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Meanwhile, work is progressing on the sting and Sam is disowned by A-division when he tells them that he is working undercover for Morgan. However, he must take part in the sting for it to be a success. Sam and Ray go undercover as security guards on the train, with Chris and Annie posing as [[British Rail|BR]] staff. Gene is undercover as the previously-arrested gang member. Sam takes with him the radio Morgan gave him to call in backup. At the worst possible moment, the radio starts to crackle and falls out of Sam's pocket, where it is seen by the gang members. Gene slams the door revealing his true identity. The gang members open fire on the train trapping the team inside. Sam tries to use the radio to call in Morgan, but without success. He then leaves the train to try and find help. In a tunnel he meets Morgan, who tells him that he would be content to let Ray, Annie and Chris die in order to bring Hunt down. Sam argues, but then is called into a bright white light calling him home. As he leaves, Gene, Chris and Ray are hit by fire from the gang members. Annie screams for help.
Meanwhile, work is progressing on the sting and Sam is disowned by A-division when he tells them that he is working undercover for Morgan. However, he must take part in the sting for it to be a success. Sam and Ray go undercover as security guards on the train, with Chris and Annie posing as [[British Rail|BR]] staff. Gene is undercover as the previously-arrested gang member. Sam takes with him the radio Morgan gave him to call in backup. At the worst possible moment, the radio starts to crackle and falls out of Sam's pocket, where it is seen by the gang members. Gene slams the door revealing his true identity. The gang members open fire on the train trapping the team inside. Sam tries to use the radio to call in Morgan, but without success. He then leaves the train to try and find help. In a tunnel he meets Morgan, who tells him that he would be content to let Ray, Annie and Chris die in order to bring Hunt down. Sam argues, but then is called into a bright white light calling him home. As he leaves, Gene, Chris and Ray are hit by fire from the gang members. Annie screams for help.


He wakes in his hospital room where Morgan tells him he could not remove the benign tumour. Sam leaves the hospital's Hyde Ward (room 2612 - a reference to Hyde 2612, the phone number used by Morgan to somehow communicate with Sam while he was comatose), and returns to his life as a 21st-century DCI. However, he quickly finds that he cannot relate to any of his colleagues, and cannot even register pain after accidentally cutting himself. Remembering Nelson's earlier observation that "You know you're alive when you can feel," he concludes that he is no longer in the real world (because he was able to feel during his time in the 1970s), and goes up onto the roof of the station. After looking out over Manchester, he takes a running leap from the roof, and appears back in 1973, just in time to gun down the gang leader, saving his colleagues. In the pub afterwards, Sam makes up with Ray, Chris and Phyllis, and goes outside in search of Annie. As they finally kiss, Hunt drives up with details of a new case. As they drive off, Sam hears, over the radio, voices in his native time, saying they are losing him. He changes channel, and, as the car drives off, Hunt and Tyler bicker as usual. At the very end, children run past and the girl from [[Test Card F]] follows them onto the screen, stops, and looks directly into the camera, before reaching out with her hand and "switching off" the television. It is debatable whether or not this signifies Sam's death, or simply the end of the television series.
He wakes in his hospital room where Morgan tells him he could not remove the benign tumour. Sam leaves the hospital's Hyde Ward, room 2612 - explaining the references to 'Hyde 2612', and returns to his life as a 21st-century DCI. However, he quickly finds that he cannot relate to any of his colleagues, and cannot even register pain after accidentally cutting himself. Remembering Nelson's earlier observation that "You know you're alive when you can feel," he concludes that he is no longer in the real world (because he was able to feel during his time in the 1970s), and goes up onto the roof of the station. After looking out over Manchester, he takes a running leap from the roof, and appears back in 1973, just in time to gun down the gang leader, saving his colleagues. In the pub afterwards, Sam makes up with Ray, Chris and Phyllis, and goes outside in search of Annie. As they finally kiss, Hunt drives up with details of a new case. As they drive off, Sam hears, over the radio, voices in his native time, saying they are losing him. He changes channel, and, as the car drives off, Hunt and Tyler bicker as usual. At the very end, children run past and the girl from [[Test Card F]] follows them onto the screen, stops, and looks directly into the camera, before reaching out with her hand and "switching off" the television. It is debatable whether or not this signifies Sam's death, or simply the end of the television series.


It is left uncertain as to which is real: Sam's life in the present day or his life in 1973. He can still hear the voices that suggest he is in a coma – but he chooses to ignore them, possibly because he either thinks they're symptoms of his delusions or because he doesn't want to wake up. Either Sam concludes he had been suffering from delusions and paranoia brought on by amnesia and that his life in 1973 was real, or that he prefers to live in his imagination, or he doesn't care which is real, only that he prefers 1973.
It is left uncertain as to which is real: Sam's life in the present day or his life in 1973. He can still hear the voices that suggest he is in a coma – but he chooses to ignore them, possibly because he either thinks they're symptoms of his delusions or because he doesn't want to wake up. Either Sam concludes he had been suffering from delusions and paranoia brought on by amnesia and that his life in 1973 was real, or that he prefers to live in his imagination, or he doesn't care which is real, only that he prefers 1973.

