What does your favourite West Wing character say about you?

The West Wing, the critically acclaimed television drama that aired from 1999 to 2006, has left an indelible mark on its viewers.

But have you ever wondered what your favourite West Wing character says about you?

Each of the show’s characters has their own unique qualities and quirks, and the one you resonate with the most can reveal a lot about your personality and values.

So we’re going to explore some of the most beloved characters from The West Wing and what they might say about you.

CJ Cregg

Who is she

CJ Cregg, (Allison Janney) the mischievous and flirtatious press secretary could clown around and joke around.

Like a lioness, she would take her cubs in the press pool to task for their bad behaviour but heaven help anyone who comes after their rights and liberties because they belong to the nation. And she’s a patriot. Besides, this cat has claws. Or should we say, this Big Bird has a sharp beak.

Who are you

You’ve had to fight. In fighting (if you’re a woman), you fear you may have lost some of your femininity, your girlie fun. So, when the time is right, you let your hair down. You work hard, you play hard.

You can hold your own whether it’s in a drinking competition or a verbal duel. You’re smart. You’ve had to be doubly smart to succeed and that’s taken its toll. But, damn, you’re respected.

• 7 ways the West Wing finale got it completely wrong
• The Good Wife: A decade on and still the most watchable show on TV

The men may give you are hard time but that’s because you’re one of the gang and that’s how they roll. Take it, it’s a compliment. Romance seems a long way away, but you’re loyal and you’ll work as hard at making a partnership work as you will at becoming a partner.

Leo McGarry

Who is he

He’s the man who had the vision of sticking a little known US governor, Jed Bartlet, into the White House.

Now Leo McGarry (John Spencer) is chief of staff, the top man, the top gun. He’s the ultimate Washington insider, knowing where the bodies are buried and which levers to pull. His loyalty to the boss is undying, his loyalty to the flag unimpeachable.

Who are you

You know how the world works but it doesn’t make you weary or cynical. You know how to make the tough decisions, but you haven’t forgotten the call of sentiment or duty. You see the big picture when those around you don’t and look to you for guidance. You have experience but, most of all, you have wisdom.

You know people – the good, the bad and the ugly – and you know what needs to be done. This isn’t about vanity or power, this about doing what’s right for the greatest number of people.

It takes its toll, knowing things, protecting people, engineering the chess game, but you’re tough. No-one knows what you carry inside and no-one ever will, not if you have your way. Which you usually do.

Charlie Young

Who is he

Charlie was plucked out of obscurity, out of tragedy (after his mother, a cop, was killed) and he started as the president’s personal aide with some natural nervousness.

But Charlie (Dule Hill) grew into his role, grew in stature and confidence until he became a full member of the West Wing’s tight circle. He even dated the president’s daughter, despite very death threats, and went on to take a key policy role.

Who are you

You don’t feel you entirely belong. You’re smart but you don’t know the tricks of the trade, you don’t know how to use your smarts. You never went to a top college or mixed in elite circles.

Instinctively you defer to those you consider your betters even there’s little evidence they’re better than you. Besides, they don’t make you feel bad. You make you feel bad.

And you wish you could start again or try a different route to where you are now (because you quite like where you are now) but that won’t happen so you have to make the best of it.

You know you just have to give yourself time to grow into who you think you are. No-one else thinks that – they think you’re great – you just haven’t got to that point yet.

Josh Lyman

Who is he

The deputy chief of staff and political bruiser, Josh Lyman (Bradley Whitford) became the poster boy of The West Wing because he was combative, passionate and shamelessly arrogant.

He’s also the guy with the plan, the guy who can make things happen, even if it means knocking heads together and taking a blow or two himself On The Hill. He’s the first pick on any teamsheet.

Who are you

You have bags of energy, bags of ideas and you feel like you’re surrounded by people with less energy and lesser ideas. But you’re also kinda glad they’re there. Because you need boundaries. You need heads to butt against. You know, if you were truly untethered, you could hurt people. Not deliberately, that’s not who you are, but casually.

There is a lot of collateral damage in your life, a lot of people who have been left behind as you have charged on, relentlessly, infinitely ambitious, laser-focussed and in a big hurry.

You know how the real world works, and you can play by its rules, but you’d much prefer if the world played by your rules and that’s the ultimate mountain to climb. Anything else takes second place.

Abbey Bartlet

Who is she

Abbey Barlet is the wife of the President and mother of his children. She doesn’t particularly want to be the power behind the throne (she has her own career to think of) but her need to keep her man sane and her children safe ensures that she always comes back to hearth and home to set things straight.

Who are you

You’re intelligent, but you bury the fact to make others feel cleverer. You’re witty, but you laugh loud at other people’s jokes. You have your own dreams and ambitions but you play them down so your children don’t feel unsettled.

