To watch is to yearn for a different world: how The West Wing made politics feel glorious

"The West Wing, which was launched on 22 September 1999, is 25 years old and an entire galaxy away from most 13-year-olds' orbits today."

"In the first of what will become the show's signature move—the walk-and-talk—the camera tracks Leo over the 3:44 minutes it takes him to reach his desk."

"It's as funny as it is unlikely. The president has ridden his bicycle into a tree. His chief of staff, Leo, signs into the front desk of the White House."

"Sorkin created the series as a chronicle of a fictional US president (Josiah Jed Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen) and his wildly committed White House staff."

Read at www.theguardian.com