Ashes to Ashes - Life on Mars sequel

[Carmine Falcone]

After a gripping finale to the critically-acclaimed and multi award-winning Life On Mars on BBC One, Kudos, Monastic Productions and the BBC are delighted to announce the next chapter – Ashes To Ashes.

DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) is back but he's no longer the self-styled "Sheriff of Manchester". Flanked by his faithful sidekicks, Ray Carling (Dean Andrews) and Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster), and drawn to the action and intrigue of the London Met, Gene turns his attentions to taking on the "southern nancy" criminal scum.
However, Gene does not expect to be thrown together with sexy, intelligent, DCI Alex Drake.

Single mother to daughter Molly, Alex has rapidly risen through the ranks of the Met and, in the modern world of 2008, skilfully uses psychological profiling to capture suspects.

When Alex and her daughter are kidnapped she makes a daring attempt at escape, resulting in a horrific accident.

Alex suddenly finds herself in 1981 interacting with familiar characters, not just from her own life-time, but also from the detailed reports logged by none other than Sam Tyler, which Alex has previously spent months pouring over.

Alex is ripped from her current world of sexual equality and respect in 2008 and finds herself opposite an arrogant fellow DCI in a Two Tone, New Romantic Eighties London with a soundtrack of Adam Ant, Roxy Music and The Human League ringing in her ears.

Alex finds some of Gene's team has dispersed yet others, loyal as ever, are still in tow.

Now a technological whizz-kid in the squad's surveillance team, DC Chris Skelton has clearly moved with the times, along with a tight-permed DS Ray Carling who's keen to experience London's nightlife.

Frustrated by each other's stubbornness, the friction between Alex and Gene heats up. However, as the two titans collide, it becomes apparent there is more than just a professional tension emerging.


I'm not so sure about this, it could be very cool, with an 80's soundtrack and the always awesome Gene Hunt, but it sounds too much like a rehash and it could hurt the ambiguity of the Life on Mars finale.

 

[Lady Stormcrow]

Sounds great! Gene Hunt was my favorite character in Life on Mars, so it's good to see he's back. As for Chris's trousers in that picture....eep. lol

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Enn6zc9ug-o

Can't wait.

 

[union_jak]

Keeley Hawes is nice. Eighties music is classic. Life on Mars was great.

Should be a good series

 

[Captain_BluTac]

Okay so the show aired tonight and I liked it, it wasn't as good as Life On Mars But it showed potential.

 

[union_jak]

With this series, we (and Alex) know what is generally going on, it's just a case of her trying to get back. Sam Tyler and the audience didn't really know where he was last time around.

 

[Captain_BluTac]

Oh and people were talking about the car, the actor who plays Ray was saying that the mistake was on purpose as Alex wouldn't know the difference.

 

[union_jak]

That's the thing. It's all in her head, it won't be completely accurate.

 

[Captain_BluTac]

I hate that stupid clown, that was the only bad thing about the show IMO.

 

[union_jak]

The Clown is from the music video to Bowie's Ashes to Ashes.

 

[04nbod]

I forgot about this but I just learned about Sam's fate. I'm all confused again about how all this fits considering this world is in Sam's head originally.

 

[Captain_BluTac]

Yeah I know, but I have always hated them, I think there called Pierrot's or something..

 

[Captain_BluTac]

I forgot about this but I just learned about Sam's fate. I'm all confused again about how all this fits considering this world is in Sam's head originally.

I was gonna explain, but it's complicated.

 

[union_jak]

I forgot about this but I just learned about Sam's fate. I'm all confused again about how all this fits considering this world is in Sam's head originally.

Before he committed suicide in the real world (at the end of Life on Mars) he explained everything to Alex. All this information was written down on case notes and absorbed by her, and when she faced death her unconscious mind fell back on all this knowledge, but reinvented to her own circumstances.

Basically, everything in Sam's head was shared with Alex.

When he died in the real world, he returned to his version of the 1970s, until his death there in 1979.

I was disappointed when they mentioned what happened to him. I had this idea that if Ashes to Ashes was a success that Alex could meet Sam in a special one-off episode. Call it Under Pressure or something. Under Pressure being a song after Ashes to Ashes, featuring a team up of both David Bowie and Queen.

 

[Carmine Falcone]

I saw it too yesterday, I liked it very much. Some great Gene Hunt moments, but Alex Drake is a very cliche character. I'm not mysoginistic but usually I hate female lead characters. There is so little diversity and mostly they're annoying.
Best moment of the first episode: Gene, Chris and Ray show up in a speedboat, armed to the teeth. (Gene even packing a ****ing uzi) with The Strangler's No More Heroes playing. That was glorious. I laughed out loud in joy.

And the 70's was not in Sam's head. But that's a different discussion altogether....

 

[enygma]

gene hunt in a speed boat with a big gun shouting "Oi bollinger knickers" whats not to like???t:

 

[Captain_BluTac]

I didn't like Shaz.

 

[Bastila]

I was disappointed when they mentioned what happened to him. I had this idea that if Ashes to Ashes was a success that Alex could meet Sam in a special one-off episode. Call it Under Pressure or something. Under Pressure being a song after Ashes to Ashes, featuring a team up of both David Bowie and Queen.

That could still happen, I like to think it was real in a different world or something...


So I didn't like Life on Mars much really, but I liked this it was ok, strange right......

 

[union_jak]

I didn't like Shaz.

She's the girl from the Egg Credit card advert isn't she? The one whose ex-boyfriend had the funny nose.

 

[Bastila]

She's the girl from the Egg Credit card advert isn't she? The one whose ex-boyfriend had the funny nose.

You read that in the paper lol I did hehe

 

[union_jak]

You read that in the paper lol I did hehe

No I didn't. I recognised her from the advert, surprisingly.

 

[Bastila]

No I didn't. I recognised her from the advert, surprisingly.

Really? It was in the paper for some reason, on the tv page,

Did anyone watch Friday night with Wossy they showed a clip from ATA was funny.

 

[Bastila]

I liked this weeks episode, Alex gave her mum Beef ( a mouthful of b!tching) I liked that they have got her like mum in it, its weird isn't it lol. but funny.

Good episode though enjoying it more and more

 

[Carmine Falcone]

Well, I thought the second episode was a bit weak. What i feared about it being a reharsh of LOM appears to be true. And the mystery of this episode really wasn't very interesting or suspensefull. And I'm starting to hate Alex Drake more and more. Peope are always praising Gene Hunt (rightfully so) but Sam Tyler really was the strong, nerve center of LOM. He held everything together. You felt sympathy for him. And now with Alex Drake, I'm through already with her attitude. It annoys me to no end. I don't feel any sympathy for her no matter how many times she sobs in front of the television set.
It might turn better though. But right now it looks like Drake sinks the whole show for me. I think the actress portarying her isn't very good either.



The Audio Quattro is awesome though.

 

[Captain_BluTac]

I still liked the part where she went "I know this bit" LOL.