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Life on Mars (British TV series)

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Life on Mars
File:Life on Mars logo.gif
Created byMatthew Graham
Tony Jordan
Ashley Pharoah
StarringJohn Simm
Philip Glenister
Liz White
Country of originUnited Kingdom
No. of episodes8 (to date)
Production
Running time60 minutes per episode
Original release
NetworkBBC One
ReleaseJanuary 9, 2006 –
present

Template:Otheruses2

Life on Mars is a British television drama series, which was shown on BBC One in January and February 2006. A second series, due for transmission in 2007, started production in April 2006.

The format of this show mixes time travel with police drama, with the central character being modern-day policeman Sam Tyler (played by John Simm), who after being hit by a car in 2006 finds himself back in 1973. There he is working for Manchester and Salford Police CID under DCI Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister). Over the course of the series, Tyler faces various culture clashes, most frequently regarding the difference in approach to policing between Tyler - a product of a more politically correct twenty-first century approach to policing, where suspect rights and the chain and preservation of forensic evidence are more stringently observed - and his 1973 counterparts, who work in a police force where sexism and racism, police brutality and institutionalised minor corruption are regarded more casually as routine parts of the job.

The series also features a strong ambiguity concerning Tyler's predicament, in that it is unclear whether he really has travelled back in time; is in a coma in 2006 and imagining his experiences; or is really in 1973 and mentally unstable, albeit with remarkably accurate knowledge of the future. This is conveyed through a surreal approach, as provided by the girl featured in a fictional Test Card F or Open University lecturers occasionally speak to Tyler through his television set at night; he will also occasionally hear voices and electronic noises apparently from people and machines around his hospital bed, apparently indicating that he is in a coma (although other details, such as the remarkable amount of 'detail' and tangibility in the world Tyler has found himself, may suggest otherwise).

Production

Produced by Kudos Film & Television — the makers of Spooks and Hustle — for BBC Wales, the eight one-hour episodes were broadcast on BBC One on Monday nights at 9pm. The series was created by writers Tony Jordan, Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah, who also provide the majority of the scripts. The fourth writer on the first series was Chris Chibnall.

The programme was originally conceived in 1998, when Graham, Jordan and Pharoah had been sent on a break to the seaside resort of Blackpool by Kudos to come up with new programme ideas.1 Originally titled Ford Granada after the popular car of the 1970s, the series was initially rejected by the BBC. "Back then, broadcasters just weren't comfortable with something like that, something that wasn't set in the real world and that had a fantasy element to it,"1, Graham later told SFX Magazine.

Later Channel 4 drama executive John Yorke showed some interest in commissioning the programme, but eventually decided not to pursue the idea. "[Channel 4] people just said 'It's going to be silly',"[1] Graham told the Radio Times in a feature published the week of the first episode's transmission. However, the series eventually attracted the attention of BBC Wales Head of Drama Julie Gardner, who in turn persuaded the overall Head of Drama at the BBC, Jane Tranter, to commission the programme for BBC One.1

The programme's central character was originally to have been called "Sam Williams", but Kudos felt that this was not striking enough and asked Graham to come up with an alternative surname. Asking his young daughter for her opinion, she suggested "Sam Tyler", which became the character's name. Graham later discovered that his daughter had named him after Rose Tyler from Doctor Who, a programme he would subsequently go on to write an episode for.[1]

Filming for a second series for BBC One started in April 2006. [2] According to Jane Featherstone, the show's executive producer, a film version of the show is also a possibility: "Life on Mars is a very high concept idea and there is no doubt it would work on the big screen... But as yet, we are concentrating on the development and production of the second series for BBC1."3

The Guardian newspaper's Media Guardian.co.uk website reported that producer David E Kelley was to develop an American version of the series for the ABC network there. "Mr Kelley will write and executive produce a pilot for the 60-minute ABC version of BBC1's hit 70s cop drama, which is likely to be broadcast in autumn next year if it gets a full series commission."[3]

Music

The series is named after the David Bowie song Life on Mars?, which is playing on the iPod in Tyler's car when the accident happens, and still playing on an 8-track tape when he awakes in 1973. Another song featured on the soundtrack, in the second episode, is Live and Let Die by Paul McCartney and Wings. Kudos were initially refused permission to use the song by record company MCA, but according to Graham in the Radio Times, "We sent the episode direct to Paul McCartney. Almost immediately, his assistant phoned back and said 'Paul loves it. You can go ahead and use it'."[4].

