A beloved 90s drama has landed on BBC iPlayer to mark its 30th anniversary, and fans are delighted
09:36, 18 Mar 2026Updated 09:38, 18 Mar 2026
‘Greatest series of all time’ returns to BBC after 30 years as star issues update(Image: BBC)
An iconic 90s drama has returned to the BBC after 30 years to mark a huge milestone.
First broadcast in 1996, This Life followed a group of young lawyers sharing a house in south London as they navigated friendship, ambition and the complexities of their 20s.
Created by Amy Jenkins, the beloved series featured a cast including Daniela Nardini, Andrew Lincoln, Jack Davenport, Amita Dhiri and Jason Hughes, whose fresh, raw and unfiltered performances helped establish the drama as a cultural touchstone and one of the defining series of the decade. Three decades on, its characters, energy and unapologetic honesty remain central to the cultural memory of the 1990s.
On Wednesday (March 18), This Life celebrated 30 years since its debut, with lead star Daniela marking the milestone on BBC Breakfast.
This Life has celebrated its 30th anniversary(Image: BBC)
Speaking to hosts Sarah Campbell and Roger Johnson, the actress reflected on the show’s legacy, saying: “The reference [the bosses] used was NYPD Blue and ER, and that was [those] fast edits.”
She went on: “One of my [daughter’s] teachers said, ‘Oh my god, is your mumma Anna from This Life?’ And she kind of went, ‘Oh my god, mum’… [The show] was culturally really different, I think, and exposing.”
Sharing where she thinks the characters are now, Daniela said: “I think Anna’s sober, I think Miles died because he had another divorce and he just couldn’t handle it. Oh yeah, Warren and Anna have a baby together, who’s now 20. He’s called Roger.”
Daniela then revealed that she is Facebook friends with several of her former castmates, noting that relationships “slowly fade” when you don’t see people as often as you used to.
“I’d love to have you back for a reunion,” Sarah noted, with Daniela joking: “Oh god, we’ll all have walking sticks!”
Actress Daniela Nardini appeared on BBC Breakfast(Image: BBC)
Fans have continued to share their love for the “addictive” show online, with one person writing on IMDb: “One of the greatest series of all time. Move over Friends, this is more intelligent. A perfect picture of 90s London through the eyes of young professionals and ordinary blokes and girls.
“A few cheesy performances, but it sort of worked at the time, much like the Fonz worked in Happy Days at the time. Not a poor performance from a rich cast that all went on to achieve memorable careers. This is a collectors piece for those who lived through and experienced the era in London. Nostalgic and immersive TV.”
Another added: “Watching This Life almost 30 years after its release is an interesting experience. Although its format has been much copied since the late 90s, it still retains the same freshness and vitality that made it such a captivating watch first time round… This is one of the truly great British TV shows which I look forward to viewing again at some point in the future.”
A third said: “I just binge-watched this over 5 days and brought great memories back,” with another viewer similarly sharing: “Part of what made This Life such a landmark television series was its uncompromising trendiness – its utter refusal to comply with standard dramatic devices.”
This Life will air on BBC Four at 10pm on Wednesday, March 18, and is available to stream on BBC iPlayer
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