"Life on Mars" (2006) TV series 2006-2007

User Rating:

9.0/10   

Creators:

Mathew Graham
Tony Jordan
Ashley Pharoah

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

9 January 2006 (UK)

Genre:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Two cops in the same town at the same time... 33 years apart

Plot:

After being involved in a car accident in 2006, DCI Sam Tyler (Simm) wakes up to find himself in 1973, the era of 'Sweeney' type policing, Mark III Cortinas, and flared trousers.

Plot Keywords:

Car Accident | Buddy Cop | Hit And Run | Female Police Officer | 1970s

Awards:

8 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

John Simm	...	Sam Tyler (16 episodes, 2006-2007)
Philip Glenister	...	Gene Hunt (16 episodes, 2006-2007)
Liz White	...	Annie Cartwright (16 episodes, 2006-2007)
Dean Andrews	...	Ray Carling (16 episodes, 2006-2007)
Marshall Lancaster	...	Chris Skelton (16 episodes, 2006-2007)
Noreen Kershaw	...	Phyllis Dobbs (16 episodes, 2006-2007)
Tony Marshall	...	Nelson (12 episodes, 2006-2007)

Also Known As:

"Ford Granada" (UK) (working title)
"Life on Mars - Gefangen in den 70ern" (Germany) [de]
"Life on Mars" (France) [fr]

Runtime:

USA:42 min (16 episodes) (cut) | 60 min (16 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Australia:MA | USA:TV-14 (most episodes)

Filming Locations:

Bolton, Greater Manchester, England, UK

Company:

Kudos Film and Television

Trivia:

'Matthew Graham' and Ashley Pharoah, the writers of Life on Mars, took the original script to the BBC who initially rejected it. Then it nearly got made by Channel Four. By the time the BBC made it, the show had taken 8 years to reach the screen.

Quotes:

Sam Tyler: [credits introduction] My name is Sam Tyler. I had an accident, and I woke up in 1973. Am I mad, in a coma, or back in time? Whatever's happened, it's like I've landed on a different planet. Now, maybe if I can work out the reason, I can get home.

Movie Connections:

Featured in "How TV Changed Britain: Cops (#1.1)" (2008)

In the best BBC traditions

This series harks back to the best of BBC drama, and is cast and designed to perfection - although one or two anachronisms do creep into the script from time to time. As if the accuracy of the Seventies setting wasn't enough of a draw, however, there's also the 'mystery' element, the fascinating question of whether or not the other characters all exist in Tyler's imagination - and, if so, what they represent. It would be easy (and I suspect too glib) to suggest that Gene Hunt is a personification of Tyler's aggressive nature (I mean, as names go *Gene Hunt* seems a bit of a heavy clue - maybe too heavy!) but if that *is* the case then presumably the two of them will have to be reconciled in order for Tyler to recover from his injuries. The most disturbing aspect of this as a theory is that it would make the series concept a finite one and by definition preclude a second series, and I'm already a life member in the Gene Hunt Fan Club - I think he's one of the most delightful new creations to appear on British television in a long time.

With 'New Tricks', 'Jericho' and now 'Life On Mars', the traditional British cop show seems to have received a new lease of life in the last couple of years. This was long overdue, but it's a thrilling prospect that we now have a new generation of heroes to set against the Bergeracs, Taggarts, Regans, Barlows and Dixons of earlier times. And if we *are* heading for a new Golden Age of British TV I would like to go on record, here and now, nominating Gene Hunt as one of its brightest ornaments already!