What is going on at BBC1? How did Kudos, one of today’s top drama-producing independent companies, manage to get away with this?
Life on Mars (2006, 2007) originally had a clever(ish) idea. Take a cop from the present, full of today’s PC attitudes and the latest police know-how, and put him in 1970s Manchester, full of booze, fags, racism and sexism and as low-tech as The Flintstones. What really made it work was the acting, especially Philip Glenister as Gene Hunt, one of the great TV drama creations of the past decade, the nostalgic soundtrack and the first-rate production design. But Life on Mars also had two other clever things going for it. First, it was a smart mix of The Sweeney and The Singing Detective. It took Dennis Potter’s idea of treating illness (or in Sam Tyler’s case a coma caused by a car accident) as a kind of detective story, moving between two worlds, one of which has clues about the other. The Singing Detective was a kind of Freudian detective story, dressed up in a popular genre (detective fiction), playing both genres off against each other, all with a memorable 1930s-40s soundtrack. Life on Mars took the same idea, a character tries to cure himself by finding out the secret of his mysterious childhood, all set within a hugely popular genre, in this case, 1970s TV cop dramas, based on The Sweeney.
Life on Mars added something else to the mix. By putting the series in 1970s Manchester the writers not only had fun with nostalgia (spot all the references in the design, script and soundtrack), they could also say something interesting about the changes in Britain, especially in the industrial north, between the 1970s and today. It worked on so many levels that it was one of the most interesting new drama series for years.
What happened then was itself a sign of the times. When Potter wrote The Singing Detective in the 1980s, no one asked him for The Singing Detective Two (though there was a second soundtrack album). What would be the point? Yes, it was hugely original and much acclaimed, launching the screen careers of a number of the actors—Michael Gambon, of course, but also Patrick Malahide, Joanne Whalley, and even Imelda Staunton and Jim Carter, unforgettable even in quite small roles. But it was a one-series idea. Potter, Trodd and everyone else moved on. Today, of course, television is different. The BBC were so excited that they had an hit on their hands that they commissioned Kudos to make Life on Mars 2. The second series had no new ideas to offer and kept ticking off the 1970s “issues” (everything from football violence and the NF to the industrial decline of the north and trade union conflict), but they just about got away with it.
The problems have come home to roost with Ashes to Ashes. John Simm (Sam Tyler) has gone and so has Liz White (WPC Annie Cartwright), hopefully onto greater things. But Hunt, DS Ray Carling and DC Chris Skelton are all still there, all as gormless and neanderthal as ever (cue more sexist jokes than Bernard Manning ever dreamt of). There are two changes. Tyler’s been replaced by DI Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes). Big joke: smart policewoman psychologist (full of up-to-date jargon) meets unreconstructed Gene Hunt. Or “la-di-da posh bollocks” meets “northern flatfoot.” How could it go wrong? Let us count the ways. Or rather, just one way: bad script. A real stinker. One of the worst ever.
Secondly, 1970s Manchester has given way to 1981 London. We know this because last night’s opening episode hit us on the head with a porsche-full of verbal, visual and musical clues. The Italian restaurant has pictures of Al Pacino (The Godfather, Scarface) and John Travolta from Saturday Night Fever. We see posters of Adam Ant and David Bowie, we hear The Clash and ‘”No More Heroes” on the soundtrack, they make jokes about Chris de Burgh, we even get a cameo from Zippy and George from Rainbow. Every jacket sleeve is rolled up, just so, one of the villains uses phonecards (how 1980s is that?)—you get the idea. The problem is there was an interesting difference between 1970s Manchester and today. The differences between 1981 London and today are less obvious, harder to draw out. So they either repeat themes from Life on Mars (the sexism, the computer gags) or rely on endless references to popular culture.
The bigger problem is that this is really Life on Mars 3 with Keeley Hawes instead of John Sim. He was hit by a car; she is shot, both end up in the past, trying to work out if there are any clues in the past to how to get back to the present. He ended up in the year his father disappeared; she ends up in 1981, the year her parents were killed. Er, and that’s it. Oh, and the Guv’s wife has left him.
Everywhere the plot creaks. Almost everything is implausible. Every conceit is third-hand and it doesn’t even work as a cop show any more. And yet BBC1 bought it. Which brings us to the final question. How come HBO produces The Wire and BBC1 gives us Ashes to Ashes?