Revision as of 11:29, 11 April 2007

Life on Mars
File:Life on Mars logo.gif
Created byMatthew Graham
Tony Jordan
Ashley Pharoah
StarringJohn Simm
Philip Glenister
Liz White
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes16 (total) (list of episodes)
Production
ProducerKudos Film & Television
Running time60 minutes
Original release
NetworkBBC One
ReleaseJanuary 9, 2006 –
April 10, 2007

Life on Mars is a British television drama series, which was first shown on BBC One in January and February 2006. The second and final series[1] started its run on February 13 2007.[2] For the second series, episodes two and three had their debut showing at 10pm on digital television channel BBC Four, immediately following the previous episode on BBC One.

The format of the series mixes science fiction - specifically, time travel - with police drama. The central character was policeman DCI Sam Tyler of Greater Manchester Police (played by John Simm), who, after being hit by a car in 2006, finds himself somehow transported back to 1973. There, he was working for Manchester and Salford Police CID as a DI under DCI Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister). Over the course of the series, Tyler faces various culture clashes, most frequently regarding differences in his seemingly naïve approach to policing compared to that of his colleagues. The series also features a strong ambiguity concerning Tyler's predicament: it was unclear whether he really has traveled back in time, was in a coma in 2006 and imagining his experiences, or if he was from 1973 but mentally unstable.

Production

Produced by Kudos Film & Television — the makers of Spooks and Hustle — for BBC Wales, the eight one-hour episodes of the first series were broadcast on BBC One on tuesday nights at 9pm. The series was created by writers Tony Jordan, Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah, who also provided the majority of the scripts. The fourth writer on the first series was Chris Chibnall. For the second series, Graham, Pharoah and Chibnall returned to write episodes, joined by Julie Rutterford, Guy Jenkin and Mark Greig.[3] The second series transmission day was moved to Tuesday night rather than Monday.

The programme was originally conceived in 1998, when Graham, Jordan and Pharoah had been sent on a break to the seaside resort of Blackpool by Kudos to come up with new programme ideas.[4] Originally titled Ford Granada,[5] after the popular car of the 1970s, the series was initially rejected by the BBC. "Back then, broadcasters just weren't comfortable with something like that, something that wasn't set in the real world and that had a fantasy element to it,"[4] Graham later told SFX Magazine. The initial idea at this time was for a more humorous, pre-watershed series that overtly mocked the styles and attitudes of the 1970s, with comic actor Neil Morrissey envisioned as playing the central character.[6]

Later Channel 4 drama executive John Yorke showed some interest in commissioning the programme, but eventually decided not to pursue the idea. "[Channel 4] people just said 'It's going to be silly',"[7] Graham told the Radio Times in a feature published the week of the first episode's transmission. However, the series eventually attracted the attention of BBC Wales Head of Drama Julie Gardner, who in turn persuaded the overall Head of Drama at the BBC, Jane Tranter, to commission the programme for BBC One.[4]

The programme's central character was originally to have been called "Sam Williams" but Kudos felt that this was not striking enough and asked Graham to come up with an alternative surname (This would later be referenced in the final episode of series 2). Asking his young daughter for her opinion, she suggested "Sam Tyler", which became the character's name. Graham subsequently discovered that his daughter had named him after Rose Tyler from Doctor Who, a programme for which he would later write an episode.[8] The initial geographical setting was to be London; this was then changed to Leeds, and finally to Manchester, as part of a BBC initiative to make more programmes in that city.[6]

Filming for a second series for BBC One started in April 2006.[9] According to Jane Featherstone, the show's executive producer, speaking in February 2006, a film version of the show was also a possibility: "Life on Mars was a very high concept idea and there was no doubt it would work on the big screen... But as yet, we are concentrating on the development and production of the second series for BBC1."[10]

On October 9 2006, it was confirmed that the second series of Life on Mars would also be the last, with two possible endings to the programme having been filmed. Matthew Graham stated that "We decided that Sam's journey should have a finite life span and a clear-cut ending and we feel that we have now reached that point after two series."[1]

The Guardian newspaper's Media Guardian.co.uk website reported that producer David E Kelley was to develop an American version of the series for the ABC network there, which was being targeted for the 2007-08 TV season. "Mr Kelley will write and executive produce a pilot for the 60-minute ABC version of BBC1's hit 70s cop drama, which was likely to be broadcast in autumn next year if it gets a full series commission."[11] According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter Rachelle Lefevre has been cast as the female lead of "the lone female detective in the department" that "forges a mystic bond with the mysterious detective and teams with him to track a serial killer".[12] This report also indicated that the American series will take place in 1972 rather than 1973.[12]

In December 2006, it was reported that the BBC had commissioned a Life on Mars spin-off series, to be titled Ashes to Ashes after another David Bowie song of the same name. The Times reported that this spin-off would pick up the lives of Gene Hunt and other characters from the series in 1981.[13] Julie Gardner confirmed that the spin-off was to be produced during an interview for BBC Radio Wales in March 2007.[14] The series was confirmed by the BBC on the day of the finale's airing. 'Ashes to Ashes' will see Philip Glenister return as DCI Gene Hunt - but this time in London in 1981. He will be joined by female detective DCI Alex Drake from the 21st Century, a new character. She will be a modern woman who has risen through the ranks of the Metropolitan Police by using psychological profiling to capture suspects, producers said. But when she and her daughter are kidnapped, she is injured in a rescue attempt - and finds herself in 1981.

