Seeing as there's a Life On Mars thread and threads for upcoming new shows, I felt one was appropriate for the upcoming spin-off.

I like Keeley Hawes so casting wise, I think they are onto something good and I doubt that in 8 years as the exact is supposed to be 1981 Gene Hunt will have evolved that much.

There was some snaps in The Sun the other day with both Keeley and Philip Glenister. I'm wondering how the dynamic between Alex and Gene will pan out. Hopefully she'll be more forceful than Sam was at times.

I am excited about this and it can't come soon enough. Of course, those of us in the States will have a long wait. We have only been teased by the first season of Life on Mars because BBC-A has taken their own sweet time delivering on season #2 so some of us have had to resort to other means....like, ahem, travel. Hopefully they will air their "edited" version in the new year but crikey, why the long gap? (Are they trying to coincide with the American version on ABC which is finally getting around to shooting a pilot? Earliest possible airing would be mid-season.))
I think the writer/creators Graham and Pharoah along with the production staff have earned our trust. This is a cracking great cast and I frankly can't wait to see what they come up with.

Just from the description of the character, it sounds like she will be more forceful and probably a lot funnier as well.

Season 2 of Life On Mars is great, the finale a bit divisive but I liked it more than the ones for The Sopranos.

We still have about five months left for this, Torchwood and Skins so January 2008 will have three must see Brit TV shows.

Big enough spoilers from Digital Spy

Do you remember a guy that's been
# In such an early song
# I've heard a rumour from ground control
# Oh no, don't say it's true

So begin the lyrics to David Bowie's 'Ashes To Ashes', after which the follow-up to Life On Mars is named. But what do we know about the highly-anticipated sequel? Read on for Tube Talk's sneak preview...

So no Sam Tyler? No, John Simm is gone (and, according to the show's creator, he really has gone from Ashes To Ashes). In his place is Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes), a "modern and independent" detective inspector who suddenly finds herself catapulted back to 1981.

Does she get knocked down by a car too? That would be uncreative, wouldn't it? Alex and her daughter Molly are kidnapped but she makes a daring attempt at escape, resulting in "a horrific accident"...

Will Gene Hunt be back? Thankfully, yes. Philip Glenister reprises his role as the bigoted DCI, but Gene is in for a shock when he is transferred to London's Met Police, eight years down the line from his last encounter with Sam Tyler. "Gene Hunt has finally arrived to take over the met," says Glenister. "He'll look forward to showing these southern softies just how a police force should be run."

Is anyone else from the original series returning? Gene's sidekicks DS Ray Carling (Dean Andrews) and DS Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster) will have also relocated south from Manchester, where they will be joined by new recruit WPC Sharon 'Shaz' Granger (Montserrat Lombard).

What links will there be between Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes? Aside from the obvious link with Gene, Sam Tyler's presence will also be felt through his replacement. Drake, a psychological profiler, spent months studying Sam's account of his life in 1973, after he emerged from his coma.

What else do we know? Gene Hunt may be the key to everything. Says creator Matthew Graham: "If we can get a couple of series of Ashes to Ashes under our belt, we can unravel a really big mystery about Gene Hunt that wasn't relevant to Life on Mars."

Sounds great! When can we see it? Filming on the eight episodes started in London at the end of last month, with a transmission currently planned for January 2008.

The press pack came out yesterday, and today there is an article with accompanying gallery of screencaps on The Sun's website. (If I may be shallow for a moment, Keeley Hawes looks really pretty in them.) I'm beginning to get really excited about this show.

Gene replaced the Cortina with a flippin' Quattro?! Are you kidding me?!

This thread needs a better subtitle than "Can you say stuck in the 80's?" Suggestions?

Ok...initial viewers have weighed in and I'm officially excited. Here is but one of the first online (careful, there are spoilers)

First episode review

Of course the U.S. will probably have to wait until 2009 unless BBCAmericker decides to be semi-timely. Amazon already has a release date for the series???

Download the episodes from bittorrent after they air in the UK. That's what I did with season 2 of LOM - it's much better than waiting a year. Not to mention you get the uncut episodes instead of the hack job that BBCA does to put in commercials.

I am so excited about this show that it's almost sickening. Keeley Hawes! Philip Glenister! Life on Mars spinoff! The 80s! On my television screen! (Theoretically). Why is it not February yet?

