Jack Davenport: 40%, Andrew Lincoln: 40%

It is a truth universally acknoweledged that every generation must be in want of a defining TV series. For cash-strapped graduates facing the daunting prospect of real life in the 1990s that series was This Life. The plot of four lawyers sharing a house in South London is simplicity itself but scenes like barristers doing drugs and a homosexual plumber are anything but formulaic!

The lives and loves of the housemates gripped a nation but for me the main attraction is the walking enigma that is Miles Stewart, played by founder BluSher Jack. Those eyes! That deep resonant RP voice! The way his eyebrows almost meet in the middle! Of course Miles is a self-centred bastard but you gotta love him, especially in his moments of vulnerability. His 'on-off' relationship with the feisty Anna is fantastic. One columnist described the pair as "the Darcy and Elizabeth of our time" - only presumably with less britches and more ill-considered drunken shags.

If you didn't see this series and you're British, where were you? It is consistently excellent with edgy storylines, a brilliant script and gorgeous cast. Only two series were ever made but at least that means the standard never flagged.

Oh, and Egg (Andrew Lincoln) could occasionally be quite cute when he wasn't whinging.

• Bonuses: Where do you start?! All the cast is great, including the supporting cast of Kira, Ferdi and the scheming Rachel. It also has the best ending of a drama series ever.
• Drawbacks: Why was it necessary to show Milly's boss's hairy back? Why?
• Extras: Top quote: "Well if you'll excuse me I've got a long bath and a short dress to get into" - female icon Anna.