Episode 1 is the first episode of series 1 of the

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...

police procedural The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eith ...

/drama television series '' Ashes to Ashes'', which is the sequel to ''

Life on Mars The possibility of life on Mars is a subject of interest in astrobiology due to the planet's proximity and similarities to Earth. To date, no proof of past or present life has been found on Mars. Cumulative evidence suggests that during the ...

''. It began broadcasting on

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...

on 7 February 2008.

Synopsis

'' Ashes to Ashes'' tells the fictional story of

Detective Inspector Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

Alex Drake Alex Drake may refer to: * Alex Drake (Ashes to Ashes) DI Alexandra "Alex" Drake is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama '' Ashes to Ashes''. The character is portrayed by Keeley Hawes and as a child by Lu ...

(

Keeley Hawes Claire Julia Hawes (born 10 February 1976), known professionally as Keeley Hawes, is an English actress. After beginning her career in a number of literary adaptations, including ''Our Mutual Friend'' (1998) and ''Tipping the Velvet'' (2002), Haw ...

), a

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

in service with

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

Metropolitan Police The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

. After being shot in 2008, Drake awakens in 1981.

Plot

DI Alex Drake is driving her car, while her daughter Molly is reading Sam Tyler's experiences in 1973 in a Police document. It is revealed that he committed suicide. Alex gets a call that a man has taken someone hostage. She tells Molly to stay in the car. A police sergeant informs her that the hostage taker is Arthur Layton and that he had recently left prison. Drake tries to tell the sergeant that she was driving her daughter to school. But the sergeant informs her that Layton had asked for her. Drake approaches Layton while the armed response team arrives. She helps the hostage escape but is taken herself. Molly runs out worried for her mother. Layton takes Molly hostage and escapes. Drake gives chase and hears a bullet. Layton had disappeared and Molly was okay. Later on Drake by herself sits in her car and repeats the lyrics "I'm happy. Hope you're happy too" that Layton had spoken earlier. Then she discovers Layton in her back seat. He orders her to relax and drive. He leads her through the docks. He rings up an unknown person and tells them that he has Tim and Caroline Price's daughter; Drake asks Layton, "How do you know my parent's names?" But the call brings up nothing. Drake tries to question him when they are in a disused ferry on the

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

, where she is shot. Drake sees images of the bullet and Layton, herself younger, her mum, a balloon, a clown, Layton, and the bullet. She begins to hear music ("

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" by

Ultravox Ultravox (earlier styled as Ultravox!) were a British new wave band, formed in London in April 1974 as Tiger Lily. Between 1980 and 1986, they scored seven Top Ten albums and seventeen Top 40 singles in the UK, the most successful of which was ...

) and awakens on a brothel boat. She briskly runs off the boat as policemen rush past her. She tries to get help, believing herself to just been shot, but they believe she is a prostitute and ignore her. She makes her way to a road, where the Quattro appears speeding with music playing (" Careless Memories" by

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...

). She is taken hostage by Edward Markham, when she is surprised that DCI Gene Hunt, DS Ray Carling, and DC Chris Skelton appear, looking exactly like Sam described except for the updated clothes (1980s). She convinces Markham to surrender and is taken to the Metropolitan police station, where she discovers that she has a life set up just like Sam Tyler did. She believes she is hallucinating and that everyone is just imaginary constructs. The CID and Alex Drake discover that Drake is their new DI, much to the CID's surprise (as they had thought that Drake was a prostitute). Drake finds out that the year is 1981. Drake, believing that Layton is the key, follows evidence to convict Layton in 1981 as the CID is trying to uncover a crime gang. Layton is taken down by Hunt, much to Drake's anger, as she believes that she had to tackle Layton herself to return to the future.

Continuity with ''Life on Mars''

As with its predecessor, the show's name originates from a

David Bowie David Robert Jones (8 January 194710 January 2016), known professionally as David Bowie ( ), was an English singer-songwriter and actor. A leading figure in the music industry, he is regarded as one of the most influential musicians of the ...

song from the era in which the programme is set. In this case, it is the 1980 single " Ashes to Ashes". In the final episode of ''Life on Mars'', Sam Tyler is shown recording his thoughts and experiences in 2006 for an unnamed colleague in psychological services. Dropping his final tape in the post, he explains that she is studying police officers who have undergone trauma. During the opening scenes of the first episode, it is revealed that Alex Drake is a police psychologist who has been studying Sam Tyler's suicide and the records of his life in his 1973 world. The episode begins with Alex's daughter, Molly, reading the transcription from Sam's tapes (his opening monologue from the ''Life on Mars'' episodes). Upon Drake being shot during a hostage situation in 2008, she awakens in 1981, where she is amazed to meet Gene Hunt, who was mentioned in Sam Tyler's case notes. As Drake has read the report of Sam Tyler's reality, she knows that telephones and radios carry messages from the present day to her and how she can see hallucinations of those that she loves. During the course of the first series, it is revealed that Sam Tyler returned to

