Life on Mars - just the facts

Life on Mars - just the facts (A article written in 2007)

Life on Mars is a British television drama series, which was first shown on BBC One in January & February 2006. The second & final series started its run on February 13, 2007. For the second series, episodes two & three had their debut showing at 10pm on digital television channel BBC Four, immediately following the previous episode on BBC One.

The format of the series mixes science fiction - specifically, time travel - with police drama. The central character is policeman DCI Sam Tyler of Greater Manchester Police (played by John Simm), who, after being hit by a car in 2006, finds himself somehow transported back to 1973. There, he is working for Manchester & Salford Police CID as a DI under DCI Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister). Over the course of the series, Tyler faces various culture clashes, most frequently regarding differences in his seemingly naïve approach to policing compared to that of his colleagues. The series also features a strong ambiguity concerning Tyler's predicament: it is unclear whether he really has travelled back in time, is in a coma in 2006 & imagining his experiences, or if he is from 1973 but mentally unstable. Produced by Kudos Film & Television — the makers of Spooks & Hustle — for BBC Wales, the eight one-hour episodes of the first series were broadcast on BBC One on Monday nights at 9pm. The series was created by writers Tony Jordan, Matthew Graham & Ashley Pharoah, who also provided the majority of the scripts. The fourth writer on the first series was Chris Chibnall. For the second series, Graham, Pharoah & Chibnall returned to write episodes, joined by Julie Rutterford, Guy Jenkin & Mark Greig. The second series transmission day was moved to Tuesday night rather than Monday.

The programme was originally conceived in 1998, when Graham, Jordan & Pharoah had been sent on a break to the seaside resort of Blackpool by Kudos to come up with new programme ideas. 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 & that had a fantasy element to it," Graham later told SFX Magazine. The initial idea at this time was for a more humorous, pre-watershed series that overtly mocked the styles & attitudes of the 1970s, with comic actor Neil Morrissey envisioned as playing the central character.

Later Channel 4 drama executive John Yorke showed some interest in commissioning the programme, but eventually decided not to pursue the idea. " people just said 'It's going to be silly',"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.

The programme's central character was originally to have been called "Sam Williams", but Kudos felt that this was not striking enough & 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 subsequently discovered that his daughter had named him after Rose Tyler from Doctor Who, a programme for which he would later write an episode. The initial geographical setting was to be London; this was then changed to Leeds, & finally to Manchester, as part of a BBC initiative to make more programmes in that city.

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

On October 9, 2006, it was confirmed that the second series of Life on Mars would also be the last, with two possible endings to the programme having been filmed. Matthew Graham stated that "We decided that Sam's journey should have a finite life span & a clear-cut ending & we feel that we have now reached that point after two series."

The Guardian newspaper's Media Guardian.co.uk website reported that producer David E Kelley is to develop an American version of the series for the ABC network there, which is being targeted for the 2007-08 TV season. "Mr Kelley will write & 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." According to a report by The Hollywood Reporter Rachelle Lefevre has been cast as the female lead of "the lone female detective in the department" that "forges a mystic bond with the mysterious detective & teams with him to track a serial killer". This report also indicated that the American series will take place in 1972 rather than 1973.

In December 2006, it was reported that the BBC had commissioned a Life on Mars spin-off series, to be titled Ashes to Ashes after another David Bowie song of the same name. The Times reported that this spin-off would pick up the lives of Gene Hunt & other characters from the series in 1981. Julie Gardner confirmed that the spin-off was to be produced during an interview for BBC Radio Wales in March 2007.

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, & on an 8-track tape when he awakes in 1973. Another song featured on the soundtrack, in the second episode, is "Live & Let Die" by Paul McCartney & Wings. Kudos were initially refused permission to use the song by the record company but, according to Graham in the Radio Times, "We sent the episode direct to Paul McCartney. Almost immediately, his assistant phoned back & said 'Paul loves it. You can go ahead & use it'."

