"This Life" 30 years on

[topcat2014]

Anyone looking forward to this being re shown next week?

Ramon Tikaram was also great as Terence McCann in Brassic.

I loved Kira!

I remember her asking Warren for a list of things, and he paused, then says: anything else your black heart requires.

I loved Anna, she was fantastic!

I loved This Life back in the day. Fancied Miles even though he was an arsehole. I thought Egg was adorable. Kira and Joe were great too, though Anna used him.

I was very disappointed with the 10 years on show. But my expectations were too high.

I wish people wouldn’t keep describing things as ‘dated’. What does that even mean? That something doesn’t perfectly match the beliefs of people in 2026? Well maybe a few things WE do will be considered disgusting by future generations. Eating meat, for example. Will people in 2100 refuse to read or watch anything in which the characters eat meat? If so, that means no one will be reading Hilary Mantel or watching Breaking Bad.

People need to grow up and realise that you can enjoy a piece of art without approving of every flippin thing in it. I admire The Iliad, but that doesn’t mean I support slavery for crying out loud.

Just started watching it again, the phones made laugh. Love it!

I always think of the actor who plays Egg's Dad as Jonny Briggs's Dad from the 80s children's programme.

I never watched it first time round, only 2 eps in but enjoying the nostalgia. Apparently it was quite unusual for the time to film in real locations rather than a set. I like the writing, you can tell it was made before ‘second screen’ viewing existed!

I’m exactly the same. He pops up all the time and every time I see him, I think, that’s Egg’s dad. He’s a good actor but will always be Egg’s dad to me

I still picture that moment every time I hear the song!
It will seem dated. I watched it again a few years ago. No-one has mobiles!
I fancied Egg back in the day myself.

I want to rewatch it but I’m afraid I will just cry uncontrollably throughout from missing the 1990s so goddamn much. 💔

I know they're the same actor - but to me the actor playing Egg/the twat in Love Actually, and the one playing Rick Grimes just can't be the same man. It's just impossible.
Anna was the star - such a great character. Hated Millie - especially when she shagged her boss.
Jack Davenport is fab.

I know what you mean i left school in 1990 and by the end of the decade was a fully qualified nurse, the 90,s was my youth and only feels about 5 minutes ago

I adored it at the time and was fascinated by the Millly and O’Donnell storyline. I was living in a London flatshare and some of us were lawyers, so not sure why we needed to turn on the telly really! Although we lived a much quieter lifestyle than the ‘This Life’ crew.

I have begun watching it again and it really stands out how poorly suited Milly and Egg are for each other. He just comes across as an idiot and very self indulgent. But she wasn’t always very likeable either. I rather enjoyed the episode where she assumes her female client is crazy and homeless but she turns out to be a wealthy socialite who is on first-name terms with the senior partner of the firm. And why is Milly so threatened by Rachel?

The pace is also far slower than modern programming, which does make it feel quite granular and real. Life is often made of sitting around and random conversations, rather than big dramatic plot events.

It is dated in that it was of its time. I was surprised by how much has changed and how much hasn't, and to how I've changed.

If you don't expect comments about changes, don't read threads like this one.

I think Milly mainly saw Rachel as a rival for O'Donnell, especially when they went to Paris - and reading between the lines, he tried it on with her (she says he was 'frisky' when she talks to Milly) and also Rachel was the first to hear about his - ahem - separation from his wife, or rather buying a shag pad in town.

In addition, Milly is quite reserved so Rachel's wanting to be best buddies didn't sit well with her.

But she played it spectacularly badly, she should have humoured Rachel.

As an aside, I thought Natasha Little (Rachel) was great as Becky Sharp in the Vanity Fair mini-series of 1998. Stars Philip Glenister as Dobbin too - well worth a watch if you haven't seen it.

He was also a good Judas in Jesus Christ superstar in the late 90”s. It’s how I know my boyfriend now husband loved me as he went to see it even though he despises any Lloyd Webber musicals!

he's known as Tanita Tikarums brother in our house!

This was initially on when I was at Uni. We loved it then, and I still love it now. Anna is my favourite, as many of you have already said. I really enjoyed the segment Daniela Nardini did, a few weeks introducing this 30 years series, reminiscing about the filming.
I still can’t deal with Millie and O’Donnell though. He is a total sleaze ball.

I always thought Rachel came across as really passive aggressive, and I think I would have disliked her from the off, too.

Re the homeless lady. Wasn’t it that she was now homeless but had once been a socialite? There was a touch of Cynthia Payne about her - mentioning the raunchy parties and the policeman's helmet, etc.

It took me a while to get into that and accept her as Becky Sharp because I had disliked her so much as Rachel! But I agree. It was a good adaptation.

I think as someone said up thread, O'Donnell was a functional and wealthy man in contrast to Egg at the time - like him casually dropping his credit card to cover that expensive meal when he and Molly were left alone - that must have been part of the attraction for Milly because Egg was drifting and dithering and broke though by any objective standard he was miles more physically attractive as well as fundamentally honest and straightforward.

Yep, Egg is an indecisive man-baby. Which is undoubtedly a turn-off.
But O’Donnell is just gross! He was then, and still is now (when technically we’re actually probably a similar age!)

I don’t think she was homeless at all, just slightly eccentric, light-fingered and fond of a dilapidated coat and hat. When Milly offered to ‘see about getting you housed’ she replies that she already has a house and doesn’t need another one. She is probably far, far wealthier than the prejudiced Milly!

Yes, I glimpsed some of that at the time- must re-watch. Natasha Little is gorgeous!