"Ashes to Ashes" (2008) TV series 2008-????

User Rating:

8.0/10   

Creators:

Mathew Graham
Ashley Pharoah

Seasons:

1 | 2

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Plot:

DCI Gene Hunt is back, but he's no longer the self-styled "Sheriff of Manchester." Flanked by his faithful sidekicks...

Plot Keywords:

London | New Romantic | London Docklands | Thatcherism | Audi Quattro

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Philip Glenister	...	Gene Hunt (16 episodes, 2008-2009)
Keeley Hawes	...	Alex Drake (16 episodes, 2008-2009)
Dean Andrews	...	Ray Carling / ... (16 episodes, 2008-2009)
Marshall Lancaster	...	Chris Skelton (16 episodes, 2008-2009)
Montserrat Lombard	...	Shaz Granger (16 episodes, 2008-2009)
Joseph Long	...	Luigi (16 episodes, 2008-2009)
Geff Francis	...	Viv James (16 episodes, 2008-2009)
Grace Vance	...	Molly Drake (16 episodes, 2008-2009)
Amelia Bullmore	...	Caroline Price / ... (9 episodes, 2008-2009)
Adrian Dunbar	...	Martin Summers (8 episodes, 2009)
Stephen Campbell Moore	...	Evan White (8 episodes, 2008)
Andrew Clover	...	The Clown / ... (8 episodes, 2008)

Runtime:

60 min (16 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Certification:

Netherlands:12

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

BBC Wales

Trivia:

The series is full of David Bowie references:- "Ashes to Ashes" is one of his songs, and features a Pierrot clown in its video, and one episode also features a "Laughing Gnome" (which is the name of another Bowie song).

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The Audi Quattro used by Gene Hunt was not available for sale in the UK in 1981. He would have had to order it from continental Europe, thus it would be left-hand drive. This is acknowledged to in the extras.

Movie Connections:

Spin off from "Life on Mars" (2006)

more fun than life on mars

The tone is a little more ironic and colourful than Life on Mars, which might upset a few of the predecessor's fans. But those few will always be upset, and this show is incredibly worth it.

Alex, because she knows that she's most likely in a coma (having had Sam's tapes) is herself taking the whole scenario a little less seriously - and so should we. This show is brilliant in the way that it has fun with itself. In the first episode, there is one shot of Ray, Gene and Chris on a speedboat to the sound of No More Heroes, by the Stranglers. Ray has a close up where he is sort of half smiling, and the whole thing is so unapologetically 80's, with the right sense of self awareness. The opening credits, too, let you know that you should be having fun with this show.

As long as you're not looking for the same tone and style as Life on Mars (remember, this is a show about being in an 80s cop show, not a show about being in a 70's cop show), this is a brilliant show.