I liked it, David, but as entertainment. Down sides: it was self-referential, an imitation of Life on Mars. We are also left with less wonder about Alex Drake’s predicament because we have already been told that—unless the writers decide to take this in another direction altogether. Up side: some viewers are saying that in an era of “fan fiction”, is Ashes to Ashes merely an official version of it, in some postmodern fashion?
This tv show was watched by me and the wife. It was brilliant. Even diamonds have flaws but so what, it’s great thursday night viewing and if you don’t like it don’t watch it!
I’d like to see your ideas for a script, that would be a real laugh. Well done to the whole team involved in ‘Ashes To Ashes’ i’m sure it will hold it’s own.
Life on Mars was fabulous TV but Ashes to Ashes says it all. Real rubbish. No proper plotting. DI Drake character is quite awful and annoying. Big disappointment, won’t watch any more episodes.
I am a fan of the Sweeney and loved ‘Life on Mars’, which paid homage to Jack Regan et al, albeit in a tongue in cheek way. In fact the comparisons between 1973 and modern day Britain’s policing and society in general were dealt with in a humorous manner with serious undertones. The music in Life on Mars was the best of early 70’s cool, adding to the winning recipe.
I have eagerly been awaiting the launch of ‘Ashes to Ashes’ and was a little bit disappointed, however it is easy to build up an impression of what to expect and then pick it apart if it doesn’t fit your parameters. It was a little over the top, especially when (air quotation marks) Gene Hunt (air quotation marks) pulls out a machine gun. Then again the early 80’s were over the top too; you don’t see men wearing make up much these days, except maybe in Panto. The move to London was a mistake, no offence to Londoners, as it was less believable and didn’t make sense. The music was great, especially the Stranglers and The Clash. Although the characters are good, the plot needs some work.
Ok, maybe Ashes to Ashes was a bit over the top, a bit sexist, a bit racist but it put right all the wrongs in a Panto sort of way. It entertained me and brought back some fantastic (careless) memories.
BBC Flea
One cannot overestimate the superb screen presence of Mars actor John Simm - which usually elevates anything he appears is in to compulsive viewing status ( see The Lakes - currently on ITV3 )
Obviously, new series can take a while to get into gear ; but the Ashes trailer was deterrent enough for us not to risk it ( the absurdly synthetic expression of the go-go-girl actress said all? )
The BBC get very shirty about the license fee - all but sending in the bailiffs at the first whiff of a centime witheld ; but remain unaccountable for the focus group led lefty bilge often produced
( We all know that focus group participants are pressed with loaded questions in order to elicit correct replies that will support the market researcher’s basic premiss - their results then massaged to meet the questioners adgenda , and thence to public ‘ facts ‘ etc )
However, apparently internet users can now watch any BBC programme for free ( we pay - they view ) via BBCiPlayer including BBC News24
BBC market research data is frequently produced by the same left-leaning business consultants that advise the current British Govt, and the British Council both ( Prospect, Feb issue: news & curios item - British Council act independently of Govt - surely a tease ? ditto the Australian republican stat )
Until we refuse to be bullied by the smoke & mirrors of market research ( and the eponymously named Man Cons who conduct it ) we may have little choice but to endure whatever the powers of greed and avarice that be wish to peddle us
Pseudo Facts
An ebullient example of barrow boys at play ( using the similar methods as policy wonk market research stats ) might be the current global ad campaign for a leading brand of detergent :
” 89% agree washing at 30 degrees can give you great cleaning ! ”
Delighted the brand is showing green ; however, their seductive
pseudo ‘fact’ as strapline seems somehow less authentic upon reading the small print ( although we are not given the full picture : i.e
precisely how much soap powder used per wash load on trial etc )
” An independent test of 122 [ yes, that is just 122 ]consumers
conducted in the UK in July 2006 “
I liked it. But it is only the first episode. The first episode of Life on Mars wasn’t that special but it got better and better.
Ashes to Ashes has the same potential as far as I am concerned.
I think we need to wait until mid-series to really make a fair comparison. Pop culture references are fine by me
Life on Mars was brilliant and I am really hoping Ashes to Ashes maintains the momentum. Fingers crossed.