Good question. I just want Gene Hunt back on my TV again (or, computer I suppose. They haven't even aired series 2 of Life on Mars here yet) and, as a huge Chris-lover, I'm also really excited about the spoilers floating around that he's going to be a computer whiz, nearly have a girlfriend, and be the good copper that Sam said he could be. Plus it's the Eighties: bad hair, questionable hairstyles, and music from the dying stages of punk and the rise of the new romantics. If Joy Division were to be played I think I would die from sheer fangirlishness.


Someone suggested in the Motivator thread ages ago that it could be "Oh God, The ties! The ties!" in reference to the promo pictures.

In other news, I read a spoiler in possibly the Life on Mars thread that the way Alex reaches 1981 will differ from how Sam woke up in 1973, but I've got a mental image of Alex sitting up, just as Sam does, with "Ashes to Ashes" playing in the background (she sits up just as the synthesizer kicks in after the first chorus, and the scene goes from there) and I've grown quite attached to it. Yes, I am weird.

I think I would like sublimate on the spot. If that even makes sense. The two seconds they played during Who Season Two like killed me.

Off-topic, but airylli, when did that happen? Granted, I don't watch series 2 as much as the other 2, but I feel like a bad fangirl for not knowing that. I think I need to go watch it now (unless it's in Fear Her. Then I need to get some alcohol and then watch it).

On-topic: is there an official premiere date yet, or is it still some time in February?

According to the BBC Press Office, Ashes to Ashes will premiere on BBC-1 in week 6 which is between February 2-8. I've heard it will air on Mondays or Tuesdays but that's probably rumor-mongering at best.

It is a very American subtitle, I think, that "can you say ..." must refer to some American reading scheme or something since I only ever see it here. How about Ashes To Ashes: You'd Better Not Mess With DCI Gene ?

Even if it stays the same we need to get rid of that damn apostrophe, It should be "80s" not "80's".

I can't swear to it, but I think "Can you say...?" started with Mr. Rogers, an American kid's show host. He (or someone like him), used to introduce new vocabulary words to kids with "Can you say [word of the day], boys and girls?" [Pause while kids across America talk to the TV.] Then he'd say, "I knew you could!" So you've got people in chat rooms who think its cute to post, "Can you say, Bush is a fascist?" after his speeches. It gets old.

For all the non U.K.ers out there, the Sun has been kind enough to put a non region-spcecific Ashes promo here:

Alex, meet Gene

First time I've ever thanked the Sun for anything.

For some reason, I thought I'd already answered this - clearly not. Sorry! Anyway, it was in School Reunion during the chip shop scene. Love Will Tear Us Apart plays in the background, and I die a little inside every time I hear it, considering how the season ends. Guh.

And THANK YOU, THANK YOU for that preview. Holy shit, I'm excited. And that clip was what, like four seconds long? I missed Gene Hunt. Also, Keeley Hawes is so pretty! I missed her too. I haven't watched Spooks since she left, and that was a really long time ago. And Chris is looking mighty fine.

Also, I think we have our new thread title. "My reputation precedes me."

He is, isn't he? I was rather taken aback. I think "My reputation precedes me" would be a good title thread, too.

The amount of times I have watched that preview in the past couple of days is somewhat appalling. I love the cast, and I think the people behind the show are competent and occasionally brilliant, so it's really a win-win situation, at least for me.

I like that one, too.

That was pretty cool. I'm looking more forward to this series. Plus if you buy SFX magazine over the couple of months Matthew Graham has been a column regarding the series for the magazine. No major spoilers but a few quotes.

Ah, thanks MyAlias, I have often wondered where that came from.

Great preview - but PLEASE don't let Keeley keep that hairdo!

Off topic (a little). I didn't realize the whole "Can you say" thing was particularly American - learn something every day. It's been around for ages and may well have started with a children's show but it wasn't Mr. Rogers. I know I'm being picky but Mr. Rogers is much beloved (and I supposed hated equally) around here and I hate to see him blamed for that one.

I've heard from a fairly reliable source that the Telegraph is saying that 'Ashes' is having it's debut on BBC1 on February 7th. Now I have to keep my eye on BBCCanada since they should be airing it some time that week...hurrah!

Seriously? Oh, wow. That would be beyond amazing, as long as it didn't get hidden away to air at around 2 am.

That preview is awesome! I've watched it so many times, and yet I still get excited. Beating up nonces, new Huntisms, oh how I've missed it. Hell, even seeing Ray again made me smile, and I don't even like Ray that much. I can't wait!


Me too.


Thanks :) I still can't over the fact that I missed it though.

There's another new preview here. (It ends at 0:43.) It's absolutely fantastic.

