[citation needed] The show became a popular word-of-mouth hit[4] and was included on BFI's list of the 100 greatest British television programmes.

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.

This rerun ran smoothly into the start of the new second series, from Monday, 17 March 1997, restored to its peak-time slot, by which time it was attracting praise as a cult hit.

From 3 February 2020, series one of This Life was repeated on BBC4, carrying a dedication to its executive producer, Tony Garnett, who had died aged 83 during the previous month.

These included Ferdy (Ramon Tikaram), briefly Warren's boyfriend; Rachel (Natasha Little) a new junior trainee at Milly's law firm; and Francesca, Miles's girlfriend and later fiancée.

Previously secondary characters Jo (Steve John Shepherd) and Warren's cousin, Kira (Luisa Bradshaw-White) feature more heavily as they embarked upon a relationship.

Born Edgar Cooke in Manchester, Egg is an English graduate with a conversion in Law and is in a full time relationship with girlfriend Milly.

Enjoying the work, despite the low pay, Egg decides to purchase the café after its owner Mrs Cochrane moves to Ireland and puts it up for sale.

Jamilla Nassim was born in Barnet to an Indian emigrant family and, whilst studying for a law degree, met Egg and they began a relationship.

When Egg quits the firm midway through the first series, Milly finds it hard to deal with his apathetic attitude and harbours romantic thoughts towards her boss Michael O’Donnell.

Despite her difficult upbringing, Anna is a tenacious, charismatic and talented barrister, albeit one who frequently takes risks on behalf of her clients.

Nonetheless, chambers clerk Jo suggests that she ‘squat’ and undertake supplementary work and unwanted cases in order to earn an income.

At the beginning of the second series, Anna sees Miles talking to another woman at a bar and, misunderstanding the situation, thinks he is cheating on her and promptly dumps him.

Working with Graham as his junior brief, Anna correctly deduces, after reviewing witness testimonies and social services reports, that the girl fabricated her story and is lying.

After Graham catches her snorting cocaine in chambers toilets, she is nearly fired but Hooperman offers her a conditional return, subject to her attending AA meetings.

Born into a wealthy and privileged family, Miles initially displays views and makes comments that are considered racist, sexist and (in particular) homophobic.

Miles embarks on a relationship with drug addict and thief Delilah, whom he meets whilst Anna is defending her boyfriend Truelove at court.

Miles remains oblivious to Delilah’s true nature, even after she is accused of robbing his housemates and continuing to take drugs with Truelove.

In the second series, Montgomery makes amends to Miles and reveals to his son that he is going to marry Caroline, a young fundraiser he met at a charity event.

Miles continue to wind up Ferdy, but later stops after he punches him in the face and Anna reveals he had witnessed them having sex in the front room.

10 years later, Miles has divorced Francesca and is married to a Vietnamese woman called Me Linh and it is implied that he has left chambers to found his own businesses.

The relationship between husband and wife is strained, more so when Anna returns and Miles reveals that he is in severe financial trouble due to his businesses failing.

Warren’s sexuality and others’ acceptance of it are a major part of the character in the first series However he is worried that his family back home, who are unaware that he is gay, may reject him.

Ferdinando Garcia, known to his friends as Ferdy, is introduced in the penultimate episode of series 1 as a motorbike courier of Mexican descent delivering documents to Moore Spencer Wright, where he catches the eye of Warren.

Ferdy returns in the second series and reveals that his fiancée Mia found out that he had been seeing other men and called off the engagement whilst his parents disowned him and kicked him out of their home.

Ferdy stays on the sofa in the shared house and rekindles his relationship with Warren, accepting that he is attracted to men as well as women and is bisexual.

In a rage, Ferdy trashes Seb’s car although the police are unable to link him to the crime as both Miles and Egg act as unwitting alibis.

A then-largely-unknown Ricky Gervais, partner of producer Jane Fallon, was credited as "Music Advisor" for the series, and commissioned the theme tune written by The Way Out.

[9] In 2000, BBC Music issued a compilation CD featuring the theme tune and songs from the 1990s by bands including Blur, The Charlatans, The Lightning Seeds, Pulp, Jamiroquai, Manic Street Preachers, Suede, Oasis, The Divine Comedy, Everything but the Girl, New Order, Skunk Anansie, The Clash, Happy Mondays, The Prodigy, and Supergrass.

The controversial stage writer Mark Ravenhill was involved in drafting storylines and early scripts for a third series, but the plans were aborted, and the decision was taken to end the programme "on a high".