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All 24 episodes from the 'Life On Mars' BBC crime drama spinoff in which DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) swaps the Ford Cortina for an Audi Quattro and, along with his faithful sidekicks Ray Carling (Dean Andrews), Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster) and new thorn in his side DCI Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes), joins the London Metropolitan Police to deal with the 'southern nancy' criminal scum.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
88 of 89 people found the following review helpful
By Blackhorse47
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
This series is a spin-off to the time-travelling cop show Life on Mars. In Mars present day cop Sam Tyler, who is used to relying on offender profiling and forensics, finds himself in 1970s Manchester as the new officer on hard-man Gene Hunt's team. The past turns out to be a simpler time for cops when crimes are solved with big fists, fast cars and a copper's instinct. This led to plenty of entertaining stories that mixed drama and comedy in a seemingly effortless way that could have lasted for years, but sadly the series ended after two years and so Ashes to Ashes was born. A new character of Alex Drake goes back in time to join Hunt's team, this time in the 80s and in London. She again faces the problems Sam did of a culture clash between modern day policing methods and old style non-pc bluster.
Depending on whether or not you've seen the first series and then on whether you enjoyed its style, Ashes may provoke different reactions. It's not essential to have seen Mars to understand the format and each of the three years tries to do something different. While trying to avoid giving too much away, I'd say that each year has good and bad points.
The first year tries to be light and comedic. This was a good idea in theory as Mars had often been angst-filled and it helped to make it clear that the series is a different one. But early scenes such as Gene Hunt shooting up half of London without hitting anything from the back of a slow speedboat to the tune of No More Heroes didn't present the show in a good light. Thankfully the parody of 80s cop shows is abandoned in later episodes in favour of an involving story in which Alex decides she's gone back in time to find out why her parents died.... Read more ›
Depending on whether or not you've seen the first series and then on whether you enjoyed its style, Ashes may provoke different reactions. It's not essential to have seen Mars to understand the format and each of the three years tries to do something different. While trying to avoid giving too much away, I'd say that each year has good and bad points.
The first year tries to be light and comedic. This was a good idea in theory as Mars had often been angst-filled and it helped to make it clear that the series is a different one. But early scenes such as Gene Hunt shooting up half of London without hitting anything from the back of a slow speedboat to the tune of No More Heroes didn't present the show in a good light. Thankfully the parody of 80s cop shows is abandoned in later episodes in favour of an involving story in which Alex decides she's gone back in time to find out why her parents died.... Read more ›
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful
By haunted
TOP 1000 REVIEWER
Format:DVD
I'll admit to being a huge fan of this programme. I watched all three series and the two series of its predecessor "Life On Mars" and thought they were top class entertainment.
Having seen "Life on Mars" (LOM) isn't a requirement to enjoying "Ashes to Ashes" but it would definitely help as many of the main characters and the time travel concept of the programme was set out in the earlier programme.
At the start of Series 1 we meet present day London Detective Inspector Alex Drake, played by Keeley Hawes (sigh......). Where was I? Oh yes. She is in a coma after being shot by a suspect during a chase. She wakes up to find herself in early 1980's London. It appears she is part of the police unit headed by Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister). He was also head of the unit that Sam Tyler found himself in "Life on Mars" set in 1970's Manchester. She was familiar with Hunt and the other characters from LOM as she had read interviews Tyler had had after he "returned" from the 1970's.
In Series 1 each episode sees the unit working on a crime while Drake tries to work out how she can get back to "real life" and her young daughter. The time she finds herself in is shortly before her parents were killed in a car bomb. She convinces herself that if she can prevent this happening in her 1980's reality she will return to present day. The two intertwining story threads as well as the brilliantly written and acted dynamics between the characters make each episode a treat
.
I don't think I'm giving away too much by saying that Series 2 finds Drake still in the 1980's and trying to find a way back by cracking a plot involving police corruption that Hunt seems to be involved in. This series is darker in tone that the first.... Read more ›
Having seen "Life on Mars" (LOM) isn't a requirement to enjoying "Ashes to Ashes" but it would definitely help as many of the main characters and the time travel concept of the programme was set out in the earlier programme.
At the start of Series 1 we meet present day London Detective Inspector Alex Drake, played by Keeley Hawes (sigh......). Where was I? Oh yes. She is in a coma after being shot by a suspect during a chase. She wakes up to find herself in early 1980's London. It appears she is part of the police unit headed by Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister). He was also head of the unit that Sam Tyler found himself in "Life on Mars" set in 1970's Manchester. She was familiar with Hunt and the other characters from LOM as she had read interviews Tyler had had after he "returned" from the 1970's.