Jane Featherstone, executive producer for TV production company Kudos, said the search was on for DCI Hunt's new "sexy sidekick". "It's a touch of Moonlighting teamed with a measure of Miami Vice," she said. Filming is due to begin this summer and the show will be broadcast on BBC One in 2008.

Music

Main article: Life on Mars (soundtrack album)

The series was named after the David Bowie song "Life on Mars?", which was playing on the iPod in Tyler's car when the accident happens, and on an 8-track tape when he awakes in 1973. Another song featured on the soundtrack, in the second episode, was "Live and Let Die" by Paul McCartney and Wings. Kudos were initially refused permission to use the song by the record company but, according to Graham in the Radio Times, "We sent the episode direct to Paul McCartney. Almost immediately, his assistant phoned back and said 'Paul loves it. You can go ahead and use it'."[15]

Themes and storyline

Template:Spoilers

File:Sam gene 1.jpg
The two main characters of Life on Mars, Sam (John Simm) and Gene (Philip Glenister)

A central theme in the series was the conflict in attitudes between Tyler and his 1970s colleagues. Tyler — a product of the more politically correct twenty-first century, where suspects' rights and the chain and preservation of forensic evidence are more stringently observed — frequently clashes with his 1973 counterparts, who work in a police force where sexism, racism, police brutality and institutionalised minor corruption are casually regarded as routine parts of the job. This strongly alluded to the underlying theme of the 1970s police drama The Sweeney, something which would become more obvious as the show progressed. The series frequently uses dramatic irony, in the form of off-hand jokes about a future the audience already knows, but which the historical characters do not.

There was also a central ambiguity surrounding the status of Tyler: Was he in a coma in 2006 and imagining his experiences? Was he really from 1973 and mentally unstable, albeit with remarkably accurate visions of the future, and why was he seeing the past selves of people from his life in 2006? Or, has he somehow travelled back in time from 2006 to 1973? This uncertainty was conveyed through a surreal approach, such as when Tyler was addressed directly through his television set late at night by the young girl featured in the Test Card F or Open University lecturers. Tyler also occasionally hears voices and electronic noises — apparently from people and machines around his hospital bed — which lead him to believe that he was in a coma (although other details, such as the remarkable amount of detail and tangibility in the world in which Tyler finds himself, may suggest otherwise). There are also scenes where past and present appear to overlap, such as in episode six where Sam hears the 2006 voice of his mother saying his life-support machine was to be switched off at 2pm, and immediately in 1973 he was called to investigate a hostage-taking where the perpetrator will start killing his victims at 2pm. "No-one will die today," was the repeated response from Sam. The timelines merge again in the first episode of series two, when Sam encounters a suspect in 1973 whom he had arrested in 2006; it appears that this man was also trying to kill him while he was in his coma. The second series also develops the voices that regularly contact him, when we see for the first time that they can hear him. In episode one of the second series, a voice on the telephone tells him he was close to home, but DCI Hunt and the others must not know what he was doing there. Unusually, this call could be traced by the operator to the Borough of Hyde, the area where Sam was told he transferred from in Series 1, Episode 1. It later transpired in episode 7 of series 2 that the voice on the telephone belongs to Acting DCI Frank Morgan, also from Hyde, who temporarily took DCI Hunt's role while Hunt was being investigated for a possible murder. Sam realises this when Morgan was being bid farewell in the elevator and tells Sam that "Hunt wiggled out of it this time." He then reassures Sam that it won't be long before Hunt receives his come uppance and Sam can "come home."

Cast

Character Played by Notes
DI Sam Tyler John Simm The lead character and DI under the command of DCI Gene Hunt
DCI Gene Hunt Philip Glenister Tyler's boss in the 1973 Manchester & Salford CID.
WPC/WDC Annie Cartwright Liz White Young WPC who befriended Sam; became a WDC in series 2.
DS Ray Carling (Briefly demoted to DC in Series 1 Episode 7; re-promoted in Series 2 Episode 1) Dean Andrews Member of the Manchester & Salford CID
DC Chris Skelton Marshall Lancaster Young detective interested in modernising procedure.
Nelson Tony Marshall Licensee of the local pub; pretends to be Jamaican, but is actually a Mancunian born and bred.
WPC Phyllis Dobbs Noreen Kershaw WPC who generally runs the station desk.