File:Sam gene 1.jpg
The two main characters of Life on Mars, Sam (John Simm) and Gene (Philip Glenister)

Cast

Episode guide

Note: All broadcast dates refer to the original UK transmissions on BBC One.

Template:Spoiler

Series One:

Episode 1: Monday January 9, 2006, 9–10pm. Written by Matthew Graham. Directed by Bharat Nalluri.

The first episode concerns murders which have been committed with the same modus operandi in both 2006 and 1973. The clash-of-cultures between Tyler and others related mainly to the lack of importance placed on forensic science in 1973.

Episode 2: Monday January 16, 2006, 9–10pm. Written by Matthew Graham. Directed by Bharat Nalluri.

The second episode concerns an armed robber, who is brought in with no evidence as a preventative measure. Tyler allows him to be bailed, and the man then goes on to commit a further robbery from a jewellers. They find a witness and try to persuade him to testify by offering him police protection.

Episode 3: Monday January 23, 2006, 9–10pm. Written by Matthew Graham. Directed by John McKay.

A union organiser confesses to a suspected murder at a textiles factory which, following its closure and conversion into flats, will be Tyler's home in 2006. Hunt is happy with the confession, but Tyler pushes deeper, and discovers he was instead covering up for a fatal accident. Meanwhile, the organiser's son is found to have been planning a payroll robbery at the same firm.

Episode 4: Monday January 30, 2006, 9–10pm. Written by Ashley Pharoah. Directed by John McKay.

The episode deals with the uneasy relationships between the police in the 1970s and organised crime, with Tyler arresting a henchman of a local Mr. Big, only to be humiliated in a honey trap. Tyler also visits his childhood home to interact with his mother, (without revealing his true identity). Tyler also tries to persuade Hunt to swap his Red Rum for Tyler's Proud Percy in the Grand National sweepstakes.

Episode 5: Monday February 6, 2006, 9–10pm. Written by Tony Jordan. Directed by SJ Clarkson.

This episode was inspired by the emergence of football hooliganism in the 1970s. A Manchester United fan is murdered and it is widely assumed that the culprit is a Manchester City fan. Sam suggests that he go undercover as a barman at the Trafford Arms pub to try to gain more information where he is assisted by Gene and Annie. The pub is frequented by a group of Manchester United supporters and it soon becomes apparent that they are planning a confrontation with Manchester City fans at the derby game to be held on the following Saturday.

Episode 6: Monday February 13, 2006, 9–10pm. Written by Matthew Graham & Ashley Pharoah. Directed by John Alexander.

When a handyman in the local newspaper office takes hostages to get his life story published, Sam, Gene and Annie also end up as captives. The 2pm deadline of the hostage-taker coincides with the time in 2006, when Sam's life support machine will be switched off. Surprisingly, Sam survives and hears on Nelson's red phone that he remains on life support.

Episode 7: Monday February 20, 2006, 9–10pm. Written by Chris Chibnall. Directed by SJ Clarkson.

A young man being held for a minor drugs offense dies in custody at the station while Gene and Sam are out. While Gene tries to protect his team, Sam struggles to conduct a proper investigation into the death. After alienating all his colleagues, he is able to determine that one of them forced him to take cocaine, causing a heart attack, and that the others had been covering. The guilty party is demoted.

Episode 8: Monday February 27, 2006, 9–10pm. Written by Matthew Graham. Directed by John Alexander.

Sam encounters his parents again in 1973; he believes that if he keeps his father from running away (due to police enquiries and safety of his family) he will be awoken from his apparent coma. Ultimately, his father turns out to have been an aspiring gangster, seeking to fill the void left by the arrest of Stephen Warren in episode 4. Rather than traumatising his family more by arresting his father, he instead lets him run away. Flashbacks throughout the entire series are revealed to have been from young Sam's memories of this incident.

