Ashes to Ashes (2008– )

DCI Gene Hunt is back, but he's no longer the self-styled "Sheriff of Manchester." Flanked by his faithful sidekicks, Ray Carling and Chris Skelton, and drawn by the action and intrigue of ... See full summary »

Creators:

Matthew Graham, Ashley Pharoah

Stars:

Philip Glenister, Keeley Hawes, Dean Andrews

6 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Philip Glenister	...	Gene Hunt (24 episodes, 2008-2010)
Keeley Hawes	...	Alex Drake (24 episodes, 2008-2010)
Dean Andrews	...	Ray Carling (24 episodes, 2008-2010)
Marshall Lancaster	...	Chris Skelton (24 episodes, 2008-2010)
Montserrat Lombard	...	Shaz Granger (24 episodes, 2008-2010)
Joseph Long	...	Luigi (23 episodes, 2008-2010)
Geff Francis	...	Viv James (22 episodes, 2008-2010)
Grace Vance	...	Molly Drake (15 episodes, 2008-2010)

Storyline

DCI Gene Hunt is back, but he's no longer the self-styled "Sheriff of Manchester." Flanked by his faithful sidekicks, Ray Carling and Chris Skelton, and drawn by the action and intrigue of the London Met, Gene's turned his attentions to taking on the "southern nancy" criminal scum. However, Gene did not expect to be thrown together with a sexy, intelligent DI Alex Drake. Single mother to daughter Molly, Alex has rapidly risen through the ranks of the Met and, in the modern world of 2008, skillfully uses psychological profiling to capture suspects. When Alex and her daughter are kidnapped, she makes a daring attempt at escape, resulting in a horrific incident. Alex suddenly finds herself in 1981, interacting with familiar characters, not just from her own lifetime, but also from the detailed reports logged by none other than Sam Tyler, which Alex previously spent months poring over. Alex is ripped from her current world of sexual equality and respect in 2008, and finds herself opposite...

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Plot Keywords:

new romantic | 1980s | urban decay | british tv | east end | 

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Taglines:

The 80's are back and it's criminal.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Fantasy | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC [United Kingdom]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Ashes to Ashes - Zurück in die 80er

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kudos Film and Television, Monastic Productions, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (24 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo (seasons 1-2) Dolby Digital (season 3)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

Series One contains references to prostitution in every episode - Drake travels back as one in episode one, sees a poster in episode two saying "We are all prostitutes!", and in another solves the murder of a streetwalker. She is also frequently dressed in red, making her a "scarlet woman".

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Goofs

The Audi Quattro used by Gene Hunt was not available for sale in the UK in 1981. He would have had to order it from continental Europe, thus it would probably be left-hand drive. This is acknowledged to in the extras, which speculate that Hunt could have gotten the car as "a dodgy import."

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Connections

Featured in The Wright Stuff: Episode #13.5 (2010)

User Reviews

You can like both

I admit to really enjoying both programmes and I think that some fans of Life on Mars are being a bit silly.

I never really liked Ray in Life on Mars as I found him too officious. He mellows wonderfully in Ashes to Ashes.

I confess to being a big fan of Keely Hawes so I was always going to love Alex Drake. It's a wonderful cast and a most satisfactory ending which answers all questions.

We now also now why it's set in the 70's and 80's. It follows Gene Hunt as he ages. He was a young PC in 1953 and a DCI in the 70's and 80's I guess that's he now a very old Superintendent.