Episode guide

Main article: List of Life on Mars episodes

Reception

Series one

Previewing the first episode for the Radio Times, the magazine's television editor Alison Graham described the series as "a genuinely innovative and imaginative take on an old genre... This sounds silly, but writers Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan and Ashley Pharoah give the drama wit and heart."[16] The series was also featured on the front cover of that week's issue of the magazine, with a publicity photograph of Simm and Glenister. In a preview behind-the-scenes feature for SFX, Steve O'Brien declared that "it looks like BBC One has — and we'll lay large bets on this — a monster hit on its hands... It's funny... and dramatic and exciting, and we're really not getting paid for saying this."[17]

Reaction following the broadcast of the opening episode was also generally positive. Reviewing the opening instalment in The Guardian the day after transmission, Sam Wollaston wrote: "For anyone of 40 or over, it's fabulous fun... But Life on Mars was more than just a jolly, tongue-in-cheek romp into the past... Once there, in 1973, we find ourselves immersed in a reasonably gripping police drama — yes, The Sweeney, perhaps, with better production values... Or put another — undeniably laboured — way, as poor Sam Tyler walks through his sunken dream, I'm hooked to the silver screen. And yes, I know it's actually a small screen."[18]

Other newspaper critics gave the series similarly positive reviews, with James Walton of the Daily Telegraph saying that "Theoretically, this should add up to a right old mess. In practice, it makes for a thumpingly enjoyable piece of television — not least because everybody involved was obviously having such a great time."[19] Peter Paterson of the Daily Mail did, however, reflect the views of many other commentators when he wondered "can its intriguing conceit be sustained over eight one-hour episodes?".[19]

The first episode was also a success in terms of viewing figures, with an average audience of seven million in the overnight ratings.[20] This was enough for the programme to win its timeslot with a 27% share of the total television audience for the hour from 9pm, one million viewers ahead of its nearest rival, Soapstar Superstar on ITV1.[20] In the following weeks, the competition on ITV1 came from the comedy-drama series Northern Lights, which gained a marginally higher overnight rating for its first episode against Life on Mars's second, 6.1 million (24% of the available audience) against 6 million.[21]

In subsequent weeks, however, Life on Mars fared better against Northern Lights. Episode three gained 6.2 million viewers and a 24% share against the second of Northern Lights which fell to 5.4 million (21%).[22] The trend continued in the following weeks, with Northern Lights not managing to beat Life on Mars again, and the series even managing a highest viewing figure since the first episode for episode five, which gained 6.7 million viewers and a 26% share.[23]

Critical reaction to the series also continued to be positive. Reviewing episode four in The Guardian, Nancy Banks-Smith wrote that: "Life on Mars was an inspired take on the usual formula of Gruff Copper of the old school, who solves cases by examining the entrails of a chicken, and Sensitive Sidekick, who has a degree in detection... No profession has changed more dramatically in the last 30 years than the police (I wish I could force more enthusiasm into my voice) but old coppers still make the best jokes."[24]

File:Lom-publicity.JPG
A selection of the magazine coverage surrounding the launch of the second series of Life on Mars in 2007, including the Radio Times cover with a mocked-up 1973 version of the cover, included on page three of the magazine.

The final episode gained 7.1 million viewers in the overnight figures, a 28% audience share which placed it well ahead of the nearest competition, the first episode of the two-part drama Love Lies Bleeding on ITV1, which gained 5.4 million (23%).[25]

In November 2006, the first series of Life on Mars won the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series.[26] In January 2007 it won the Best New Programme category at the Broadcast Magazine awards.[27] In March 2007 it won two categories, Best Drama Series and the Writers' Award, at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards.[28]

Series two

The first episode of the second series gained an overnight rating of 5.7 million on BBC One,[29] winning its timeslot, with the closest opposition being Trial and Retribution on ITV1, which gained 5.5 million.[29] However, this was over a million lower than the 6.8 million average Life on Mars gained for its first series episodes.[29] The premiere of the second episode immediately afterwards on BBC Four gained 747,000 viewers, the best audience of the day for a digital television-only channel.[30]

The first episode was praised by the Radio Times's television editor Alison Graham in her preview, who wrote: "Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt are shaping up nicely as one of the great TV detective partnerships... It's vastly enjoyable and manages to stay just about believable thanks to some strong writing and, of course, the two marvellous central performances."[31] However, Nancy Banks-Smith in The Guardian felt that the time-paradox aspect of the episode was somewhat confusing.[32]


Ending

Having stipulated that the programme would only run for two series, the writers had to write an ending bringing together all threads from the two series. The final episode centres on a plot by coal miners, who, backed by hardened criminals, and led by a psychopathic convicted cop killer, aim to steal a large quantity of money from a train. Frank Morgan, introduced in the previous episode as a Police Officer more akin to Sam's style of policing, plays a central role. Early in the episode, Sam comes to believe that Frank is the surgeon in the future, who has been talking to him through the television, telephones and in his head. Sam is told that a tumour in his head is keeping him in a coma, and thus in 1973. Sam surmises that Gene Hunt is the manifestation of the tumour in his dream state because Morgan tells him that he must destroy Gene in order to complete the 'operation' and come home. Morgan asks Sam to collect evidence to convict Hunt of gross professional misconduct.