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

in 1973 after committing suicide in 2006. Tyler spent a further seven years in this alternate timeline, before crashing his car while pursuing robbery suspects, with his body never being recovered. The 2nd-through-final episodes' opening credits begin with an explanatory monologue by Alex, closely following that of Sam on ''Life on Mars''. The first season of each series repeatedly features fractured memories of the murder of a woman each protagonist witnessed his or her father commit when the protagonist was a child. Sam's memories, from 1973, are shown as grainy film; Alex's, from 1981, are depicted as home video complete with whirling sound of a VCR fast-forwarding and reversing the tape. Sam and Alex each re-live the scene as adults at the climax of the first-season finale. In addition to DCI Gene Hunt, DS Ray Carling, and DC Chris Skelton being regulars on both series, other ''Life on Mars'' characters

Nelson Nelson may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Nelson'' (1918 film), a historical film directed by Maurice Elvey * ''Nelson'' (1926 film), a historical film directed by Walter Summers * ''Nelson'' (opera), an opera by Lennox Berkeley to a lib ...

, Jackie Queen, and DCI Derek Litton make guest appearances. Sam and his widow, DC Annie Cartwright, are repeatedly referred to. Sam and Alex each meet their respective parents and visit their own childhood homes and bedrooms. They both encounter other family and significant places, such as Sam's favourite aunt, the record store where he bought his first record, and the factory that will one day be the loft where he will live as a DCI; and Alex's foster father, future ex-husband, parents-in-law, and the bed on which she implies her younger self will be intimate.Speaking with young Peter Drake in ''Ashes to Ashes'' ep. 2.5, adult Alex sits on Peter's bed and recognizes its distinctive 'creak'.

Cast

Philip Glenister Philip Haywood Glenister (born 10 February 1963) is an English actor. He is best known for his role as DCI Gene Hunt in the BBC series ''Life on Mars'' (2006–2007) and its sequel '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2008–2010). He also played DCI William ...

as Detective Chief Inspector

Gene Hunt DCI Gene Hunt is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama ''Life on Mars'' and its sequel, '' Ashes to Ashes''. The character is portrayed by Philip Glenister in both ''Life on Mars'' and ''Ashes to Ashes'', w ...

as Detective Inspector

Dean Andrews Dean Andrews (born 6 August 1963) is an English actor. He is known for his role as DS Ray Carling in the BBC drama series ''Life on Mars''. He continued the role in the sequel series, '' Ashes to Ashes'', until 2010. As of April 2019, he ha ...

as Detective Seargent

Ray Carling DC/DS/DI Raymond Milton "Ray" Carling is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/ police procedural drama, ''Life on Mars'' and its spin-off '' Ashes to Ashes''. Storylines ''Life on Mars'' Ray Carling is shown to be similar in ch ...

Marshall Lancaster Marshall Lancaster (born 5 October 1974) is an English former actor. He has appeared in television dramas including '' Coronation Street'', '' Holby City'', '' The Lakes'' and ''Family Affairs''. He is best known for playing DC Chris Skelton in ...

as Detective Constable

Chris Skelton PC/DC Christopher Daniel "Chris" Skelton is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/ police procedural drama, ''Life on Mars'' and its spin-off '' Ashes to Ashes''. ''Life on Mars'' The character of Chris Skelton has been descri ...

Montserrat Lombard Montserrat Lombard (born 1 August 1982) is an English actress best known for playing WPC (later DC) Sharon 'Shaz' Granger in the BBC drama series '' Ashes to Ashes''. Early life Lombard was born in London and is of Spanish and Italian desce ...

as Woman Police Constable Sharon Granger * Joseph Long as Luigi *

Geff Francis Geffrey "Geff" Francis (born 1964), best known as Geff Francis, is a British actor who portrayed Lynford, a hoodlum, in the 1988 drama film '' For Queen and Country''. In 1986 he appeared as the title character in Channel Four's '' Zastrozzi, A ...

as Desk Sergeant Viv James *

Amelia Bullmore Amelia Mary Bullmore (born 31 January 1964) is an English actress, screenwriter and playwright. She is known for her roles in ''Coronation Street'' (1990–1992), '' I'm Alan Partridge'' (2002), '' Ashes to Ashes'' (2008–2009), ''Twenty Twelve ...

as Caroline Price * Grace Vance as Molly Drake *

Stephen Campbell Moore Stephen Campbell Moore (born Stephen Moore Thorpe, 30 November 1979) is a British actor. He is best known for his roles in Alan Bennett's play ''The History Boys'' and the film based on it. Since 2019, he has starred in the sci-fi television se ...

