UK TV IV – Ashes to Ashes

Nominally the sequel to the two Life on Mars series (it’s another Bowie tune…geddit?), Ashes to Ashes  could be subbed “Helen Thorpe’s idea of an ideal TV show” (well, maybe if it was set in Newcastle…)

Just like Sam Tyler in “Mars”, “Ashes” stars Keeley Hawes as Alex Drake, this time a police psychologist injured in the line of duty and transported back in time to 1981. It’s been reset in London ths time around, but DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Gleneister) along with his faithful sidekicks DS Ray Carling and DC Chris Skelton (Dean Andrews and Marshall Lancaster, respectively) have come to the big city from Manchester to clean up all the “southern nancy” crime. Talk about suffering for your art – Dean Andrews has had to have a bad disco perm to transform him into an early 80’s DS.

Other than that, it is pretty much “Mars” eight years on – instead of Thin Lizzy’s “Whiskey in the Jar”, you get Madness’ “One Step Beyond” during a foot chase. A second series of Ashes is in production, set in 1983, to coincide with the Falklands war.

Oh, and I’ve figured out Showcase’s current scheduling – Jekyll is on 11:00 AM Saturdays, Life on Mars 11:00 AM Sundays, and Ashes to Ashes is on at noon on Sundays.