Sam therefore tapes a variety of instances of Hunt abusing his power, including the beating of a suspect and the planning of an illegal sting to stop the train robbery. Sam meets with Morgan, presenting his evidence, and Morgan tells him that he is, in fact, not from the future, that the year is 1973, and that they both are part of an operation codenamed M.A.R.S. (Metropolitan Accountability and Reconciliation Strategy), the purpose of which is to secure better policing for Manchester. Morgan tells Sam that he is undercover inside Hunt's A-division in order to bring his illegal activities to an end. Sam does not believe him, but Morgan tells him that, after his accident, his mind closed down, and he now suffers from amnesia. He tells Sam that his name is really Williams and that he has replaced this with his undercover persona. He shows Sam the graves of his 'mother' and 'father' and then 'Sam Tyler', all of whom have been dead since the 19th century. Disillusioned, he then looks at his police file and sees the note on his record about his transfer, signed by Morgan.

Meanwhile, work is progressing on the sting and Sam is disowned by A-division when he tells them that he is working undercover for Morgan. However, he must take part in the sting for it to be a success. Sam and Ray go undercover as security guards on the train, with Chris and Annie posing as BR staff. Gene is undercover as the previously-arrested gang member. Sam takes with him the radio Morgan gave him to call in backup. At the worst possible moment, the radio starts to crackle and falls out of Sam's pocket, where it is seen by the gang members. Gene slams the door revealing his true identity. The gang members open fire on the train trapping the team inside. Sam tries to use the radio to call in Morgan, but without success. He then leaves the train to try and find help. In a tunnel he meets Morgan, who tells him that he would be content to let Ray, Annie and Chris die in order to bring Hunt down. Sam argues, but then is called into a bright white light calling him home. As he leaves, Gene, Chris and Ray are hit by fire from the gang members. Annie screams for help.

He wakes in his hospital room where Morgan tells him he could not remove the benign tumour. Sam leaves the hospital's Hyde Ward, room 2612 - explaining the references to 'Hyde 2612', and returns to his life as a 21st-century DCI. However, he quickly finds that he cannot relate to any of his colleagues, and cannot even register pain after accidentally cutting himself. Remembering Nelson's earlier observation that "You know you're alive when you can feel," he concludes that he is no longer in the real world (because he was able to feel during his time in the 1970s), and goes up onto the roof of the station. After looking out over Manchester, he takes a running leap from the roof, and appears back in 1973, just in time to gun down the gang leader, saving his colleagues. In the pub afterwards, Sam makes up with Ray, Chris and Phyllis, and goes outside in search of Annie. As they finally kiss, Hunt drives up with details of a new case. As they drive off, Sam hears, over the radio, voices in his native time, saying they are losing him. He changes channel, and, as the car drives off, Hunt and Tyler bicker as usual. At the very end, children run past and the girl from Test Card F follows them onto the screen, stops, and looks directly into the camera, before reaching out with her hand and "switching off" the television. It is debatable whether or not this signifies Sam's death, or simply the end of the television series.

It is left uncertain as to which is real: Sam's life in the present day or his life in 1973. He can still hear the voices that suggest he is in a coma – but he chooses to ignore them, possibly because he either thinks they're symptoms of his delusions or because he doesn't want to wake up. Either Sam concludes he had been suffering from delusions and paranoia brought on by amnesia and that his life in 1973 was real, or that he prefers to live in his imagination, or he doesn't care which is real, only that he prefers 1973.

Alternatively, the ending suggests that his awakening indicates that his physical life existed in the 21st century and that his experiences of 1973 were more metaphysical. The radio acted as a vehicle for the subconscious to link the "real" world to Sam's metaphysical environs; the light from the tunnel is a device for transferring between the two.

Template:Endspoiler

Filming locations

Parts of the filming took place in or around the following locations.

