Ashes to Ashes – Season 1

Archived review:

The spinoff to time-travelling cop drama Life on Mars had a lot to live up to, and given the class act that that show turned out to be, it was clear Ashes to Ashes would be judged not on its own merits but on its differences to its parent show. Which is a bit of a shame, because looking at them both makes me sometimes think that this new version doesn't quite cut the mustard, when in truth the first series (it's British, so I can finally say series, not season!) was constantly entertaining and fun to watch throughout.

The premise of Ashes to Ashes is much the same as the original – modern day police officer finds themselves on the brink of death and suddenly wakes up in the past, where they must tackle the cultural prejudices of the time, get a new perspective on the people from their childhoods, and work begrudgingly with the infamous Gene Hunt, already one of police dramas' greatest creations. While some of the differences are quite superficial (70's Manchester might now be '80s London but that doesn't really change the procedural format of the show), the most major change is obviously the replacement of Sam Tyler (XY) with Alex Drake (XX). I thought I'd specify their genders both to avoid confusion with their rather androgynous names and also to make a point; Whilst I enjoyed the slowly developing buddy buddy friendship with Sam and Gene in the original series, Alex's relationship with the Gene Genie is a lot more interesting; Their affection for and attraction to each other (try as hard as they might to deny it and squabble with each other) is a good draw to the show, particularly since (and no offense to John Simm and his drab 70s costumes) Keeley Hawes in 80s gear is easy on the eye. However, in other ways the show has gotten lazier, using the device that Alex knows exactly what is happening from the outset after reading what happened to Sam as an excuse for her to talk about the world being fake and no-one batting an eyelid. It gets irritating when she demeans another character's existence or says something worthy of ten years' counselling and they just carry on with their business.

However, on the whole, I'd mark this show as a worthy successor. It doesn't always quite do weekly stories as perfectly as Life on Mars did, but it adds some fresh dynamics to the mix and in some areas actually improves (Alex's family background is further explored than Sam's ever was, making the final episode that much more resonant). Some may be disappointed with the show, but I would argue that if roles were reversed and Ashes to Ashes came first, wouldn't people be just as critical of Life on Mars? And to conclude, because I'm that shallow, Keeley Hawes is hot. For a posh bird.