Ashes to Ashes - Life On Mars spinoff

[stinkbud]

DCI Gene Hunt is back and its the 80's. I can't wait.

It starts on BBC One on February 8th. I am sure it will be available to us on this side of the Atlantic via the usual channels. I know I will make it my business to watch...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/drama/ashestoashes/

trailer on youtube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpbYsUkNxhQ&NR=1)

[booster11373]

Very cool DCI Hunt might be one of the best TV characters of the last 15-20 years

[Doctor Manhattan]

I can't wait for the next spin off: "I'm Afraid of Americans" (Annie Cartwright in the 90's)

[DolaMight]

Very cool DCI Hunt might be one of the best TV characters of the last 15-20 years

Yeah same here but please no spinoff. I was lookin forward to him maybe doin movie, not this. Manchester VICE.

[MadMatt]

Yeah same here but please no spinoff. I was lookin forward to him maybe doin movie, not this. Manchester VICE.

But the series ended. They locked it up so it would be WORSE than hack to go back to the well for a movie.

A new series with some of the same characters is a nice compromise. It sounds/looks pretty cool to me. It won't be "Life on Mars" of course, but I have high hopes.

[DolaMight]

But the series ended. They locked it up so it would be WORSE than hack to go back to the well for a movie.

A new series with some of the same characters is a nice compromise. It sounds/looks pretty cool to me. It won't be "Life on Mars" of course, but I have high hopes.

Sorry no I didn't mean a Life on Mars movie, I just meant he could go on to play a DCI Gene Hunt typa typecast character in other movies. Become like the Soccer Ref turned badass from lock stock...

Him and his mutton chops are just great.

[Badinia]

I can't wait for the next spin off: "I'm Afraid of Americans" (Annie Cartwright in the 90's)

Har, and she investigates bad Ecstasy being distributed at The Hacienda, is shocked to discover that Bernard Sumner looks a lot like Sam Tyler.

http://www.artandeth.com/Gallery2/ActorsS/23419-27280.gif

I heart Annie.

[Doctor Manhattan]

DCI Gene Hunt is back and its the 80's...

Lets see. You have a show set in the 1970s and then spin off another show set in the 80's.
http://img213.imageshack.us/img213/2016/70show1yv5.jpg
http://img81.imageshack.us/img81/5017/80show1yf9.jpg
I don't see how it could go wrong

[Doctor Manhattan]

* not that Life on Mars is anything like That 70's Show. It's all relative.

[Sheeplovr]

yeah im worried about it

i wanna check it out though

but

dunno

[booster11373]

anyone know what the title and artist of the song in the background played during the 1st part of the promo is?

[stinkbud]

Wow....just watched episode one and I am very psyched. It looks like is as good as Life On Mars so far. I will say it is great seeing these characters in the 80's.

Get a hold of this show. Its gonna be a great run I think.

[Kilgores Feet]

This pilot episode annoyed me my first time through. Then I watched it again as a satire of movies/tv from the era and I enjoyed it more. But I think it was a mistake to mention Sam...it makes me sad and I miss him on the show. I am more optimistic about it now than I originally was but this show is basically setting me up for a disappointment.
Part of the beauty of the first one was the originality of the situation. Whereas in Ashes to Ashes (episode 1 spoilers and LoM spoilers)
it seems that they have hit a formula. Why would someone be singing the sequel to Space Oddity? It might have been better if they abandoned the David Bowie thing or even the music tie all-together and just gone with the straight trauma of the gunshot / memory of her parents. And since this character has a daughter "back home" I'm almost certain she will make it back and be fine. I also don't get the sexual tension thing. But I love Chris, Ray and Gene. So...I'll be in for the long haul.

[mikeyboy]

I've watched the first two episodes, and I'm liking it so far.

[booster11373]

I liked the first episode, not as much as LOM but still good. I was slightly annoyed with what seems to be the total lack of growth in Ray and Chris. You'd think at least Chris would have picked up a bit of Sam's lessons and stuff

[Kilgores Feet]

I liked the first episode, not as much as LOM but still good. I was slightly annoyed with what seems to be the total lack of growth in Ray and Chris. You'd think at least Chris would have picked up a bit of Sam's lessons and stuff

I was thinking the same thing. I also had read that he was a bit of techno geek in this series. That has yet to come up in the 3 episodes I've seen. Maybe sort of in the first.
I can understand Ray not growing - he pretty much steadily hated Sam through the entire two series. They do make him slightly more likable as it progresses.
I've always given Chris a bit of a pass because he was adorable and mostly comic relief.
More Shaz, please.

edit: And I'm calling it now - "Afraid of Americans" next series. Set in 96, Brooklyn. Black man goes back.

[booster11373]

Anyone still watching this?


I like it very much maybe not as much as Life on Mars but still very good


Alex is so HOT


Ray and Chris are to clownish wopuld be my only complaint

Shazz is so gayly hot

[booster11373]

is Viv? (the balck guy) the same guy who was Sam's mentor?