  • Manchester's Northern Quarter, Castlefield, the Canal and Ancoats area.
  • Stockport, including Stopford House Council Offices (the Police Station in the series) and the old shopping areas.
  • Gorton, in south east Manchester.
  • Mancunian Way Flyover (Episode 1)
  • Stretford Rd Bridge (series 2 episode 8)
  • Victoria Baths The boilerhouse complex was used as the old waterworks (end of Episode 2) and the Turkish Baths appear as a morgue (Episode 7). Both reappear in Episode 2 of the second season; this time, the boilerhouse complex was Malone's base. The Turkish Baths continues to serve as the morgue in Episodes 4 and 5. In Episode 3, the Irish centre was in the Turkish Baths Rest Room, with the Angel of Purity stained-glass window.
  • Bury Arts & Crafts Centre, Broad Street, Bury, Lancashire used as the bank location in Series 2, episode 3.
  • The Mills around Ancoats, Manchester
  • Queen Street Textile Mill Harle Syke, Briercliffe, Burnley (Lancashire) (Episode 3)
  • The rear of "The Angel" public house, Shaw Road, Royton was used as the fictional exterior of the pub (Episode 4) where the stars of the show are seen to drink each week (the interior of the pub was a set).
  • Brook Mill No.2 (Oldham Twist Co.) Hollins, Oldham (Episode 3)
  • Universal House, Head office of Great Universal Stores Building Manchester (Episode 6)
  • Press Club Central Manchester: The Casino, (Series 2 Episode 1)
  • Tiger Lounge, Cooper Street, Manchester: The Casino, (Series 2 Episode 1)
  • Dolphin Street, Ardwick Green, Manchester: The Casino exterior/street scenes, (Series 2 Episode 1)
  • Hoghton Tower, Chorley, Lancashire: Broadmoor Prison, (Series 2 Episode 2)
  • Bolton, various streets used throughout the series due to their "unspoiled" appearance.
  • Fallowfield, Manchester: Appleby Lodge. A 1930s apartment block that was once residence to ex-Hallé Orchestra in Manchester composer, Sir John Barbirolli.
  • East Lancashire Railway, Bury

Anachronisms

Some minor anachronisms occur in episodes of Life on Mars. Interviews with the creators have shown that at least some of these were unintentional.[33]

The first of these anachronisms was in episode one, occurring after Sam Tyler wakes up in 1973. On a building site for the Mancunian Way, Sam looks at a sign proclaiming the building of a new motorway at the heart of Manchester. In reality, this motorway was completed in 1967. According to Matthew Graham, writing in the Radio Times, this particular anachronism was definitely deliberate. "We knew that this road was built in the 1960s, but we took a bit of artistic licence."[34]

In series one there was a reference to "Wednesday the 16th of March 1973", whereas the 16th of March 1973 was actually a Friday.

Another anachronism was Sam's dual-display LCD watch. In 1973 the only widely available digital watches used red light-emitting diodes, which required the press of a button to light them. LCDs did not become common until much later. A watch like Sam's, with both a face and an LCD, would not have been available until the 1980s. In one episode Sam was treated for cuts with plasters from a modern plastic medical kit rather than a metal style kit of the time.

While Manchester and Salford Police used only Minis as patrol cars in 1973, in the series they have Austin Allegros — and those used are from a later series which would not have been available until the late 1970s in any case. Gene Hunt's car was a Mark 3 Ford Cortina badged at the front as a GXL although badged elsewhere as the later 2000E (boot lid and roof pillar). The car's interior was also from the later 2000E as was the Roman Bronze colour scheme (although, it could be the darker "Tawny Metallic" which was available in 1973). Following the conclusion of the series' production, the Cortina was being given away by the Daily Mail in a competition (with the proceeds going to Comic Relief) and has not yet found a new owner, Some of the vehicles, such as the green Transit van UJA 943K, feature new style plastic number plates with condensed lettering, which were introduced in 2001.

In the early 1970s, Manchester Police referred to their senior officers as 'Boss' not 'Guv', which was a term propagated by the Metropolitan Police.

In episode 5 of series 2 there was a scene in which Sam Tyler and Gene Hunt raid a house. Outside in the street was parked a Mini Clubman estate. Whilst these cars were in production in 1973 the colours, either ‘Russet brown’ or 'Mace' were not introduced until 1976 and 1982 respectively. Also the mini features the revised full length double stripe which was also a later addition.

Several episodes include street furniture and other items in the background which while they would not have been present in the 1970s, would also be difficult for a TV show to have removed. Green cable television cabinets, satellite television dishes, 'dome' and regular type CCTV cameras, external air-conditioning units, double-glazed uPVC window frames and mobile phone masts are visible in a number of outdoor scenes. In a number of residential street scenes, it can be seen where burglar alarm boxes have been digitally masked in post-production.

In series two episode 6, much was made of heroin as a 'new drug' on the streets of Manchester. However, heroin use had been widespread in the UK for a long time and was already well-known as a hard drug in the 1960s. In a United Nations Office of Drugs and Crime report called Opioid Users Attending a Special Drug Dependence Clinic 1968-1969 dated January 1st 1971, the following assertion was made: "The rising incidence of heroin misuse among young people led to the Second Interdepartmental Report (1965) which confirmed that the addict be treated under a medical rather than a criminal label."[citation needed] However, heroin use was neither widespread nor common in the North West of England at this time with most use being restricted to London and the West End in particular. Therefore the description of Heroin as a "new drug" in early 1970s Manchester is accurate.

Also in series two episode 6, the character who appears to be the mother of Sam's 21st-century ex-girlfriend Maya is seen having an ultrasound scan of a baby. She explains that she is "only the 17th woman in Manchester to have [a scan]". The scene is inaccurate because the image of the baby on the screen when the nurse/sonographer is clearly moving the probe. It is anachronistic because both the probe and the screen image (with anunciators rendered in a raster character set, for example) are fairly modern.