The two main characters of Life on Mars, Sam (John Simm) & Gene (Philip Glenister)A central theme in the series is the conflict in attitudes between Tyler & his 1970s colleagues. Tyler — a product of the more politically correct twenty-first century, where suspects' rights & the chain & preservation of forensic evidence are more stringently observed (allegedly) — frequently clashes with his 1973 counterparts, who work in a police force where sexism, racism, police brutality & institutionalised minor corruption are casually regarded as routine parts of the job. This strongly alluded to the underlying theme of the 1970s police drama The Sweeney, something which would become more obvious as the show progressed. The series frequently uses dramatic irony, in the form of off-hand jokes about a future the audience already knows, but which the historical characters do not.

There is also a central ambiguity surrounding the status of Tyler. Is he in a coma in 2006 & imagining his experiences? Is he really from 1973 & mentally unstable, albeit with remarkably accurate visions of the future, & why is he seeing the past selves of people from his life in 2006? Or, has he somehow travelled back in time from 2006 to 1973? This uncertainty is conveyed through a surreal approach, such as when Tyler is addressed directly through his television set late at night by the young girl featured in the Test Card F or Open University lecturers. Tyler also occasionally hears voices & electronic noises — apparently from people & machines around his hospital bed — which lead him to believe that he is in a coma (although other details, such as the remarkable amount of detail & tangibility in the world in which Tyler finds himself, may suggest otherwise). There are also scenes where past & present appear to overlap, such as in episode six where Sam hears the 2006 voice of his mother saying his life-support machine is to be switched off at 2pm, & immediately in 1973 he is called to investigate a hostage-taking where the perpetrator will start killing his victims at 2pm. "No-one will die today," is the repeated response from Sam. The timelines merge again in the first episode of series two, when Sam encounters a suspect in 1973 whom he had arrested in 2006; it appears that this man is also trying to kill him while he is in his coma. The second series also develops the voices that regularly contact him, when we see for the first time that they can hear him. In episode one of the second series, a voice on the telephone tells him he is close to home, but DCI Hunt & the others must not know what he is doing there. Unusually, this call could be traced by the operator to the Borough of Hyde, the area where Sam is told he transferred from in Series 1, Episode 1. It later transpired in episode 7 of series 2 that the voice on the telephone probably belongs to Acting DCI Frank Morgan, also from Hyde, who temporarily took DCI Hunt's role while Hunt was being investigated for a possible murder. Sam realises this when Morgan is being bid farewell in the elevator & tells Sam that "Hunt wiggled out of it this time." He then reassures Sam that it won't be long before Hunt receives his come uppance & Sam can "come home."

Character Played by Notes
DI Sam Tyler John Simm Thrown back to 1973 from 2006 after a car accident; DCI in the present.
DCI Gene Hunt Philip Glenister Tyler's boss in the 1973 Manchester & Salford CID.
WPC/WDC Annie Cartwright Liz White Young WPC who befriended Sam; became a WDC in series 2.
DS Ray Carling (Briefly demoted to DC in Season 1 Episode 7; re-promoted in Series 2 Episode 1) Dean Andrews Member of the Manchester & Salford CID
DC Chris Skelton Marshall Lancaster Young detective interested in modernising procedure.
Nelson Tony Marshall Licensee of the local pub; pretends to be Jamaican, but is actually Manchester born & bred.
WPC Phyllis Dobbs Noreen Kershaw WPC who generally runs the station desk.

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

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. & yes, I know it's actually a small screen."

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." 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?".

The first episode was also a success in terms of viewing figures, with an average audience of seven million in the overnight ratings. 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. 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.

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

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, & 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."

A selection of the magazine coverage surrounding the launch of the second series of Life on Mars in 2007, including the "2007" & "1973" Radio Times covers, the latter included on page three of the magazine.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%).

In November 2006, the first series of Life on Mars won the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series. In January 2007 it won the Best New Programme category at the Broadcast Magazine awards. In March 2007 it won two categories, Best Drama Series & the Writers' Award, at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards.

