Inn Road is a major road in central London, in the London Borough of Camden.
- The café that Egg works in, and later runs, is on Victoria Road in North Acton next to the Tube station. The cafe where Egg worked is actually just further down Southwark Bridge Road (on the same side), it's called the Island cafe.
- The job centre Egg visits is on Borough High street, Southwark, London
- Miles' country house in +10 reunion is the same location used in the Lewis pilot episode ("To Whom the Gods Would Destroy"). Lewis (known as Inspector Lewis in the United States) is a British television detective drama made as a spin-off from
Other
- A then largely unknown Ricky Gervais, partner of producer Jane Fallon, was credited as "Music Advisor" for the series, and it was he who commissioned the theme tune, written by The Way Out [2]
References
- ^ O'Donnell's first name is only mentioned on a couple of occasions
External links
- This Life at World Productions
- This Life at the British Film Institute
- This Life at the BFI's Screenonline
- This Life at the Internet Movie Database
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