Oh God. Now I'm even more excited. The Clash? Adam Ant? Killer David Bowie Clowns!? I think I may have squeed a little too loudly when "I Fought the Law" started playing. That trailer was frakking brilliant!

Is it February 7 yet?

Thank you thankyourstars! (Is that redundant?)
Terrific trailer with a little fun and a lotta creepy. Now do I book a flight to London? Nope, I'll wait and watch it properly when (if) it arrives stateside or from alternate sources. I'm sure that BBCA won't air it until well after the U.K. DVD release. This is why we have a multiregion player. After February 7th I'll have to stay off the boards unless my friends come through.


Unfortunately, I think Alex is stuck with that do for the first series. Keeley has wisely left her own long and straight.

I've seen an advance copy of the first episode. And it's bloody fantastic! I wasn't even that big a fan of Life On Mars, I liked the concept and Simm & Glenister a great deal but I never felt the episode plots were any use, didn't like Liz White and didn't feel it made much sense even before the finale. But with ATA, they're completely playing around with it all, that the audience knows Gene Hunt is the star, and Alex knows he's the star, and that it's a nostalgia hallucination, and they all know we know. It's very meta but also very good fun. Keeley Hawes is excellent (and doesn't look like she'll keep the hair like that).

I'm not really going to spoil it but here are some little hints:
Zippy and George!
Bowie clown in the wardrobe!
Now: "What happened to Sam Tyler?" "He died."
1981: "I knew Sam Tyler." "Sam Tyler? Poor sod. That explains a lot."
"Ray's the misogynist one, you're the nervous one, I know how this goes and I DON'T CARE."
"Now then Bollinger knickers, you gonna kiss me or punch me?"
Love it. Now if they can only keep this up.

Promethea - I know there's no possible way for you to answer but I'm wondering if ATA will be as wonderful to those of us who did love LoM.

Promethea, I think the little bit you said about the premise outside the spoiler bars may have already been too much, as it was enough for me to immediately come up with my own full fledged wacked-out Grand Unified Theory as to what will ultimately turn out to be really going on in both LOM and ATA, and it's freaky enough that it definitely *should* be the answer, if I do say so myself it's better than anything else they could come up with.

But anyway, before I decide whether or not to post my idea here; I only started reading this thread, clicking the preview links within, etc, after BBCA broadcast the LOM final episode, so a few reactions to what I've found so far:

-If LOM used Starsky & Hutch as a template for it's style, ATA seems like it might be taking its cues from Miami Vice (Hey, Gene wearing Raybans & firing Uzis? speedboats on the Thames?) On the other hand, I wouldn't take that analogy too far; while Manchester was a fairly good match for a gritty 70's American Inner City, I'm really not sure how well London would do as a stand in for South Beach.

-When DI Sam Tyler woke up in 1973 it was with a complete identity set up for him as a newly transfered detective from Hyde sent to work a the very same Precinct he worked at in 2006, but Alex Drake apparently comes to with the identity of a streetwalker. It'd be pretty tough for her to partner up with Gene to solve cases in that role (well, maybe not the "partner up with Gene" part), So I'm assuming her actual 1981 identity is as an undercover police officer doing some two-bit sting operation for the Vice Squad when Gene encounters her. Although If the 1981 storyline really is "Maverick Cop teams up with Hooker With A Heart Of Gold and remarkable gifts of psychological insight and together they fight crime" that could be fun on a pure over-the-top camp level.

-I already miss Gene's bitchin' Ford (was that model ever sold in the US? Like I said after seeing my first LOM episode, it looks like a US 70's muscle car, except smaller.) One of the articles linked to insist that that '81 Audi is "cool looking", but from the pictures I've seen it looks like a cheap early 80's plastic box.

-It looks to me like the clown from the David Bowie video will fulfill the same role as the Creepy Little Girl from the TV test pattern picture in LOM. Since the original clown *was* in fact Bowie, they most likely had to work out some agreement with him to use his image (even if another actor is portraying it), and of course for it to make sense the show must also show a piece of the actual video playing on a TV at some point. Since Bowie seems to be so agreeable to licensing his material for this show (not surprising, I imagine this show is just the sort of weird-ass stuff he likes), I kind of have some hope that if the final shot of the show ends in 2008, we might be treated to a brand new original David Bowie song playing over the closing credits.

Anyway, I'm really looking forward to seeing the show, eventually. Somehow. I've decided to post my theory on what it's all really about in the Life On Mars thread, since although it explains both shows, it really only goes into deep detail on LOM, for obvious reasons.