Whatever happens Ashes to Ashes can’t ever be as bad as Torchwood!
St Trinians, you think the British government is left leaning? Dread to think what corruption,wars and lies people would have to get involved with to be considered right leaning!
Matt Hawkins
You are quite right - thank you for pointing this out ; what should have been written was ” pseudo left-leaning ”
The architects of New Labour couldn’t give two figs for the working man ( real men ? they are terrified of them - witness the hunt ban )
other than to use these fine folk as an excuse to dumb down our institutions ( rather than, say, the intelligent shake up required ) and destabilise the UK under their Paul Smith flag of The Peoples Progress in order that they themselves can get someone else to shine their lounge suits & loafers while they run off with all the spoils
Meantime, the dishonourable hypocrites ( which among them does not pine to be addressed as Lord ? ) now walk on water, Fagan fingers in just about every pie going - soon galvanise a Greek chorus of toxic hysteria at anyone daring to speak outside their market research led Stasi-esque control
Ergo, the furore about David Goodhart’s essay ( Prospect Feb 04 )about diversity which identified the fundamental fault line in New Labour ; and the current fuss around the intrepid Rowan Williams, and even Martin Amis, daring to ‘think aloud’ about Muslims
This was supposed to be about Ashes to Ashes, not politics- think you two are on the wrong page
Also, BBC iPlayer is only available to people here who have paid the license fee, it is not available to all internet users
The point of this conversation….I think Ashes to Ashes has had a shaky start, I don’t think sequels rarely match the original but it is too early to pass judgement on this but I do agree that although John Simms could not appear in this series, Liz White should definately have been kept
John Simms got it right…brilliant, actor. Keeley Hawes seems so far to be playing it on a more simplistic level whilst also overacting.I understand why she’s playing it rather hyper at the moment but she’s killing the tension, the mood and the humour.Instead of ‘cool’..we’ve got neurotic and in spite of her good looks..unsexy. I’ll be continuing to watch it though because Philip Glenister is worth it…and he’s, never, unsexy which is, actually relevant if the scripts are written with some chemistry intended, between male and female leads. If the scripts give him a chance, he could deliver some stunning, performances. I just hope that we don’t get eight episodes of Keeley Hawes being about as subtle as a brick.A minor point…her hairdo, poor woman..is about as unflattering to a genuinely lovely looking woman ss it could be…
To be honest there has only been two episodes so far, you cant possibly Judge it so harshly without giving it a chance at least. I think its brilliant myself, Its really enjoyable! I agree with G jones, if you dont like it, dont watch it, Im surprised that you managed to watch it so long if you really hated it so much!
Lets just see how it goes, obviously its not the original but I can see it becoming just as great! x M
Dear Random Bruiser
You’re quite right - the subject did get un peu merlot on the dance floor. All my fault - Matt Hawkins was only responding to my old twaddle..( Meant to be working on something else, but this is far more fun ) However, David Herman’s opening question ” What is going on at BBC1″ left the bar slightly open ?
( The politics of New Labour - from John Birt to Greg Dyke - have absolutely everything to do with what is going on at BBC1 )
Anyway, may be innovative cop show directors have yet to find a new balance since the forensic swat teams took over ? ( Anyone for yet another peek at the blood-soaked content of their ghoulish tweezers )
Perhaps a subliminal part Mars ’70’s appeal was the unlikelyhood of much actual Prime Suspect evidence ( tampered with or otherwise ) being beamed into our drawing rooms ?
As indeed the sunny Bergerac before, and the hilarious Midsummer Murders ( poor old D.I.Wotnot seems to be the kiss of death )now continues in this happily pas devant les enfants genre..
Without resorting to endless gorey bits , original writers for The Sweeney, such as Troy Kennedy-Martin ( remember - also wrote The - original - Italian Job, and the superb thriller Edge of Darkness.. Where-oh-where is Troy now ? ) sculpted much more entertaining
fare on relatively frugal budgets
Back to iPay iPlayer
I, personally, am heartily against the distinctly un-british bullying that is carried out on behalf of the BBC licence fee collectors, and much of the dumbed-down, lefty rubbish the BBC squander it on ( Nicholas Kenyon ought to be deported ) and therefore, in the spirit of St Tim Berners-Lee, welcome the idea of Random Browsers being able to lap up anything they can find worth viewing for free
( BTW, according to Panorama, last year the BBC spent £300.000 on bottled water for their London offices alone..)