In Series 1 each episode sees the unit working on a crime while Drake tries to work out how she can get back to "real life" and her young daughter. The time she finds herself in is shortly before her parents were killed in a car bomb. She convinces herself that if she can prevent this happening in her 1980's reality she will return to present day. The two intertwining story threads as well as the brilliantly written and acted dynamics between the characters make each episode a treat
.
I don't think I'm giving away too much by saying that Series 2 finds Drake still in the 1980's and trying to find a way back by cracking a plot involving police corruption that Hunt seems to be involved in. This series is darker in tone that the first.... Read more ›
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By phoebe_43
Format:DVD
Good delivery time. Great series, that we'd watched most of on TV. Bought it for my Mum who missed some episodes and most of the last series. In my opinion, you have to see all 3 series (and every episode) to fully appreciate the storyline, characters and the fantastic last episode that then brings it all together. A very well recieved gift, that I will be borrowing to watch it all again.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Claire Bear
Format:DVD
I will start by recommending that anyone who buys this also buys Life on Mars as it will add extra layers of complexity and understanding to what is an already fantastic show.
Ashes to Ashes is a cop show fantasy with brilliant characters, one liners, and plots. The "we're in the 80s" theme is shoved down your throat somewhat in the first few episodes and season one takes a while to get going (which led to a few Life on Mars fans being disappointed with this new show).
The ending of the series is heartbreaking and explains everything. You know that the writers knew where it was going to end from the very beginning. It makes re-watching the series an interesting experience as the clues are everywhere.
Ashes to Ashes is a cop show fantasy with brilliant characters, one liners, and plots. The "we're in the 80s" theme is shoved down your throat somewhat in the first few episodes and season one takes a while to get going (which led to a few Life on Mars fans being disappointed with this new show).
The ending of the series is heartbreaking and explains everything. You know that the writers knew where it was going to end from the very beginning. It makes re-watching the series an interesting experience as the clues are everywhere.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By TV Addict
Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase
This show is the spin off to the Police Drama Life on Mars which saw DCI Sam Tyler be hit by a car and wake up in 1973. This time it's DI Alex Drake who gets shot and wakes up in 1981. The show's third series see Alex try to understand why she is here, who is DCI Gene Hunt and most importantly make it home to her daughter. The show is well written and even though it is a drama it still managed to throw in a good laugh. Needless to say this is a great show if you are looking for a good mystery to get stuck into. The last episode does answer all questions including those unanswered from Life on Mars. Each Series contains 8 episodes of 1 hour each. The box set itself is nice and small and fits neatly onto shelves. A Good Purchase. If you find you enjoy it, try LIfe On Mars and if you watched Life on Mars and are unsure of watching Ashes to Ashes, don't be. The show keeps up the standard of it's prequel and Alex Drake gives Gene Hunt a run for his money.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Not a telly watcher, but this was brilliant.
Like 'Life on Mars', I never saw 'Ashes to Ashes' when it was on BBC. I discovered the former on Netflix and fell in love with the show. Read more
Published 3 days ago by R.Over
5.0 out of 5 stars
could watch again and again
Recommend it to anyone who watched life on mars mars and not this,great sequel shame they made only three series.
Published 5 days ago by ian
5.0 out of 5 stars
great show. great lead female character.
I don't love life on Mars but this miniseries Ashes to Ashes works perfectly as a stand alone series. It's. Read more
Published 7 days ago by Ritschi
3.0 out of 5 stars
Cheap flimsy packaging
Really enjoying watching this series as missed it when originally on tv. Can't believe how cheap and flimsy the packaging is. Read more
Published 11 days ago by Black Dog
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fire up the Quattro
A lover of Life on Mars I was wary of this follow up series. I saw an episode on tv and was not that impressed. Long time after I decided to give the dvd set a try: Loved it. Read more
Published 26 days ago by Furry Ferret
5.0 out of 5 stars
Was it really like this?
Any sequel to Life on Mars would have faced a challenge, and this series met it in full. Many of the characters also used the opportunity to develop greater depth, adding to the... Read more
Published 26 days ago by A. Perry
5.0 out of 5 stars
Starry, Starry Night: A Must-See for "Life on Mars" Fans
Why this series is not more widely available remains a mystery. You'll need a Region-free DVD player to enjoy it. Read more
Published 1 month ago by FYI
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Soundtrack.
This is a fantastic soundtrack and well worth buying. For all those 80s fans, this is the music for you.
Published 1 month ago by Mr. R. Reid
5.0 out of 5 stars
Love it
Missed the series the first time round. Sound track is epic and had us competing to name the sonag and band. Loved the final episode which tied up all the loose ends.
Published 1 month ago by Kayak
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stunning sequel to Life on Mars
I have a couple reservations about Ashes to Ashes. Mostly about the fact that some explanations make sense for Life on Mars, some for Ashes to Ashes, but don't really make sense... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Coaxial Creature
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