Two further anachronisms which have occured in the second series are, firstly, a reference to the Crown Prosecution Service, which did not exist until the 1980s, and Gene Hunt's comment on the "font" of a newspaper headline, the latter an American word which did not become common in the UK until the introduction of WYSIWYG word processors in the 1990s. In 1973, this would have been referred to as a typeface or fount.[citation needed]

In both series the police use Pye Pocketphone PF1 personal radios, these have separate receiver and transmit units but only the transmitter unit is seen with the characters apparently receiving signals on it.

Overseas sales

Between July 24 2006 and September 11, 2006, the first series aired in the US on BBC America,[35] to favourable critical reviews.[36] The American version is edited for the insertion of commercials and omits some nudity and language that is present in the original BBC One version.

Life on Mars also began airing on BBC Canada on September 13, 2006, followed in November by broadcasts on the Canadian network Showcase. While not edited for nudity or language specifically, the Canadian broadcasts of series one episodes were slightly edited for commercials (Showcase premiered the episodes in a 75-minute slot (one hour plus commercials), then repeated them in a 60-minute timeslot). BBC Canada have since announced that they will be running series two uncut starting on February 28 2007.

On January 14 2007 the series started to air in Sweden, broadcast by SVT 2. SVT was given the cut version intended for BBC America, angering fans of the series.[37] SVT later stated that they had been given the cut-down version due to the fact that the BBC had not cleared all the music rights internationally.[38] On January 7 2007 the series began in the Netherlands, shown by NPS on Nederland 3.

In Germany, private network station Kabel 1 aired the first season of the show from 3 February 2007 to 25 February 2007 with every two episodes being broadcast each Saturday evening in prime time. The series is subtitled "Gefangen in den 70ern" ("Trapped in the 70s").[39] For the first airing assorted scenes of varying importance for the plot were edited out to make room for commercials and severe translation errors occurred.[40] A voice-over in the final scene of series one announced that series two will be shown in autumn 2007.

In New Zealand the series started with a double bill of episodes 1 and 2, shown on February 20, 2007 by TVNZ on TV ONE. There, the website stuff.co.nz described it as "sensationally well-made."[41]

In France, private network station 13ème rue aired the first season of the show from March 20 2007 to April 10 2007 with every two episodes being broadcast each Tuesday evening in prime time.[42]

In Israel the cable network Hot aired the first series in 2006, with the intention to air the second starting in June 2007.[citation needed]

Trivia

A training booklet called The Rules of Modern Policing, purportedly written by DCI Gene Hunt, was issued as promotional material for the series. The booklet has the "look and feel" of DC Chris Skelton's copy, complete with tea stains, bloodstains, and women's phone numbers. It has become a minor collectible item.

The second series has had a distinctive style of introduction on BBC One; after a brief collage of momentary images, such as several test cards and the late comedy writer/broadcaster Barry Took, a version of BBC 1's 1970s blue-on-black rotating globe ident (with a blue "BBC 1 COLOUR" caption underneath) was used, although the design had to be modified to fit widescreen sets. This was accompanied by a bass-voiced continuity announcer in the style of that era. Trailers for the show on BBC One also used the 1970s style, including the slanting BBC logo with rounded edges.

When the series was screened on BBC Four (initially one episode ahead of the BBC One broadcast, but later through a scheduling reshuffle one episode behind) the standard BBC Four continuity was used.

Much reference is made to the eponymous song, which can be heard playing from the start of Series One where Sam awakens in 1973 with Life on Mars playing on his car radio and once again nearing the end of Series Two, where Sam jumps off the roof of his police station in 2006 to return to 1973. Nelson the barkeep, refers to "sunken dreams", lyrics from the first verse.

The character of Frank Morgan, introduced in the penultimate episode of Series Two as the officer behind the operation to reveal Gene Hunt's gross professional misconduct, shares his name with the actor who played the title character in the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz. When Sam wakes up from his coma in the final episode of Series Two, an acoustic cover version of Over The Rainbow is played over the following scenes. This is also linked to Gene Hunt's continual referal to Sam as 'Dorothy', the heroine of The Wizard of Oz, throughout the two series. In one episode, Hunt picks up the phone and says "Is that the Wizard of Oz? We need you to send Dorothy home."

DCI Gene Hunt will return in a spin-off series entitled 'Ashes to Ashes', a reference to another David Bowie hit. Hunt will reportedly have progressed to 1981, where he will be joined by a female detective from the 21st Century who, like Sam Tyler, finds herself stuck in the past after an accident.

