Life on Mars 

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.

Creators:

Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan, Ashley Pharoah

Stars:

John Simm, Philip Glenister, Liz White

9 wins & 30 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
John Simm	...	Sam Tyler 16 episodes, 2006-2007
Philip Glenister	...	Gene Hunt 16 episodes, 2006-2007
Liz White	...	Annie Cartwright 16 episodes, 2006-2007
Dean Andrews	...	Ray Carling 16 episodes, 2006-2007
Marshall Lancaster	...	Chris Skelton 16 episodes, 2006-2007
Noreen Kershaw	...	Phyllis Dobbs 16 episodes, 2006-2007
Tony Marshall	...	Nelson 12 episodes, 2006-2007

Storyline

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.

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Plot Keywords:

car accident | manchester | surrealism | title based on song | manchester england | 

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Taglines:

Two cops in the same town at the same time... 33 years apart

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Certificate:

TV-14

Details

Official Sites:

BBC [UK]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 July 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Život na Marsu

Filming Locations:

Stockport, Cheshire, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kudos Film and Television,British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC),Red Planet Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

42 min (16 episodes) (cut) 60 min (16 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Philip Glenister and John Simm have co-starred in four series together - Clocking Off (2000), State of Play (2003) Life on Mars (2006) and Mad Dogs (2011) and one film, Tu£sday (2008). They both starred in the series Prey (2014) (TV Mini-Series), albeit in separate seasons.

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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.

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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.

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Connections

Featured in TV Burp: Episode #6.5 (2007)

User Reviews

In the best BBC traditions

This series harks back to the best of BBC drama, and is cast and designed to perfection - although one or two anachronisms do creep into the script from time to time. As if the accuracy of the Seventies setting wasn't enough of a draw, however, there's also the 'mystery' element, the fascinating question of whether or not the other characters all exist in Tyler's imagination - and, if so, what they represent. It would be easy (and I suspect too glib) to suggest that Gene Hunt is a personification of Tyler's aggressive nature (I mean, as names go *Gene Hunt* seems a bit of a heavy clue - maybe too heavy!) but if that *is* the case then presumably the two of them will have to be reconciled in order for Tyler to recover from his injuries. The most disturbing aspect of this as a theory is that it would make the series concept a finite one and by definition preclude a second series, and I'm already a life member in the Gene Hunt Fan Club - I think he's one of the most delightful new creations to appear on British television in a long time.

With 'New Tricks', 'Jericho' and now 'Life On Mars', the traditional British cop show seems to have received a new lease of life in the last couple of years. This was long overdue, but it's a thrilling prospect that we now have a new generation of heroes to set against the Bergeracs, Taggarts, Regans, Barlows and Dixons of earlier times. And if we *are* heading for a new Golden Age of British TV I would like to go on record, here and now, nominating Gene Hunt as one of its brightest ornaments already!