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Amy
Jenkins Interview - BBC
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The
series was devised by Amy Jenkins, then a 29-year-old scriptwriter. "I wanted
to give a voice to my generation, because they've never had one on television,"
she explains. "We decided there would be certain themes to This Life.
We wanted to reflect that this generation is the first who can't expect
to do better than their parents; who can't afford to buy property; who find
it very hard to get a job; and who are not threatened by casual drug use.
There's a new cynicism - or reality - about relationships because so many
of us have seen our parents split up. This Life isn't about these
issues, but they are there in the background."
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Like the
characters she created, Amy studied law at college, then became a trainee
solicitor in a City law firm. But she left after a year to pursue her dream
of becoming a writer. To pay the bills, she sold sweaters in a London market,
and organized nightclub 'rave' nights.
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"This
Life isn't a legal show - it's about the characters, their friendships,
their relationships and the way they feel and behave at work," explains
Amy. "We find out how they handle their cases and what they learn about
themselves when doing it - we never go into the courtroom because the process
is a human one, rather than a legal one.
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"Our
five main characters may be lawyers and professionals, but they're not afraid
to swear, take drugs, have lots of sex and watch lots of football. They're
into escaping, but they're also into finding themselves - they read self-help
books, they're interested in 'working at' relationships and a couple of
them get into therapy."
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This
Life has frequently been compared to the hit U.S. sitcom Friends -
both are about a group of young people sharing a house, and both are must-see
TV. But the similarity ends there, according to Amy.
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