Life on Mars

Name: Life on Mars
Genre: Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
Rating: 8.2
Cast: John Simm, Philip Glenister, Liz White, Dean Andrews, Marshall Lancaster

Is he mad, in a coma… or has Detective Sam Tyler really travelled back in time?

Life on Mars (2006-2007)

Seasons: 2, episodes: 16

Episode runtime: 60 min

Average rating: 8.2/10 44 582

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Everything about the series

Video 0

Photo 16

Actors and characters

Photo 16

Premiere

2006-01-09

Last episode

2007-04-10

Status

Ended

Country

United Kingdom

Network

BBC One

Production

BBC, Red Planet Pictures

Genre

Crime, Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi & Fantasy

Website

https://www.bbc.co.uk/lifeonmars/

Creators

Matthew Graham, Ashley Pharoah, Tony Jordan

Actors

John Simm, Philip Glenister, Liz White, Dean Andrews, Marshall Lancaster, Noreen Kershaw, Joanne Froggatt, Lee Ingleby, Ian Barritt, Reece Dinsdale
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Matthew Graham, Chris Chibnall

Producer

Marcus Wilson, Cameron Roach, Claire Parker, Jane Featherstone, Matthew Graham

Camera operator

Balazs Bolygo

Composer

Editing

Sarah Brewerton, John Gow, Colin Fair
Whole Team (64)

Short description

A detective chief inspector from 2006 is investigating a serial killer when he is knocked over by a speeding car. Waking up, he finds himself mysteriously transported back in time to 1973. Initially struggling to come to terms with his situation, he has to come to terms with the old-fashioned technology and attitude of the day, while figuring out how he came to be trapped in the past.

Seasons

Season	Episodes	Release date	Rating
Series 1 The first series of Life On Mars focuses on Sam's life following the crash and his arrival in 1973. Elements are thrown in to suggest he is mad, in a coma, or travelled back in time. Also during the first series run, Sam is informed that he is DI (Detective Inspector) to DCI Gene Hunt and the res…	8	2006-01-09	7.7
Series 2 Sam learns that an operation is to be conducted on him in 2006 to try and revive him from his coma. However, he believes that to return to the twenty-first century, he has to betray his colleagues in 1973 — but can he regard them as imaginary, or are they real - at least for him?	8	2007-02-13	8

What's left behind the scenes

The broadcast of the first season began in Germany in February 2007 on the Kabel 1 channel, airing two episodes back-to-back every Saturday. Immediately after the season ended, the channel's management announced that the second season would air that same autumn. The second season had already been translated and dubbed, but for unknown reasons, its release was repeatedly postponed. The series' ratings in Germany were not particularly high, but it still enjoyed a certain level of popularity. In mid-2008, fans sent a petition to the management of Kabel 1 demanding that the second season finally be shown. A sort of flash mob was even organized, in which fans bought Mars chocolate bars and sent them to the Kabel 1 channel. The broadcast of the second season began on June 27, 2009, nearly two and a half years later than the announced date.
Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharaoh came up with the idea for the series back in 1998 and intended to call it 'Ford Granada.' Initially, they planned to make a parody of the 1970s, but the script was later significantly revised. When it was pitched to the management of Channel 4, the script was rejected. It only went into production after someone at the BBC read the script and convinced Jane Tranter of the management to take notice of it.
The series owes its name to one of David Bowie's (1947-2016) most famous songs from the 1970s. In the spin-off 'Ashes to Ashes' (2008-2010), Gene Hunt's story continues. The spin-off is named after one of Bowie's most well-known songs from the 1980s.