|
DCI
Gene Hunt
DI
Sam Tyler
DS
Ray Carling
DC
Chris Skelton
WDC
Annie Cartwright
|
|
Life on Mars is a British science fiction/police procedural drama television series. It was
first broadcast on BBC One between
January 2006 and April 2007, lasting for two series in total. Life on Mars tells the fictional story of Sam Tyler (John Simm), a police officer in service with the Greater
Manchester Police. After being hit by a car in 2006, Tyler awakes in 1973
and finds himself working for the predecessor of the GMP, the Manchester and Salford Police at
the same station and
location as in 2006. Early on in the series, it becomes apparent to Tyler that
he awakes as a Detective Inspector, one rank lower
than his 2006 rank of Detective Chief Inspector. As
part of the CID, Tyler finds himself
working under the command of Gene
Hunt (Philip
Glenister).
Throughout the two series, the central plot centres on the ambiguity
concerning Tyler's predicament of it being unclear to both the audience and the
character whether he has gone mad,
is in a coma or has actually travelled back in time. The methodology and techniques of modern policing that Sam Tyler employs
during Life on Mars leads him to frequently clash with other characters.
Gene Hunt and the rest of the CID are displayed to favour brutality and corruption in order
to secure convictions, shown by their willingness to physically coerce
confessions and fabricate evidence. Throughout
both series, Tyler clashes with Hunt regularly, usually because Tyler
valued forensic evidence whereas Hunt often resorted to traditional methods.
In
one episode Sam described Hunt as an: "overweight, over-the-hill, nicotine-stained,
borderline alcoholic homophobe with a superiority complex and an unhealthy
obsession with male bonding". Hunt is supported by his fiercely loyal
subordinates (Ray and Chris) and therefore the key characters are
described above...
Due to Sam's predicament, he avoids revealing how he thinks he may have
travelled back in time for fear of others thinking him to be insane. The only
person in 1973 who Sam fully enlightens his story to is Annie Cartwright, who
it is revealed later married him during the time between Life on Mars set
in 1973 and Ashes to Ashes in 1981. |
 Copyright(c) 2007
- 2020. All rights reserved
|
|