My favourite TV show (namely, Ashes to Ashes) is one that something I reference a lot, provoking the usual reaction: “What’s that?” In fact, I can bet that you had the exact same reaction when you read the title of this article. And that shouldn’t be, my wonderful reader. Let me explain why.
For those of you wondering (that is, pretty much everyone), Life on Mars is a BBC series that aired
way back in 2006 and starred John ‘The Master’ Simm. Simm plays DCI Sam Tyler,
a modern police officer in Manchester who is hit by a car and wakes up in 1973,
sporting a ridiculously-oversized collar and cool leather jacket. Soon, he
meets his new team, led by DCI Gene Hunt - “the Guv” – a bullish, wisecracking
trench-coat wearer and Western fan. Also on the team are the antagonistic,
grumpy DC Ray Carling, the dim-witted but loveable DC Skelton and the
down-to-earth WPC Annie Cartwright. Sam is driven to find out why he’s in the
1970s, and ultimately find a way home.
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| Crap, I knew I shouldn't have pissed off the Time Lords... |
Now, to some of the readers from the US, this may sound familiar, as there was
an American version of Life on Mars
made two years later with more or less the same premise. But what I really want
to talk about is Ashes to Ashes, the
follow-up/continuation of Life on Mars
and in opinion, the superior show. Ashes
to Ashes is a similar premise, this time about a female police officer (DI
Alex Drake) played by Keeley Hawes, who wakes up in 1981 after being shot. Not
only does she have to work out how to get home, she also has to solve the
mystery of her parents’ violent death in an exploding car. The Spock-and-Kirk
dynamic of Sam and Gene is replaced by the equally compelling love-hate passion
between Gene and Alex.
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| "You and me, Bolly. You and me." |
You might be asking at this point “What’s so great about those shows? They’re just Lost, but British, right?” But they are so much more; as fantastic as that show is too. I’ve heard them compared, but I haven’t yet finished Lost (word to the wise – if you see me around, please don’t spoil it!), so I can’t vouch for that. But if you enjoyed Lost, you’ll most likely eat up Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes too. In all three shows, the protagonist(s) with a traumatic past, is suddenly and violently thrown into a strange, completely alien world, and has to not only learn to survive, but how to return home. But Life on Mars and its successor immerse you in a world of the past, and world that was real, and yet at the same time, completely unrecognisable. The 1973 of Life on Mars is a dusky, sepia-toned world of violence, cigarette smoke and cobbled streets, while the 1980s of Ashes to Ashes is a riot of colour, bursting at the seams with gaudy clothes, surreal music and retro tech. Not only that, but these are shows that defy genre, almost always the mark of something special. It’s a cop show. No wait, it’s sci-fi. Actually no, it’s period drama. One moment, Gene and Alex could be working undercover to thwart police corruption. The next, we’d see flashbacks of Alex’s past and then be confronted by a creepy ghost with half a face or a terrifying white Pierrot clown.
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| "WE ARE WAITING FOR YOU, ALEX..." |
Furthermore, like any good drama, the
characters grow and develop organically through the years, and we follow their
journeys. Chris and Shaz’s dysfunctional romance blossoming; Ray’s self-doubt
and bitterness gives way to hope; Gene’s … no, that would be a spoiler. All
this with the added bonus of a plethora of great songs from the 1970s and
1980s, Gene’s witty, non-PC one-liners, and some clever crime stories, and you
have a sure underground hit. If nothing else, the fact that someone my age can
enjoy the shows, without having any nostalgia from those eras to lean on should
demonstrate their quality. Now go give them a try, or I’ll come round yer
‘ouses and stamp on all yer toys…
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“He’s got more fingers in pies than a
leper on a cookery course!”
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