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.

---

Plot Keywords:

northern england | maverick cop | 2000s | unorthodox | car accident | 

---

Taglines:

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

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

TV-14

Did You Know?

Trivia

Archie Panjabi (Maya Roy) & Marc Warren (Tony Crane) also worked together on The Good Wife (2009) as Kalinda Sharma & Nick Saverese respectively.

---

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.

---

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.

---

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.

---

Connections

Remade as Life on Mars (2008)

User Reviews

Intriguing Entertainment!

Like some of the reviewers here, I wasn't expecting much of this and started watching almost by accident.

I am a '24' man(!) and I have to say after watching this, 24 (after season 3 anyway) starts to show it's weaknesses. In "Life on Mars" you really start to care about the character and what is happening - it has many surprises. Some are startling, some dawn on you as you watch.

Now I wouldn't be old enough to actually remember the 70's, but it is very atmospheric - and crucially, not in an over-the-top way.

The 'real world'(??!) storyline is handled with a light touch too. You go through it with him as clues (or more questions) pop up unpredictably!

This deserves to be a huge hit!

Details

Official Sites:

BBC [UK]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 July 2006 (USA)

Also Known As:

Life on Mars

Filming Locations:

Stockport, Greater Manchester, 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