Five Centres

I had a terrible dream last night in which I was eating mouldy bread. Then, later in the dream, I was rowing with my wife about dropping toast into the sink. I woke up feeling rather cross.

But not as cross as I used to be when I used to flatshare. I was fuming 24 hours a day. I can't tell you the grief it caused me. Jeff who did washing in the middle of the night, appeared regularly as a photofit on Crimewatch and looked like Engleburt Humperdink crossed with a young Marlon Brando (and he knew it) who eventually went to New York to try his luck after watching Midnight Cowboy about 25 times. It's still my favourite film, however. Then there was Sarah who swapped financial services for stewardessing on a cross-channel ferry for working in Joseph to becoming a barrister, with a bit of part-time drug dealing on the side. She always caught me putting up friends in her bedroom and nearly threw me out many times, but we had a laugh. I believe she's an international lawyer in Geneva. Then my best mate Jim, who went out with Sarah until she cruelly dumped him. We shared many flats on and off. He was like a brother to me. I wanted to kill him often.

There was Katie, who was so mean she once chided me for using too many matches. A dinner party she once threw for 12 people saw her cook one pheasant. I got a couple of feathers and one roast potato. She now lives in Oxford and pretends she's not married to an Algerian silversmith. Don't get me started on my brother and his many hangers-on, not to mention Mark (the filfthy drummer), Luke (the intellectual), Rachel (my brother's lesbian ex-wife), Kiwi Sue who was in EVERY night, druggy doctor Geoff, Steve who set up bank accounts in other people's names and eventually went to jail (we think) then found God.

Sometimes, as I lay in bed tensed like a coiled spring as hear the TV bellowing from the living room, or a door slamming, the washing machine thundering away or pumping house seeping under my door, I've wanted to plunge a bread knife right into their hearts, and feel absolutely no remorse afterwards. That's what it can do to you, sharing a flat, push you right over the edge. You always start off as friends, don't you. I'm glad those days are gone.

Talking of flatsharing as we are, we've been gripped by the DVD boxed set of housesharing lawyers in love saga This Life. It's SO good. I loved it first time around, and can barely believe 10 years have passed. But on second viewing it's even better. Series 1 is great but not a patch on series 2, when the characters are really fleshed out and the storylines are thought through. Whiny Welsh Warren Jones is not missed. It's great that Ferdy is a man of few words and Egg at the cafe is a whole spin-off in itself. Rachel doesn't seem nearly such a pain in the arse as she did first time round - it's Milly who's the bitch here, wanting to have her cake and eat it.

But no one is better in it than Daniella Nardini. Anna is one of the greatest characters ever to grace the small screen. It's such a shame Nardini's career seems to have taken a bit of a tumble. She was so good in This Life anything she did afterwards was a major disappointment, except for the Fragile Heart, which could do with another viewing. Perhaps she's biding her time.

Jack Davenport and Andrew Lincoln are good too, and it's easy to see how they would go on to better things. Jack Davenport has not equalled Miles for greatness though, and I do find Andrew Lincoln's voice rather grating when he's playing anyone other than Egg.

Luisa Bradshaw-White (Kiera) has done okay too, but I saw Steve John Shepherd in New Tricks the other night and I have to say time has not been kind. Again, he was great in This Life but stumbled afterwards. Maisie Raine was shocking. Kelly the receptionist stopped acting in 1999 according to IMDB, and Amita Dhiri has gone quiet. I heard from a very senior BBC press officer that she had, er, problems, during the filming of the series. I hope she's better now. That Last Train debacle she was in, after showing initial promise, fizzled.

So we've only got one episode left to go: Miles' wedding, which, if i recall, was spectacular. I'm sorry it's all coming to an end. Can't wait for that mooted reunion. What would they all be doing now? Not what you'd think, hopefully.