[docgoblin]

I am up to episode 4 of this and I really like it. It took a couple of episodes but i'm hooked! I love the fact the Alex feels she knows what's going on, having studied the Sam Tyler case, but she deals with the situation hoping to stay alive and get back to her daughter. I love the Gene Hunt character. He is fantastic in both shows! The music is great also!

Anyone who hasn't seen 'Life On Mars' should watch it before viewing 'Ashes To Ashes.' The two series absolutely work hand-in-hand.

[stinkbud]

The new series should begin in March...

I read this interview with the show's prodicer on Facebook. I am excited for the return of the REAL Gene Genie...



INTERVIEW - BETH WILLIS - ASHES TO ASHES SERIES 2

The storyline with Alex and her parents found its resolution at the end of the last series. Is there a new mystery to see us through this series?

"Yes there is. Alex had a lot of certainty last time: as soon as she landed in 1981 she knew she was there for a reason , which was to see her parents. At the end of the series, she realised that that wasn't why she was there. It wasn't about saving [her parents] or stopping what happened because as far as she's aware, you can't change things in this world. It was actually about learning something about herself. In series two she starts off with a lot more uncertainty. It's been about six or seven months since we left her - it's now 1982 - and nothing's happened for a long time. But in episode one she gets news which alters her view of what's going on in 2008 and what's happened to her. And she also gets some news in 1982 which makes her think this world is not as straightforward as she thought it was!"

You've previously said that series two "moves in a slightly different direction". What did you mean by that?

"I think it's slightly darker. There's a big backbone across the series concerning police corruption in Gene's world. That's something that Gene and Alex have to deal with, seek out, battle against and survive amongst. I think that adds an element of darkness to their world, which is quite exciting and hopefully quite historically accurate, because there was a great deal of police corruption in that time. We wanted to explore what Gene would think about that and where his morals would lie. It's still massively fun, though."

This year the legendary Supermac makes an appearance. What does he bring to the team?

"Supermac is Gene's boss, and he is somebody who they all look up to in a big way. In episode one we find out that he is possibly involved in this corruption story, so that's a force that Alex and Gene are having to battle with across the series."

How does the relationship between Alex and Gene develop this series?
"At the end of episode eight last year, she realised he'd essentially saved her as a little girl, which made her have a respect for him that she hadn't had in the rest of the series. Not just for Gene in fact, but all the characters in the world. She'd spent a lot of time saying 'you're all constructs, so I don't really care what happens to you and it doesn't really matter'. Between then and now she's learnt to respect, and possibly even love, the people in this world. It feels very real to her now and she's been there enough of a time to feel as if that's her real life. One of the heartening things for Alex is that this world is gradually becoming more real to her than the real world is. In some ways she's willing to accept her feelings towards Gene more - but they'll still battle it out, flirt, disagree, shout and swear at each other in an incredibly appealing and sexy way!"

Does Sam Tyler crop up again in this series or have we drawn a line under that now?

"I think we've essentially drawn a line but he does crop up a couple of times. We have a character from Life On Mars who will come up at some point during the series and that will inevitably reopen questions about Sam..."

Is it possible you could have John Simm back?
"I'm sure that would be an interesting thing to do but I think it would have to be story-led. What we know thusfar is that Sam Tyler's car went into the river and he died. So that would be a bigger picture we are exploring if he were to come back!"

When the show launched earlier this year Phil Glenister said he saw Ashes as a two-series show. Was he right? Will this be the second and last series?

"I think there's definitely a bigger picture which could be explored in a third series. Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharaoh (exec producers) have always talked about the third series and we've always known in our heads what that would be. Fingers crossed that it's commissioned! It's not something we can say for definite but there's definitely a story to be told. In the meantime we've come up with a pretty exciting story for series two."

How far do you think this could go? When Ashes To Ashes ends, could you launch another spinoff show?

"Never say never. Certainly in our heads, we know about three series and we've got that far in terms of stories. That's not to say we couldn't do something else, of course."


Copyright (c) DigitalSpy / Beth Willis

[stinkbud]

just a bump since BBC America is airing series 1 now. Series 2 starts next month on BBC.

[lleeder]

I just set my DVR to record this hopefully its good.

[JDE]

I have had a major crush on Keeley Hawes for years, she still looks great.

I am going to watch this even though I only saw bits and pieces of LOM.

[stinkbud]

Series two started last night...finally!

Nothing groundbreaking yet...but still fun.

One thing though, after the full run of the US LOM, it took me about half the show to get used to Gene, Chris and Ray being portrayed by the British actors again. Especially Ray, I really liked Michael Imperioli's version.

Chris giving Shaz the "Full Monty" was great...

[stinkbud]

Been awhile...

Just finished Series 3. Totally sums up the whole series - including Life On Mars - and in a satisfying way.

I won't be spoiling ANYTHING even with those evil tempting spoiler hiding things, but I will say now I have to go back and watch it all over again.

I'm gonna miss the Gov!