Ashes to Ashes

I was a bit of a newcomer to Life On Mars. I only joined in with the Life on Mars fad halfway through and by the time i finished catching up the spin-off series appeared. But lets face it, it was to be expected.

Ashes To Ashes picks up where Life On Mars left off but this time Sam Tyler is replaced with Alex Drake (Played by the stunning Keeley Hawes) who finds herself shot in the head and in 1981.

Que drumroll for the ALMIGHTY! DCI Gene Hunt. It's the only reason i kept tuning in for the first couple of episodes because of Phillip Glenisters awesome character and his trademark wit.

The show is great but it took me about 3 episodes in to get really into it while some people were hooked on the first episode i lingered in limbo. But have patience with it.

The fact that John Simms male character from Life on Mars has been replaced by an incredibly good looking female brings up plenty of new fresh ideas and story lines. This added a breath of fresh air because it mainly brought up new problems for Gene Hunt being a Mans Man.

The writing and character development was well executed and Gene Hunts comic wit was perfectly written. And Ashes to Ashes knew were to draw the line between comedy and drama. It kept it funny but also very serious.

all round this series is great and i look forward to the next series......even if i have to wait to next year for it.

People will always compare a sequel to its predecessor, sometimes rightly so, but this time they would be wrong. Life on Mars was new and unique. The story of policeman trapped in his own imagination that kept you guessing until the end as to whether this world was real or not. This is a similar idea with a twist. At the start Drake comes across as arrogant and very self assured of her policing and psychological skills but as the series progresses you can see the cracks appearing. Ashes to Ashes isn't so much a sequel as more a clever rewrite. I recommend people ignore the hype and hysteria of the media and judge for yourself.

The tone is a little more ironic and colourful than Life on Mars, which might upset a few of the predecessor's fans. But those few will always be upset, and this show is incredibly worth it.

Alex, because she knows that she's most likely in a coma (having had Sam's tapes) is herself taking the whole scenario a little less seriously - and so should we. This show is brilliant in the way that it has fun with itself. In the first episode, there is one shot of Ray, Gene and Chris on a speedboat to the sound of No More Heroes, by the Stranglers. Ray has a close up where he is sort of half smiling, and the whole thing is so unapologetically 80's, with the right sense of self awareness. The opening credits, too, let you know that you should be having fun with this show.

As long as you're not looking for the same tone and style as Life on Mars (remember, this is a show about being in an 80s cop show, not a show about being in a 70's cop show), this is a brilliant show.

Ten years on since Ashes to Ashes finished, and I think looking back on it, I've found a new appreciation for the show, that I perhaps lacked a little during its original transmission.

I have to say I prefer Life on Mars, maybe it's the originality of the concept, or the harshness of the era, still Ashes to Ashes has a lot going for it.

Great direction, great stories, great visuals, and some wonderful actors, some very memorable moments, who will ever forget the first meeting, with Vienna blasting out, or that surprising final episode?

It's great from the off, if I'm honest the third series is my personal favourite, I thought the show got better as time went on, climaxing in an incredible last episode.

Gene Hunt, the man who often steals the show, Glenister is wonderful again, almost upstaged by his beautiful Audi Quattro. Hawes, as always can do no wrong, what a talent she is.

It was almost Game Over, but one final roll of the dice awaits, as Life on Mars is set to return for one last run.

Glorious. 9/10.

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.