This concludes the first series. Template:Endspoiler

Reception

Previewing the first episode for the Radio Times, the magazine's television editor Alison Graham described the series as "a genuinely innovative and imaginative take on an old genre... This sounds silly, but writers Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan and Ashley Pharoah give the drama wit and heart."[5] The series was also featured on the front cover of that week's issue of the magazine, with a publicity photograph of Simm and Glenister. In a preview behind-the-scenes feature for SFX, Steve O'Brien declared that "it looks like BBC One has — and we'll lay large bets on this — a monster hit on its hands... It's funny... and dramatic and exciting, and we're really not getting paid for saying this."[6]

Reaction following the broadcast of the opening episode was also generally positive. Reviewing the opening instalment in The Guardian the day after transmission, Sam Wollaston wrote: "For anyone of 40 or over, it's fabulous fun... But Life on Mars is more than just a jolly, tongue-in-cheek romp into the past... Once there, in 1973, we find ourselves immersed in a reasonably gripping police drama — yes, The Sweeney, perhaps, with better production values... Or put another — undeniably laboured — way, as poor Sam Tyler walks through his sunken dream, I'm hooked to the silver screen. And yes, I know it's actually a small screen."[7]

Other newspaper critics gave the series similarly positive reviews, with James Walton of the Daily Telegraph saying that "Theoretically, this should add up to a right old mess. In practice, it makes for a thumpingly enjoyable piece of television — not least because everybody involved is obviously having such a great time."[8] Peter Paterson of the Daily Mail did, however, reflect the views of many other commentators when he wondered "can its intriguing conceit be sustained over eight one-hour episodes?".[9]

The first episode was also a success in terms of viewing figures, with an average audience of seven million in the overnight ratings.9 This was enough for the programme to win its timeslot with a 27% share of the total television audience for the hour from 9pm, one million viewers ahead of its nearest rival, Soapstar Superstar on ITV1.9 In the following weeks, the competition on ITV1 came from the comedy-drama series Northern Lights, which gained a marginally higher overnight rating for its first episode against Life on Mars's second, 6.1 million (24% of the available audience) against 6 million.[10]

In subsequent weeks, however, Life on Mars fared better against Northern Lights. Episode three gained 6.2 million viewers and a 24% share against the second of Northern Lights which fell to 5.4 million (21%)[11] The trend continued in the following weeks, with Northern Lights not managing to beat Life on Mars again, and the series even managing a highest viewing figure since the first episode for episode five, which gained 6.7 million viewers and a 26% share.[12]

Critical reaction to the series also continued to be positive. Reviewing episode four in The Guardian, Nancy Banks-Smith wrote that: "Life on Mars is an inspired take on the usual formula of Gruff Copper of the old school, who solves cases by examining the entrails of a chicken, and Sensitive Sidekick, who has a degree in detection... No profession has changed more dramatically in the last 30 years than the police (I wish I could force more enthusiasm into my voice) but old coppers still make the best jokes."[13]

The final episode gained 7.1 million viewers in the overnight figures, a 28% audience share which placed it well ahead of the nearest competition, the first episode of the two-part drama Love Lies Bleeding on ITV1, which gained 5.4 million (23%).[14]

Filming locations

Parts of the filming took place in or around the following locations.

  • Manchester's northern quarter, Castlefield, the Canal and Ancoats area.
  • Stockport, including Stopford House Council Offices (the Police Station in the series) and the old shopping areas.
  • Gorton, in south east Manchester.
  • Mancunian Way Flyover (Episode 1)
  • The Mills around Ancoats, Manchester
  • Queen Street Textile Mill Harle Syke, Briercliffe, Burnley (Lancashire) (Episode 3)
  • The rear of "The Angel" public house, Shaw Road, Royton was used as the fictional exterior of the pub where the stars of the show are seen to drink each week (the interior of the pub is a set).
  • Brook Mill No.2 (Oldham Twist Co.) Hollins, Oldham (Episode 3)
  • Great Universal Stores Building Manchester (Episode 6)

Anachronisms

Observant viewers have spotted some minor anachronisms in some of the episodes of Life on Mars. Whether these are accidental, or intentional on the part of the producers, remains to be seen.

The first of these anachronisms is in episode one, occurring quickly after Sam Tyler wakes up in 1973. Soon after Sam wakes up on a building site for the Mancunian Way and looks at a sign proclaiming the building of a new motorway at the heart of Manchester. In reality, this motorway was completed in 1967.

