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Life on Mars

  • TV Series
  • 2006–20072006–2007
  • TV-14TV-14
  • 1h
IMDb RATING
8.4/10
31K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,913
171
Episode guide
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
  • Trivia
  • IMDbPro
Philip Glenister, Marshall Lancaster, John Simm, Liz White, and Dean Andrews in Life on Mars (2006)
Life On Mars: Season 1 (German Trailer)
Play trailer1:25
2 Videos
99+ Photos
  • Crime
  • Drama
  • Mystery

After being involved in a car accident in 2006, DCI Sam Tyler wakes up to find himself in 1973.After being involved in a car accident in 2006, DCI Sam Tyler wakes up to find himself in 1973.After being involved in a car accident in 2006, DCI Sam Tyler wakes up to find himself in 1973.

IMDb RATING
8.4/10
31K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
1,913
171
  • Creators
    • Matthew Graham
    • Tony Jordan
    • Ashley Pharoah
  • Stars
    • John Simm
    • Philip Glenister
    • Liz White
Top credits
  • Creators
    • Matthew Graham
    • Tony Jordan
    • Ashley Pharoah
  • Stars
    • John Simm
    • Philip Glenister
    • Liz White
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 129User reviews
    • 23Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Won 1 BAFTA Award
      • 9 wins & 30 nominations total

    Episodes16

    Browse episodes
    TopTop-rated

    Videos2

    Clip: Life on Mars (UK) – The Beginning
    Clip 2:58
    Clip: Life on Mars (UK) – The Beginning
    Life On Mars: Season 1 (German Trailer)
    Trailer 1:25
    Life On Mars: Season 1 (German Trailer)

    Photos114

    Philip Glenister and Liz White in Life on Mars (2006)
    Philip Glenister in Life on Mars (2006)
    Philip Glenister, Marshall Lancaster, John Simm, and Dean Andrews in Life on Mars (2006)
    John Simm in Life on Mars (2006)
    Philip Glenister, Alex Reid, and John Simm in Life on Mars (2006)
    Philip Glenister and John Simm in Life on Mars (2006)
    Life on Mars (2006)
    Life on Mars (2006)
    John Simm in Life on Mars (2006)
    Philip Glenister and Dean Andrews in Life on Mars (2006)
    Philip Glenister and John Simm in Life on Mars (2006)
    John Simm in Life on Mars (2006)

    Top cast

    Edit
    John Simm
    John Simm
    • DI Sam Tyleras DI Sam Tyler…
    16 episodes16 eps • 2006–2007
    Philip Glenister
    Philip Glenister
    • Gene Huntas Gene Hunt
    16 episodes16 eps • 2006–2007
    Liz White
    Liz White
    • Annie Cartwrightas Annie Cartwright
    16 episodes16 eps • 2006–2007
    Dean Andrews
    Dean Andrews
    • Ray Carlingas Ray Carling
    16 episodes16 eps • 2006–2007
    Marshall Lancaster
    Marshall Lancaster
    • Chris Skeltonas Chris Skelton
    16 episodes16 eps • 2006–2007
    Noreen Kershaw
    • Phyllis Dobbsas Phyllis Dobbs
    16 episodes16 eps • 2006–2007
    Tony Marshall
    • Nelsonas Nelson
    12 episodes12 eps • 2006–2007
    Rafaella Hutchinson
    Rafaella Hutchinson
    • Test Card Girlas Test Card Girl
    4 episodes4 eps • 2006
    Joanne Froggatt
    Joanne Froggatt
    • Ruth Tyleras Ruth Tyler
    3 episodes3 eps • 2006
    Archie Panjabi
    Archie Panjabi
    • Maya Royas Maya Roy
    2 episodes2 eps • 2006–2007
    Kevin McNally
    Kevin McNally
    • Harry Woolfas Harry Woolf
    2 episodes2 eps • 2007
    Alexander O'Loughlin
    • Young Samas Young Sam
    2 episodes2 eps • 2006–2007
    Ralph Brown
    Ralph Brown
    • Frank Morganas Frank Morgan
    2 episodes2 eps • 2007
    Lee Ross
    Lee Ross
    • DCI Littonas DCI Litton
    2 episodes2 eps • 2006
    Harriet Rogers
    Harriet Rogers
    • Test Card Girlas Test Card Girl
    2 episodes2 eps • 2007
    Rae Kelly Hill
    • Juneas June
    2 episodes2 eps • 2006
    Georgia Taylor
    Georgia Taylor
    • Denise Williamsas Denise Williams
    2 episodes2 eps • 2006–2007
    Timothy Platt
    • Leonardas Leonard
    2 episodes2 eps • 2006
    • Creators
      • Matthew Graham
      • Tony Jordan
      • Ashley Pharoah
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
    • All cast & crew

    More like this

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    8.1
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    Storyline

    Edit
    After being involved in a car accident in 2006, DCI Sam Tyler wakes up to find himself in 1973.
    • northern england
    • maverick cop
    • 2000s
    • unorthodox
    • time traveler
    • 32 more
    • Plot summary
    • Add synopsis
    • Taglines
      • Two cops in the same town at the same time... 33 years apart
    • Genres
      • Crime
      • Drama
      • Mystery
      • Sci-Fi
    • Certificate
      • TV-14
    • Parents guide

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      John Simm was once offered the chance to sign on for a third season, but he declined. He later regretted that decision. In an interview in September 2018, he said that if this show would ever be revived in some way, he would love to play Sam Tyler again.
    • 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
      Featured in Timeshift: Creating 'Life on Mars' (2006)

    User reviews129

    Review
    Top review
    9/10
    Witty, Subtle, and Compelling
    Stumbled on this series on BBC America and miss it terribly now that the first season is over.

    Great over-arching conflict (Is Sam imagining he's from the future? Is he living inside his coma-induced reality? Or did he really travel back in time?) intermingles well within each episodes crime to solve. Loved when promises a witness complete anonymity if the guy will agree to finger the perpetrator in a line up; handled in a way that recognized the humor without diminishing the seriousness.

    Plus, even though it's promoted as Sam's story, the series would suffer greatly without the Guv (DCI Gene Hunt). In the US, Philip Glenister's character would too easily be a cardboard-flat, corrupt, irredeemable cop. Here he's written and played with many shades letting you cheer for him at times, loathe him at others, pity his neanderthal ways, respect his desire to be a "good cop" while shaking your head at his twisted definition of a "good cop." He's a smart and unpredictable foil for Sam. They're each a better man for having to deal with the other even as they resent the complication and will never fully agree on their methods. There's a grudging respect building between them.

    It's Sam's and Hunt's push me-pull you relationship that makes this must-see for me.
    helpful•36
    3
    • gelogenicB
    • Oct 4, 2006

    FAQ4

    • What is going on? (MASSIVE spoilers if you haven't seen 'Ashes to Ashes')
    • So what does this mean about Sam?
    • So what happens to everyone?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 24, 2006 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United Kingdom
    • Official site
      • BBC (United Kingdom)
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Ford Granada
    • Filming locations
      • Stopford House, Piccadilly, Stockport, Greater Manchester, England, UK
    • Production companies
      • Kudos Film and Television
      • British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)
      • Red Planet Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.78 : 1

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