Series Two
The first episode of the second series gained an overnight rating of 5.7 million on BBC One, winning its timeslot, with the closest opposition being Trial & Retribution on ITV1, which gained 5.5 million. However, this was over a million lower than the 6.8 million average Life on Mars gained for its first series episodes. The premiere of the second episode immediately afterwards on BBC Four gained 747,000 viewers, the best audience of the day for a digital television-only channel.

The first episode was praised by the Radio Times's television editor Alison Graham in her preview, who wrote: "Sam Tyler & Gene Hunt are shaping up nicely as one of the great TV detective partnerships... It's vastly enjoyable & manages to stay just about believable thanks to some strong writing & , of course, the two marvellous central performances." However, Nancy Banks-Smith in The Guardian felt that the time-paradox aspect of the episode was somewhat confusing.

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

Manchester's Northern Quarter, Castlefield, the Canal & Ancoats area.
Stockport, including Stopford House Council Offices (the Police Station in the series) & the old shopping areas.
Gorton, in south east Manchester.
Mancunian Way Flyover (Episode 1)
Victoria Baths The boilerhouse complex is used as the old waterworks (end of Episode 2) & the Turkish Baths appear as a morgue (Episode 7). Both reappear in Episode 2 of the second season; this time, the boilerhouse complex is Malone's base. The Turkish Baths continues to serve as the morgue in Episodes 4 & 5. In Episode 3, the Irish centre is in the Turkish Baths Rest Room, with the Angel of Purity stained-glass window.
Bury Arts & Crafts Centre, Broad Street, Bury, Lancashire used as the bank location in Series 2, episode 3.
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 (Episode 4) 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)
Universal House, Head office of Great Universal Stores Building Manchester (Episode 6)
Press Club Central Manchester: The Casino, (Series 2 Episode 1)
Tiger Lounge, Cooper Street, Manchester: The Casino, (Series 2 Episode 1)
Dolphin Street, Ardwick Green, Manchester: The Casino exterior/street scenes, (Series 2 Episode 1)
Hoghton Tower, Chorley, Lancashire: Broadmoor Prison, (Series 2 Episode 2)
Bolton, various streets used throughout the series due to their "unspoiled" appearance.

Anachronisms
Some minor anachronisms occur in episodes of Life on Mars. Interviews with the creators have shown that at least some of these were unintentional.

The first of these anachronisms is in episode one, occurring after Sam Tyler wakes up in 1973. On a building site for the Mancunian Way, Sam looks at a sign proclaiming the building of a new motorway at the heart of Manchester. In reality, this motorway was completed in 1967. According to Matthew Graham, writing in the Radio Times, this particular anachronism was definitely deliberate. "We knew that this road was built in the 1960s, but we took a bit of artistic licence."

In series one there is a reference to "Wednesday the 16th of March 1973", whereas the 16th of March 1973 was actually a Friday.

Another anachronism is Sam's dual-display LCD watch. In 1973 the only widely available digital watches used red light-emitting diodes, which required the press of a button to light them. LCDs did not become common until much later. A watch like Sam's, with both a face & an LCD, would not have been available until the 1980s. In one episode Sam is treated for cuts with plasters from a modern plastic medical kit rather than a metal style kit of the time.

While Manchester & Salford Police used only Minis as patrol cars in 1973, in the series they have Austin Allegros & those used are from a later series which would not have been available until the late 1970s in any case. Gene Hunt's car is a Mark 3 Ford Cortina badged at the front as a GXL although badged elsewhere as the later 2000E (boot lid & roof pillar). The car's interior is also from the later 2000E as is the Roman Bronze colour scheme (although, it could be the darker "Tawny Metallic" which was available in 1973). Following the conclusion of the series' production, the Cortina is being given away by the Daily Mail in a competition (with the proceeds going to comic relief) & has not yet found a new owner, Some of the vehicles, such as the green transit van UJA 943K, feature new style plastic number plates with condensed lettering, which were introduced in 2001.