You said the magic words: nostalgia hallucination. As long as they don't retcon LoM, I can stretch my suspended disbelief just slightly further (interesting that it appears to have a lighter tone than LoM, but I suppose that'd make sense with Gene as the star).

Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts (even if I didn't read the spoiler portion) -- I am happy that it seems like it's a good show. It would bother me if something with an LoM pedigree wasn't good.

I have actually been wondering what David Bowie thinks of this show and whether he might ever consider a guest appearance (not as himself, playing a role).


Well, I don't see why not. It depends what you loved about it - but Gene is VERY Gene. Though to be honest, I think Keeley is the star this time.

Raging Apathy, hope I haven't spoiled things for you but that part is really only my meta-interpretation of what the show is playing around with, not so much the plot, if that makes sense? If you do want to know about Alex's identity, she's found as a prostitute, obviously dazed, but then they find her police identity card and realise she is the new officer they have been expecting, there's a desk for her and everything. They assume she was sent undercover as part of the big operation they're working on. However - I always wondered in LoM how everybody just took Sam's word for who he was, how he was paid, etc, until it was eventually revealed that Frank Morgan had arranged it. Perhaps something similar will emerge about Alex?

A few more snippets: "You're not keeping me here for seven years!"
"I'm the A Team."
Whatever happened to the heroes?

I remember reading something where the writer/producers said this would a completely different show: lighter in tone and funnier with a bit of a creepy, scary factor. This a good thing. I don't want a re-hash of LOM but something "in the spirit of" attracts me...along with more Gene.

I love John Simm but he doesn't always "pop" on screen. He was a low-key Sam which was entirely appropriate. When Simm wants to chew scenery he can (Dr. Who anyone?)
From what Jane Featherstone said, they wanted an actress who could match Glenister in "pop" factor but could also handle the dramatic demands of the show. In KH they know they've got someone who can handle whatever they dish out.

If he does, I hope we get to hear at least one other character say at least once, "Damn, but you look like David Bowie!"

More like "Hey, are you by any chance David Bowie's father?"

Having another actor playing David Bowie as his clown character from the Ashes To Ashes video, and also having the real David Bowie playing another character? That would be a little trippy.

The Telegraph has a lengthy article with a short scene of the show. Lots of pictures and interviews with a flock of spoilers in the article so beware:
Telegraph article/video clip

Enjoy! I must say the tone of that one scene is absolute perfection with Gene doing his thing and Alex aware of the surroundings, brain working furiously to sort it out while her outerware just makes you want to cringe and laugh.

The following are all purely stupid, goofy, unimportant comments about the clip.

Was that an Apple II? Would someone from 2008 who's not actually in a computer-type field even know how to work a pre-windows computer with a DOS operating system anymore? (I used to know some very basic commands, a long time ago, but I've long forgotten them) Although if it was an Apple II I think we've already got our first anachronism when she says "There's nothing on the hard drive but the time & date", since since the Apple II didn't even *have* a hard drive. (Well, actually, it so happens the first hard drive for the Apple II was introduced in September 1981, but unfortunately she specifically mentions that the date is July.) And she's not just using the term imprecisely, the DOS prompt on the screen clearly shows she's in drive "C".

I have absolutely no idea what the hell Gene Hunt said when the female police officer offered Alex a Tab. It's gonna be fun trying to follow some of his dialog without closed captioning

Yes, Alex is definitely dressed as an obvious prostitute here, so it's a pretty safe bet she will be sporting a more appropriate period outfit when she assumes her identity as a police officer (although if this "period look" happens to involve leg warmers, the "skanky Ho" look might not seem so bad by comparison).

And as long as I'm obsessing over nerdy technical details, I have a question about the phones. At the end of that scene, when the phone rings, it rings with two quick rings in succession, which I how I remember hearing European/English phones ringing in old movies & such. But I noticed that in Life On Mars, the phones always used to ring with one long ring, closer to how they rang in America (back when phones had actual bells). Is there some reasoning behind this? Is it a regional thing, that the phones rang differently in Manchester? Or do the two short rings indicate an inter-office call or something while the long ring is an outside line?

SPOILER in regards to clip: I'm guessing she didn't really know how to use the computer, as all she could get out of it was the date and time. Plus a lot of 1s and 0s. Can't imagine that's very helpful to the police force, so there has to be another way to use it.

