Stars: Keeley Hawes, Dean Andrews, Marshall Lancaster, Joseph Long, Philip Glenister, Montserrat Lombard

Director: Catherine Morshead

Summary: DCI Hunt has left relative the comfort of the Greater Manchester Police to take on the 'southern nancys' of London, where he once again acquires a time-travelling sidekick, this time in the sexy and smart DI Alex Drake. Her psychology background and indepth knowledge of the Sam Tyler case lead her to dismiss her predicament as a vivid hallucination. Nevertheless, with crime rife on the streets of 1980's London, and a police team not very receptive to modern career women, Alex has a lot to prove before she can figure out how to get home.

ASHES TO ASHES follows on from the hugely successful BBC series LIFE ON MARS, and sees the return of the self styled 'Sheriff of Manchester' DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister). Whereas LIFE ON MARS was a throwback to the crime-fighting style of the 1970's with a style and wit reminiscent of THE SWEENEY and THE PROFESSIONALS, ASHES TO ASHES takes you back to 'the decade that taste forgot', the 1980's. The series revels in 80s nostalgia, providing plenty of sight jokes and of course, a brand new car for Hunt.
DCI Hunt has left the relative comfort of the Greater Manchester Police to take on the 'southern nancys' of London, where he once again acquires a time-travelling sidekick, this time in the sexy and smart DI Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes). Alex's journey began back in 2008 when she was shot during a botched kidnapping of her daughter Molly. Her psychology background and indepth knowledge of the Sam Tyler case lead her to dismiss her predicament as a vivid hallucination. Nevertheless, with crime rife on the streets of 1980's London, and a police team that's not very receptive to modern career women, Alex has a lot to prove before she can figure out how to get home.

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A triumphant return for DCI Gene Hunt, Ashes To Ashes takes some of the characters from the superb time-shifting police drama Life On Mars, and moves the action to the early 1980s. So it’s out with the Cortina, in with the Audi Quattro, and straight down to some terrific television.

Joining DCI Hunt -- again played with terrific force and stature by Philip Glenister -- is Keeley Hawes, as DCI Alex Drake. Like John Simm’s character in Life On Mars, DCI Drake suddenly finds herself in 1981, with no clear reason why.

This provides the platform for another terrific show, the first series of which is fully present and correct here. Ashes To Ashes is tonally a little different from Life On Mars, but maintains the wonderful attention to period detail (and a healthy 80s soundtrack to match), and the willingness to mix in some fun alongside the serious business of police work.

Ashes To Ashes is some achievement. It grounds out an identify for itself, stepping out of the shadow of Mars. And the rapport between Hawes and Glenister is a real highlight. But there’s so much to enjoy here, backed up by the promise of another series in the offing. For now, though, there’s plenty to get your teeth into here, thanks to a quality, very British drama that’s simply compelling television. --Jon Foster

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	'Life After Mars' - Behind the scenes of Ashes to Ashes, Car Explosion - featurette, Set Tour - featurette,
Year:	2008
Release Date:	May 5, 2008
Runtime:	480 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	K L T 62056
Keywords:	Ashes, English, General, Drama
Genre:	Drama