In the early 1970s, Manchester Police referred to their senior officers as 'Boss' not 'Guv', which is a term propagated by the Metropolitan Police.

In episode 5 of series 2 there is a scene in which Sam Tyler & Gene Hunt raid a house. Outside in the street is parked a Mini Clubman estate. Whilst these cars were in production in 1973 the colour, either ‘Russet brown’ or 'Mace' were not introduced until 1976 & 1982 respectively. Also the mini features the revised full length double stripe which is also a later addition.

Several episodes include street furniture & other items in the background which while they would not have been present in the 1970s, would also be difficult for a TV show to have removed. Green cable television cabinets, satellite television dishes, 'dome' & regular type CCTV cameras, external air-conditioning units, double-glazed uPVC window frames & mobile phone masts are visible in a number of outdoor scenes. In a number of residential street scenes, it can be seen where burglar alarm boxes have been digitally masked in post-production.

In series two episode 6, much was made of heroin as a 'new drug' on the streets of Manchester. However, heroin use had been widespread in the UK for a long time & was already well-known as a hard drug in the 1960s. In a United Nations Office of Drugs & Crime report called Opioid Users Attending a Special Drug Dependence Clinic 1968-1969 dated January 1st 1971, the following assertion was made: "The rising incidence of heroin misuse among young people led to the Second Interdepartmental Report (1965) which confirmed that the addict be treated under a medical rather than a criminal label."

Two further anachronisms which have occured in the second series are, firstly, a reference to the Crown Prosecution Service, which did not exist until the 1980s, & Gene Hunt's comment on the "font" of a newspaper headline, the latter an American word which did not become common in the UK until the introduction of WYSIWYG word processors in the 1990s. In 1973, this would have been referred to as a typeface or fount.

Between July 24, 2006 & September 11, 2006, the first series aired in the US on BBC America, to favourable critical reviews. The American version is edited for the insertion of commercials & omits some nudity & language that is present in the original BBC One version.

Life on Mars also began airing on BBC Canada on September 13, 2006, followed in November by broadcasts on the Canadian network Showcase. While not edited for nudity or language specifically, the Canadian broadcasts of series one episodes were slightly edited for commercials (Showcase premiered the episodes in a 75-minute slot (one hour plus commercials), then repeated them in a 60-minute timeslot). BBC Canada have since announced that they will be running series two uncut starting on February 28, 2007.

On January 14, 2007 the series started to air in Sweden, broadcast by SVT 2. SVT was given the cut version intended for BBC America, angering fans of the series. SVT later stated that they had been given the cut-down version due to the fact that the BBC had not cleared all the music rights internationally. On January 7, 2007 the series began in the Netherlands, shown by NPS on Nederland 3.

In Germany, private network station Kabel 1 aired the first season of the show from 3 February 2007 to 25 February 2007 with every two episodes being broadcast each Saturday evening in prime time. The series is subtitled "Gefangen in den 70ern" ("Trapped in the 70s"). For the first airing assorted scenes of varying importance for the plot were edited out to make room for commercials & severe translation errors occurred. A voice-over in the final scene of series one announced that series two will be shown in autumn 2007.

In New Zealand the series started with a double bill of episodes 1 & 2, shown on February 20, 2007 by TVNZ on TV ONE. There, the website stuff.co.nz described it as "sensationally well-made."

In France, private network station 13ème rue aired the first season of the show from March 20, 2007 to April 10, 2007 with every two episodes being broadcast each Tuesday evening in prime time.

In Israel the cable network Hot aired the first series in 2006, with the intention to air the second starting in June 2007.

The second series has had a distinctive style of introduction by the BBC; after a brief collage of momentary images, such as several test cards & the late comedy writer/broadcaster Barry Took, the BBC's 1970s rotating globe ident (accompanied by a "BBC 1 COLOUR" caption underneath) is utilised, with an introduction by a bass-voiced continuity announcer in the style of that era.

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