Another major anachronism is Sam's dual-display LCD watch. In 1973 the only widely available digital watches used red light emitting diodes, which needed to be lit by pressing a button on the side. LCDs did not become common until much later. A watch like Sam's, with both a face and an LCD display, would not have been available until the 1980s.

While the Yorkshire Ripper's first confirmed murder did not occur until 1975, there is a distinctive photofit of the Ripper visible in the police station at which Sam Tyler works in 1973.

While Manchester and Salford Police used only Minis as patrol cars in 1973, Gene Hunt's car is a Ford Cortina. Further complicating things, the interior of Hunt's car is the 2000E version not the 1970s version. In keeping with the conflicting themes for the cars, patrol cars would not have had blue lights.

In the early '70s, Manchester Police referred to their senior officers as 'Boss' not 'Guv', which is a term propagated by the Metropolitan Police. The policewomen in the series are seen working, to a limited extent, alongside their male counterparts while in the 1970s they would have worked solely within a Police Womens' Department and would not be out on regular patrols. The white-topped headgear worn by the policewomen in the series is also incorrect, with 1970s police women sporting the more kepi-style of cap.

In addition to all of the above, a number of keen-eyed viewers have noticed street furniture and other items in the background of several episodes which while they would not have been present in the 1970s would also be difficult for a TV show to have removed. Green NTL cable television cabinets, satellite television dishes, 'dome type' CCTV cameras, and mobile phone masts are visible in a number of outdoor scenes.

Overseas sales

On July 24, 2006, the first series began airing in the US on BBC America [15], to favourable critical reviews. [16]

References

  1. ^ Darlington, David (2006-06-21). "Script Doctors: Matthew Graham". Doctor Who Magazine. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  1. ^ O'Brien, Steve. "The Nick of Time". SFX. Issue 139, January 2006, page 54.
  2. ^ Naughton, James. "The Most Original Cop Show... Since the 70s". Radio Times. Volume 328, number 4266, issue dated January 7–13 2006, page 10.
  3. ^ Wylie, Ian. "Life on Mars is creating stars on Earth". Manchester Evening News. Tuesday February 7 2006.
  4. ^ Naughton, James. "The Most Original Cop Show... Since the 70s". Radio Times. Volume 328, number 4266, issue dated January 7–13 2006, page 12.
  5. ^ Graham, Alison. "Today's Choices, Monday 9 January: Life on Mars". Radio Times. Volume 328, number 4266, issue dated January 7–13 2006, page 70.
  6. ^ O'Brien, Steve. "The Nick of Time". SFX. Issue 139, January 2006, page 58.
  7. ^ Wollaston, Sam. "Last night's TV" (subscription link). The Guardian. Tuesday January 10 2006.
  8. ^ Walton, James. The Daily Telegraph. Tuesday January 10 2006. Quoted in the "First Night: Life on Mars" newspaper review round-up column on MediaGuardian.co.uk. URL accessed Tuesday January 10 2005.
  9. ^ Paterson, Peter. The Daily Mail. Tuesday January 10 2006. Quoted in the "First Night: Life on Mars" newspaper review round-up column on MediaGuardian.co.uk. URL accessed Tuesday January 10 2005.
  10. ^ Plunkett, John. "7m gravitate to Life on Mars" (subscription link). MediaGuardian.co.uk. URL accessed Tuesday January 10 2006.
  11. ^ Deans, Jason. "Northern Lights glows with success" (subscription link). MediaGuardian.co.uk. URL accessed Monday February 20 2006.
  12. ^ Timms, Dominic. "Prison Break captures audience" (subscription link). MediaGuardian.co.uk. URL accessed Monday February 20 2006.
  13. ^ Timms, Dominic. "Half Ton Man bulks up Channel 4 ratings" (subscription link). MediaGuardian.co.uk. URL accessed Monday February 20 2006.
  14. ^ Banks-Smith, Nancy. "Last night's TV". The Guardian. Tuesday January 31 2006.
  15. ^ Timms, Dominic. "Cop drama motors to the finish" (subscription link). MediaGuardian.co.uk. URL accessed February 28 2006.
  16. ^ Deans, Jason. "Life on Mars goes stateside" (subscription link). MediaGuardian.co.uk. URL accessed March 28 2006.


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