as Evan White * Andrew Clover as The Clown *

Sean Harris Sean Harris (born 1965/1966) is an English actor and writer. He played Ian Curtis in '' 24 Hour Party People'' (2002), Micheletto Corella in '' The Borgias'' (2011–2013), Fifield in ''Prometheus'' (2012), Solomon Lane in '' Mission: Impossib ...

as Arthur Layton * Lucy Cole as Young Alex Drake * Adam James as Edward Markham * Darren Machin as Jimmy * Max Dowler as Police Sergeant *

Roy Skelton Roy William Skelton (20 July 1931 – 8 June 2011) was an English stage, screen and voice actor, whose voice was more familiar to television viewers than his name. Born in Nottingham to John H Skelton and Dorothy (née Bromley), he provided ...

as Zippy and George (voice)

Cultural references

There is an entire scene with the children's characters Zippy and George (from ''

Rainbow A rainbow is a meteorological phenomenon that is caused by reflection, refraction and dispersion of light in water droplets resulting in a spectrum of light appearing in the sky. It takes the form of a multicoloured circular arc. Rainbows c ...

'') talking to Molly Drake. The Clown Angel of Death's pierrot costume is modeled on David Bowie's costume in the music video and record jacket of " Ashes to Ashes". Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster) and others sing "

Shaddap You Face "Shaddap You Face" is a novelty song written and performed by Joe Dolce (released under the name Joe Dolce Music Theatre) about a rebellious Italian boy. Released in late 1980, it set a number of sales and longevity records. It was released by ...

" by

Joe Dolce Joseph Dolce (born October 13, 1947) (, originally ) is an American-Italian singer/songwriter, poet and essayist. Dolce achieved international recognition with his multi-million-selling song, "Shaddap You Face", released worldwide under the n ...

, a 1981 novelty hit which parodies Italian English. The scene where Alex Drake first meets Gene Hunt has a shot framing Hunt between Alex's legs. This is a reference to the promotional poster for the 1981

James Bond The ''James Bond'' series focuses on a fictional British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short-story collections. Since Fleming's death in 1964, eight other authors have ...

film '' For Your Eyes Only''. The poster is seen later on the wall of Hunt's office. The boat on which Alex awakens in the middle of a party is named ''Lady Di'', according to the large name plaque she passes topside, and PS Viv James informs Gene by radio that Arthur Layton has a boat named ''Prince Charlie''. The episode takes place in July 1981, days prior to the 29 July 1981 wedding of

Lady Diana Spencer Diana, Princess of Wales (born Diana Frances Spencer; 1 July 1961 – 31 August 1997) was a member of the British royal family. She was the first wife of King Charles III (then Prince of Wales) and mother of Princes William and Harry. Her ac ...

Prince Charles Charles III (Charles Philip Arthur George; born 14 November 1948) is King of the United Kingdom and the 14 other Commonwealth realms. He was the longest-serving heir apparent and Prince of Wales and, at age 73, became the oldest person to ...

, which serves as a backdrop for the following episode.

Music

Music featured in the episode includes : *" Ashes to Ashes" –

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" –

Tubeway Army Tubeway Army were a London-based new wave band led by lead singer Gary Numan. Formed at the height of punk rock in 1977 the band gradually changed to an electronic sound. They were the first band of the electronic era to have a synthesiser-b ...

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" –

Same Old Scene "Same Old Scene" is a 1980 song recorded by English rock band Roxy Music and written by lead singer Bryan Ferry. The song was taken from the group's number one album '' Flesh and Blood'', and was released as a single in late 1980. It peaked at #12 ...

" –

Roxy Music Roxy Music are an English rock music, rock band formed in 1970 by Bryan Ferry—who became the band's lead vocalist and principal songwriter—and bassist Graham Simpson (musician), Graham Simpson. The other longtime members are Phil Manzanera ...

*" No More Heroes" –

The Stranglers The Stranglers are an English rock band who emerged via the punk rock scene. Scoring 23 UK top 40 singles and 19 UK top 40 albums to date in a career spanning five decades, the Stranglers are one of the longest-surviving bands to have origina ...

I Fought The Law "I Fought the Law" is a song written by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets and popularized by a cover by the Bobby Fuller Four, becoming a top-ten hit for the band in 1966. Their version of the song was ranked No. 175 on the ''Rolling Stone'' lis ...

" –

The Clash The Clash were an English rock band formed in London in 1976 who were key players in the original wave of British punk rock. Billed as "The Only Band That Matters", they also contributed to the and new wave movements that emerged in the wa ...

I'm in Love with a German Film Star "I'm in Love with a German Film Star" is a post-punk song by the British band the Passions. It was released as a single by Polydor Records on 23 January 1981,''Post Punk Diary: 1980–1982'' by George Gimarc and reached No. 25 on the UK Singles C ...

" – The Passions *" Careless Memories" –

" –

(performed by

, et al.)

References

DVD – Ashes To Ashes Series 1, 2008, Kudos

External links

{{Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes 2008 British television episodes Life on Mars (franchise)