After being involved in a car accident in 2006, DCI Sam Tyler wakes up to find himself in 1973, the era of 'Sweeney' type policing, Mark III Cortinas, and flared trousers.
After discovering most of the police force is on the take, Sam must decide how to handle it and figure a way to get DCI Hunt on board. The fact the mob boss is responsible for terrorizing his mother ...
While investigating a serial murder case, Han Tae Joo gets into an incident. When he wakes up, he finds himself back in 1987. To get back to his present world, he must solve the murder case.
Dr Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald is a criminal psychologist. He is rather anti-social and obnoxious but he has a gift for solving crimes. Thus he is employed as a consultant by the Manchester Police.
In London, a naive young politician becomes a suspect when his female assistant and mistress is killed in a suspicious accident. The politician's investigative journalist friend and his team uncover a government conspiracy.
The members of the Torchwood Institute, a secret organization founded by the British Crown, fight to protect the Earth from extraterrestrial and supernatural threats.
A fast-tracked inspector, a hardened detective sergeant, and an expert in historical homicides investigate modern crimes with connections to the past in the Whitechapel district of London.
Stars:
Rupert Penry-Jones,
Phil Davis,
Steve Pemberton
After being involved in a car accident in 2006, DCI Sam Tyler wakes up to find himself in 1973, the era of 'Sweeney' type policing, Mark III Cortinas, and flared trousers.
On February 2007, the first season of this show was broadcast in Germany on channel Kabel 1, with two episodes every Saturday. Immediately after the first season was finished, Kabel 1 announced that the second season will air in the Fall of the same year. However, for unknown reasons, the second season has been delayed multiple times, despite being already dubbed. Although this show had rather moderate ratings in Germany, it spawned a loyal fan-base nevertheless. In the middle of 2008, a petition was started in the hopes to convince Kabel 1 to show the second season, but it didn't work out. Later on, the starters of the petition had another idea: To finally get the attention from the channel, fans were encouraged to buy Mars chocolate bars and send them to the headquarters of Kabel 1. The second season of Life on Mars finally aired on June 27, 2009, almost two and a half years after its initial announcement. See more »
Goofs
The bar scene: No beers cost 22p in 1973. Also, as the UK were still changing the money over, use and handing over of decimals would have been a lot slower than as shown in the film. Beer in Manchester would have been between 10np and 15np (or 2-3 shillings).
It was revealed in Ashes to Ashes that this era inhabited is a kind of police purgatory: Heavy artistic license can be used with these details, as it's not the real living world/ reality being portrayed. See more »
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.
See more »
Alternate Versions
While the version shown on BBC in the UK are 58 minutes in duration, the repeats on Bravo (UK) and the versions shown worldwide are cut down to about 42 minutes to make way for adverts and to cut down on the more adult material (particularly nudity and swearing). Much of the 1970s music is also replaced with public domain music due to rights issues. See more »
This British series, which made it's trek to the States, Has proved to me to be one of the best series on BBC America this year (the other being Hex).
The commercials for the series don't do the justice of what the series entails. The commercial make you think that the show is basically your run of the mill Sci-fi series working with a weak plot. I have always said that marketing is just as....if not more...important than the actual subject.
You have probably already read the synopsis from other comments presented here, so I won't bore you with the background too much. However, as I watch this series (currently have watched the first 2 episodes) I can't help but be reminded of another British export from many years ago...The Prisoner.
During each case that our hero is involved in, things come into play about where he actually is. He has no idea whether he's delusional, transported in time, or in a coma. This twist, put into the plot line, is what sets this show apart from the others in a very refreshing way.
Overall, I was quite pleased with how this series has turned out and I hope to see much more of it as well as being able to buy the DVDs if they released here in the U.S.
36 of 46 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful to you?
| Report this
This British series, which made it's trek to the States, Has proved to me to be one of the best series on BBC America this year (the other being Hex).
The commercials for the series don't do the justice of what the series entails. The commercial make you think that the show is basically your run of the mill Sci-fi series working with a weak plot. I have always said that marketing is just as....if not more...important than the actual subject.
You have probably already read the synopsis from other comments presented here, so I won't bore you with the background too much. However, as I watch this series (currently have watched the first 2 episodes) I can't help but be reminded of another British export from many years ago...The Prisoner.
During each case that our hero is involved in, things come into play about where he actually is. He has no idea whether he's delusional, transported in time, or in a coma. This twist, put into the plot line, is what sets this show apart from the others in a very refreshing way.
Overall, I was quite pleased with how this series has turned out and I hope to see much more of it as well as being able to buy the DVDs if they released here in the U.S.