You are at the centre of everyone’s world, except your own. You wish everything was different, you also don’t because you understand just how important you are, even if everyone else tends to take you for granted.

You know, for instance, you’d only have to leave the home for a week and the place would collapse into chaos. But you don’t want to do that. But still, you treasure the idea. Some acknowledgement would be nice, some romance even better but as long as everyone is safe and happy, that’s a good day’s work.

Toby Ziegler

Who is he

Soulful and cranky, Toby Ziegler (Richard Schiff) has a licence to speak his mind to the president. He is the director of communications who has a true, unfiltered, strong conscience, a sense of right and wrong.

And while the president deals in realpolitik and compromise, he needs his Toby Ziegler in his ear, keeping him true to his moral ambitions.

Who are you

You’re not built for politics – of the playground, the office or the pub. You prefer your own company (because then you being right is unchallenged) but if you have to rub along with other people, you chafe.

You’re not good at holding your tongue. You sulk. You want to be the one in the corner, dark and brooding who is both left alone and the main topic of conversation.

You’re not bothered about being heard but you are bothered about being right. Underneath it all, the tough outer layer, is a soft, vulnerable soul who gets mad when people get close.

If you are gloomy it’s because you worry that happiness is a trick. It isn’t cynicism, it’s a wounding. You hurt a lot and you let it show.

President Josiah Bartlet

Who is he

The big guy, the man in the Oval Office, the place where the buck stops. Yes, President Josiah Bartlet (Martin Sheen) has an office full of the brightest mind, the biggest military the world has ever known and the power to wipe countries of the face of the earth but he’s just one man, struggling with right, wrong and politics.

Before he became a politician he struggled with his father and with God and now he has the whole world to make right. He was born to rise to the occasion.

Who are you

You have broad shoulders. You have a big heart. You have, within you a tumult of swirling emotions and crippling doubts but you can never, ever show them. Perhaps occasionally to your closest friend but even then you regret the display.

To others, you have to be the same solid, dependable source of wisdom, money and solace you have always been. You have the right word for the right occasion.

You relish the role although you know it takes its toll. You think a burden befitting your stature and your experience.

You think nothing of taking a hit to save someone less capable or more vulnerable than yourself. You dream, occasionally, of laying down that burden and resting. But you know you can’t, at least not yet, and you’re also pretty sure if you did, you’d shrivel up and die. You were born to work. To fidget. To go the extra mile. To smile through the pain.

Sam Seaborn

Who is he

Sam Seaborn (Rob Lowe) has it all: wit, intelligence, looks, self-effacing charm. He’s going to be a future president and his perfectionism and attention to detail are compelling.

Indeed, so great is Sam that The West Wing was meant to be his show, his starring vehicle. That it turned out not to be the case (the honours fell to Josh) was not through a lack of effort on Sam’s part. He puts everything into everything. But often quietly.

Who are you

It’s easy to dismiss you as someone of immense privilege. To the outsider, you have it all. You haven’t struggled and you have natural talents that means sometimes there’s guilt but mostly there’s just success.

But that doesn’t mean you are thoughtless. It doesn’t mean there haven’t been tough times. Just becomes a lot of things come easy doesn’t mean everything has come easy and that sense of responsibility lays heavy on you.

Perfectionists have their own demons. You’re driven by your own sense that somehow you are disappointing your gifts. Sometimes, you feel like a fraud and an imposter. But you can never particularly speak out because you feel churlish or ungrateful.

And besides, most people think you’re the luckiest guy in the world. And that may even be true but that, in itself, is a burden of sorts, making each life decision freighted with obligation. You wonder how much is actually you, the real you, and how much you are a part you are playing, a role you have been gifted, sometimes without your consent.

Amy Gardner

Who is she

OK, so we’re going a little off piste here because Amy isn’t one of the recognised core characters. But she certainly made an impact.

The political operator and women’s right champion was a semi-permanent fixture on the fictional Washington DC political scene.

Amy (Mary-Louise Parker) was a campaign consultant, political operative, chief of staff to the First Lady and White House Director of Legislative Affairs. Most people remember her, though, as Josh’s suitor and lover, a provocative, tinderbox love match that never survived their political differences.

Who are you

You are a progressive and an idealist. You believe passionate in causes and you are a source of admiration to colleagues and friends. You are also a victim of your own principles, so committed and unyielding you put your life on hold and postpone all pleasures until you have something to show for your efforts.

If there’s a hand grenade, you’ll sit on it. If there’s a wrong thing to say, you’ll say it. Some will call this self-destructive behaviour but you might see it is the scars of war, the necessary infliction of pain to prove you are a frontline fighter.

You are confident, smart and beautiful. You can look at yourself in the mirror every night and feel pride at your accomplishments. You have bantering, combative relationships that end when the fun runs out and it starts to get serious.

But that is a price you’re willing to pay (most days).