I'm also totally digging the change in character between Sam and Alex. Sam was freaking out and just couldn't grasp it, and Alex seems to be taking it in stride. I also love how Gene is purposely saying incredibly sexist things about her and she's completely ignoring him, because she thinks none of it is real and she supposedly already knows all about him from Sam. So she's walking around, talking to herself, not caring about anyone else in the room. It doesn't matter, they're all a figment of her imagination anyway.



I think the show looks cute. The 1980s are going to bring back some memories that LoM never could. ;) Granted I was born in 1984, but the early 90s weren't that different, I don't think. I loved Keeley's character in Spooks, most definitely.

I'm also hoping that things turn out differently between LoM and Ashes to Ashes. Like, Sam willingly returned to this world because he couldn't bear to leave them all behind; it would be interesting if Alex fights against it and wakes up and decides to remain in her own world. She's supposed to have a twelve year old daughter who would be an orphan if she dies. So while Sam decided 1973 was where he belonged, I'd love to see Alex decide that she needs to return to 2007. Or 08. Or whenever.

'Alex, in a sense, is the viewer now,' Campbell points out. 'It's almost like she's watched a box set of Life on Mars, and is reacting to the world as a viewer might react: "Oh my God, it's Gene Hunt!" And obviously she does lose herself in that world as well.'

This quote is what I was trying to say above.

I really want to hear "Fashion" by David Bowie, "Save A Prayer" by Duran Duran, and "Boys Don't Cry" by the Cure on this show.

I swear, we had one of those phones at home in the 80'. Maybe that was cos we were in quarters?

I'm looking forward to this - I enjoyed Gene Hunt in LOM, and I love Keeley Hawes in most things so it should be good!

These two snippets make me very happy. My biggest fear, like other LoM fans have mentioned, is that they somehow would retcon Sam's journey in order for Ashes to Ashes to make sense, and I think a nostalgia hallucination built up around Alex's knowledge of Sam's journey (as Promethea mentioned, she's like a Life on Mars viewer) is the best way to avoid that.

In all honesty though, as long as Gene is still Gene and Chris is on his way to being the good copper Sam predicted in the LoM finale (as well as good music, which considering the use of The Clash in that trailer and apparently "No More Heroes," by the Stranglers in the episode seems very likely to make my inner punk happy), I'll be, er, "obtaining" it every week. And by the looks of everything I've seen/read so far, at least the first part of that is true.

Re: the clip. I think I may already be a little in love with Alex. Just her certainty that none of it is real and how she deals with the situation as a result of this provide a great contrast to Sam (who I love as well, but for different reasons). She's not the new, female Sam Tyler, and that's exactly how it should be. Also, in light of the more comedic tone of A2A, I'm just wondering if that phone call is a fake-out and is just a normal phone call instead of one from the London 1981 version of Hyde.

Not that I’m obsessed or anything but I am really enjoying the spoilers, teasers and speculation about Ashes to Ashes. So thanks to all.

Life of Mars series two is not airing here until later this year but I became so hooked on Life on Mars series 1 (Thanks Motivator and Dr Who threads!) and I managed to get my workmates hooked as well. We were so obsessed that our Boss imported LOM series 2 DVD's from the U.K. just to shut us up, and because by this stage she was totally hooked as well. None of us could wait a whole year to discover the outcome. A very wise purchase.

I’m eagerly awaiting Ashes to Ashes, I’m glad so see that they are keeping with the odd occasional creepy trippy visual. It’s a good way of jarring the viewer out of the police story line and into the weird what’s going on story. More clowns *shudders*


David Bowie was really good in his cameo on Extras and considering this show highlights the longevity of his musical influence over the decades it would be great if he made an appearance.

Given the period in which this is set I can see myself singing along to a lot of the songs and having a sudden urge to apply way too much eye shadow and frosty lipstick and book my hairdresser for a poodle perm.

You know, I was out shopping and there was a bright yellow headband with hot pink and green polka-dots and I almost bought it, just so I had something to wear when the show starts. ;) And then I walked down the street and saw a woman wearing a poofy hot pink jacket with black writing and a side ponytail and I was like, "Forget this Alex person. Maybe I'm the one who's stuck in 1981."

I am very excited. I love LoM and I bet the new dynamic will certainly make it interesting. From what I've read, the character seems very different from Sam, so. Coolness.

I don't think I've ever been obsessed with the idea of a show before. Usually the show is in Series Two before I've even heard of it!

I know this is posted somewhere but I can't find it. What's the start date?

BBC1 7th Feb 9pm.