References

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  2. ^ Network TV Programme Information - Unplaced Week 7, BBC Press Office. URL accessed 2007-01-26
  3. ^ "Life on Mars — Creative team". bbc.co.uk. 2007-02-01. Retrieved 2007-04-04. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Text "BBC Press Office" ignored (help)
  4. ^ a b c O'Brien, Steve (January 2006). "The Nick of Time". SFX (139): p. 54. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ "BBC - Press Office - Life on Mars press pack Seventies brought back to life". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2007-04-09.
  6. ^ a b Smith, David (2007-04-08). "£1,500 in a carrier bag? What planet are you on?". The Observer. Retrieved 2007-04-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Naughton, James (January 7–13 2006). "The Most Original Cop Show... Since the 70s". Radio Times. 328 (4266): p. 10. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  8. ^ Darlington, David (2006-06-21). "Script Doctors: Matthew Graham". Doctor Who Magazine. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ Burrell, Ian (2006-03-27). "Television Drama: Great show - now direct it". The Independent. Retrieved 2007-01-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  10. ^ Wylie, Ian (2006-02-07). "Life on Mars was creating stars on Earth". Manchester Evening News. Retrieved 2007-01-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  11. ^ Deans, Jason (2006-03-28). "Life on Mars goes stateside" (Requires free registration). Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2006-03-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  12. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (2007-02-02). "Cannavale in the 'M.O.N.Y.'". The Hollywood Reporter.
  13. ^ Sherwin, Adam (2006-12-16). "Originality was old hat as the BBC spins off its top series". The Times. Retrieved 2007-01-06. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  14. ^ Gardner, Julie (2007-03-30). "Richard Evans" (Interview). Interviewed by Richard Evans. {{cite interview}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameters: |callsign= and |city= (help); Unknown parameter |program= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |subjectlink= ignored (|subject-link= suggested) (help)
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  16. ^ Graham, Alison (January 7–13 2006). "Today's Choices, Monday 9 January: Life on Mars". Radio Times. 328 (4266): p. 70. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  17. ^ O'Brien, Steve (January 2006). "The Nick of Time". SFX (139): p. 58. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  18. ^ Wollaston, Sam (2006-01-10). "Last night's TV" (Requires free registration). Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2006-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  19. ^ a b "First Night: Life on Mars" (Requires free registration). Guardian Unlimited. 2006-01-10. Retrieved 2006-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ a b Plunkett, John (2006-01-10). "7m gravitate to Life on Mars"" (Requires free registration). Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2006-01-10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  21. ^ Deans, Jason (2006-01-17). "Northern Lights glows with success" (Requires free registration). Retrieved 2006-02-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  22. ^ Timms, Dominic. "Prison Break captures audience" (Requires free registration). Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2006-02-20. {{cite web}}: Text "2006-01-24" ignored (help)
  23. ^ Timms, Dominic (2006-02-07). "Half Ton Man bulks up Channel 4 ratings" (Requires free registration). Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2006-02-20. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  24. ^ Banks-Smith, Nancy (2006-01-31). "Last night's TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 2006-01-31. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  25. ^ Timms, Dominic (2006-02-28). "Cop drama motors to the finish" (Requires free registration). Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2006-02-28. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  26. ^ "British shows sweep world Emmys". BBC News Online. 2006-11-21. Retrieved 2007-02-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  27. ^ "BBC One named Channel Of The Year at Broadcast Awards". BBC Press Office. 2007-01-25. Retrieved 2007-02-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  28. ^ "Double award win for Life on Mars". BBC News Online. 2007-03-23. Retrieved 2007-03-27. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  29. ^ a b c "Almost 6m experience Life on Mars". BBC News Online. 2007-02-14. Retrieved 2007-02-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ Tryhorn, Chris (2007-02-14). "Viewers return to the 70s" (Requires free registration). Guardian Unlimited. Retrieved 2007-02-15. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  31. ^ Graham, Alison (February 10–16, 2007). "Today's Choices, Monday 13 February: Life on Mars". Radio Times. 332 (4322): p. 78. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  32. ^ Banks-Smith, Nancy (2007-02-14). "Last night's TV". The Guardian. Retrieved 2007-02-15. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  33. ^ "BBC - Drama - Life On Mars - Clues Or Bloopers?". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2006-12-11.
  34. ^ Graham, Matthew (2007-04-07–2007-04-13 cover date). "Operation Mars". Radio Times. 333 (4330): pp. 10–12. {{cite journal}}: |pages= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  35. ^ "Life on Mars - About the Show". BBC America. Retrieved 2007-01-06.
  36. ^ "Life on Mars (BBC America)". Metacritic.com. Retrieved 2007-01-06.
  37. ^ "SVT visar fel version av Life on Mars" (in Swedish). weirdscience.se. 2007-02-09. Retrieved 2007-03-16. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  38. ^ "SVT medger: Vår version av Life on Mars är klippt" (in Swedish). dagensmedia.se. 2007-02-12. Retrieved 2007-03-13. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  39. ^ "Life on Mars (Kabel eins)" (in German). kabeleins.de. Retrieved 2007-01-31.
  40. ^ "Life on Mars - Lost in Translation" (in German). norbertblech.de. Retrieved 2007-02-05.
  41. ^ Clifton, Jane (2007-02-21). "Reasons to be cheerful: Part one". Stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 2007-02-24. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  42. ^ "13ème rue homepage" (in French). 13ème rue. Retrieved 2007-03-28.
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