However, who can object to the genius that is David Attenborough,
or the adorable Simon Reeves’ Tropic of Capricorn ? ( Did we feel for the Kalahari desert tribes risking malnutrition rather than suffer the indignity of 24/7 lock in at some dreaded govt reserve )
This BBC blog item ( Jan ‘08 ) was sent to me by a chum in the ‘biz’
” A question I often get asked is whether you need a TV licence to watch BBC programmes over the internet.
At the moment, the legal position is that you don’t need a licence to
watch TV purely on-demand, but you do if you are watching TV live
(through any receiving device in the home).
So a live simulcast over the web from the BBC - of, say, the Beijing
Olympics - will require a TV licence, but watching an on-demand
(non-live) stream or download through the BBC iPlayer will not.
The Help section for the iPlayer confirms the position under
“Will I need a TV licence to watch programmes on BBC iPlayer?”
It states that:
You do not need a television licence to watch television programmes on the current version of the BBC iPlayer. You will need to be covered by a TV licence if and when the BBC provides a feature that enables you to watch ‘live’ TV programmes on any later version of the BBC iPlayer which has this option… A ‘live’ TV programme is a programme which is watched or recorded at the same time (or virtually the same time) as it is being broadcast… [etc]
Hmmm - something to prove, St Trinians…?
I think a lot of people have a soapbox to dismount from, Ashes to Ashes works well for me as a piece of chewing gum for the brain escapism after a hard day’s work. I think it’s grand, and have been enjoying it as what it’s clearly meant to be - a piece of non-challenging fluff for people who might enjoy a trash novel once in a while. I don’t think it’s taking itself too seriously, unlike some…
well now being only 2 eppisodes from the end of the first series i have to say that Ashes to Ashes is totally brilliant and has provided so many laughs it is unreal. I look forward to Thursdays with a passion just to watch this excellent series, yep you can make comparrisons but why not just enjoy it for what it is, if you want to watch Life on Mars series 3 TOUGH LUCK you got Ashes to Ashes series 1! stop making comparrisons and just live and enjoy the now ,well the 80’s anyway! Also sorry for the spelling on this but never mind eh only came across this forum while trying to find a download for the soundtrack for Ashes to Ashes!
E, Ha ha - We try ! The answer is yes. It prob-ab-ly won’t be that chewing gum causes brain decay..but don’t hold your breath ( Lost in ramble useful fact : legally, BBC TV can be watched around the world for free without any license fee c/o http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/ )
I thought Life on Mars was great, but I also like Ashes to Ashes, with it’s 80s styles and 80s music. It does seem that Gene Hunt has been toned down, and why didn’t they bring Annie Cartwright in, greiving over the death of Sam and desperate to make him proud as a Police Officer?
Excellent review. Not sure why some people (g jones) think you have to be able to be able to write good television in order to critique it, if that was the case the only people who could send back food in resturants would be Delia Smith and Gordon Ramsey. I wonder if Ashes to Ashes will get a second series. It’s quite sad how some of the commentators posting below your article are scared of challenging TV- which makes me wonder if they liked Life on Mars.
Totally agree with Richard (17 March 2008) Absoluteley loved Life on Mars, and loved Ashes to Ashes. I grew up in the 60’s and found out what it was about in the 70’s.
There were real people like DCI Hunt that I knew and worked with. Life on Mars said it all for me - the ‘one liners’brilliant! I feel that it is a crying shame things have changed so much over the years.
Ashes to Ashes, is different, but still good, and still does it for me. Absolutely love Gene Hunt to bits!
Fantastic!
‘Right..let’s fire up the Quattro!’ a red hot line! Life on Mars the best, but anything at all has to be good with Gene Hunt and the boys in it. Reminds me so much of my youth, how these people used to be, and how I personally think things should be now before all the ‘PC’stuff came in. As far as I’m concerned, acting is good in both, and looking hard at ‘background’ shots, I notice all the vehicles are correct period along with scenery etc. Nearly every time I turn the tv.on, Gene Hunt is on some chat show or other - great! Can’t wait for second Ashes to Ashes. Whatever happens, I am a fan for life..!!