Ashes to Ashes (2008– )

DCI Gene Hunt is back, but he's no longer the self-styled "Sheriff of Manchester." Flanked by his faithful sidekicks, Ray Carling and Chris Skelton, and drawn by the action and intrigue of ... See full summary »

Creators:

Matthew Graham, Ashley Pharoah

Stars:

Philip Glenister, Keeley Hawes, Dean Andrews

6 wins & 17 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Philip Glenister	...	Gene Hunt (24 episodes, 2008-2010)
Keeley Hawes	...	Alex Drake (24 episodes, 2008-2010)
Dean Andrews	...	Ray Carling (24 episodes, 2008-2010)
Marshall Lancaster	...	Chris Skelton (24 episodes, 2008-2010)
Montserrat Lombard	...	Shaz Granger (24 episodes, 2008-2010)
Joseph Long	...	Luigi (23 episodes, 2008-2010)
Geff Francis	...	Viv James (22 episodes, 2008-2010)
Grace Vance	...	Molly Drake (15 episodes, 2008-2010)

Storyline

DCI Gene Hunt is back, but he's no longer the self-styled "Sheriff of Manchester." Flanked by his faithful sidekicks, Ray Carling and Chris Skelton, and drawn by the action and intrigue of the London Met, Gene's turned his attentions to taking on the "southern nancy" criminal scum. However, Gene did not expect to be thrown together with a sexy, intelligent DI Alex Drake. Single mother to daughter Molly, Alex has rapidly risen through the ranks of the Met and, in the modern world of 2008, skillfully uses psychological profiling to capture suspects. When Alex and her daughter are kidnapped, she makes a daring attempt at escape, resulting in a horrific incident. Alex suddenly finds herself in 1981, interacting with familiar characters, not just from her own lifetime, but also from the detailed reports logged by none other than Sam Tyler, which Alex previously spent months poring over. Alex is ripped from her current world of sexual equality and respect in 2008, and finds herself opposite...

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Plot Keywords:

new romantic | 1980s | urban decay | british tv | east end | 

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Taglines:

The 80's are back and it's criminal.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

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Details

Official Sites:

BBC [uk]

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Also Known As:

Ashes to Ashes - Zurück in die 80er

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kudos Film and Television, Monastic Productions, British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min 60 min (24 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Stereo (seasons 1-2) Dolby Digital (season 3)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

16:9 HD

Did You Know?

Trivia

The series is full of David Bowie references:- "Ashes to Ashes" is one of his songs, and features a Pierrot clown in its video, and one episode also features a "Laughing Gnome" (which is the name of another Bowie song).

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Goofs

The Audi Quattro used by Gene Hunt was not available for sale in the UK in 1981. He would have had to order it from continental Europe, thus it would probably be left-hand drive. This is acknowledged to in the extras, which speculate that Hunt could have gotten the car as "a dodgy import."

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Connections

Featured in Breakfast: Episode dated 9 April 2010 (2010)

User Reviews

A worthy successor to "Life on Mars," with a lighter touch...

"Ashes to Ashes" is great entertainment. A lighter, more colourful series than its predecessor, "Ashes" captures perfectly the essence of the early '80s.

The first episode begins on a sombre note but it's only a matter of time 'til the fun kicks in. Philip Glenister's Gene Hunt makes a very welcome return, this time with a bright red Audi Quattro. Car fans will be in seventh heaven watching this series! Keeley Hawes (known to many as the voice of Lara Croft) is perfect in the role of DI Alex Drake. Aware of Sam Tyler's experiences, Drake is a more knowing character and the script is lighter and full of more comic potential. Despite this, it still retains the power to hit hard messages home and there's gritty realism in some scenes.

9 out of 10. This is what you pay the licence fee for.