Not bad for a posh bird

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 00:08:12 +1200

Keeley Hawes gave an excellent performance in the final of Ashes to Ashes last night—best I’ve ever seen her in anything. And the story—wow (spoiler alert).
   I know some fans are dismissing it as “not as good as Life on Mars” but I say the series was redeemed in that one episode, penned by co-creator Ashley Pharoah.
   Because Ashes finally gave a good mindf*** that makes you now wonder if it’s all inside Alex’s head as ‘constructs’—or is it now her memory?
   That finalé, where it was Gene, not Evan, who takes young Alex’s hand, was a total surprise to me. Her Dad turning into the evil Pierrot clown—amazing. It is better than Sam finding out that his Dad could have killed Annie. It also becomes very apparent why the première’s director, Jonny Campbell, was called back to do this episode.
   Geoffrey Palmer’s guest role as the real-life Lord Scarman, the comic turn of Alex in the tank, the two sides of Gene, the two ages of Alex in the police station—all these were brilliant elements in an episode that finally sees all eight outings of Ashes to Ashes come together. Talk about nicely tied together in a story arc.
   I can now say, ‘I told you so,’ when I said that Alex’s predicament is different from Sam Tyler’s and that Gene, Ray and Chris exist in another timeline—which brings back the validity of Soozanne’s theory penned this time last year.
   We were promised more of the ‘Gene Hunt mythology’ from Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah—and we got it. Fantastic! Best episode ever.
   The scene is now well set for the second series, which, after this, should do incredibly well.

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Ashes to Ashes première clues

nobody@vox.com(Jack Yan) — Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:59:42 +1300

There has been some more press about Ashes to Ashes and here’s how the première might be shaping up.

DI Alex Drake is shot in the head before going to 1981. She needed that like a hole in the head. She has a daughter who remains in the present day.
She has read Sam Tyler’s files so she has more awareness of what is going on than he did.
The action takes place in London, not Manchester, providing for a bit of north–south conflict.
In This Is Scotland: the sexist Gene Hunt and Alex Drake have a bit of romance (as many of us knew—Ian Wylie confirms it’s like Moonlighting, which was what the BBC said). The première episode sees Alex undercover as a prostitute to bust a drugs’ ring when she arrives in July 1981. Philip also does not say that Gene will be killed off, which is what the Murdoch Press has reported—just that he does not think that Gene should go beyond the 1980s, nor would he look good in a trilby.
Montserrat Lombard plays WPC Shaz Granger, who has a crush on Chris (Marshall Lancaster).
The makers know that the right-hand-drive Audi Quattro was not available in 1981.
Steve Strange cameos.
From The Daily Telegraph: the first day’s filming consists of Gene and Alex nicking a villain in 1981—but he’s also her nemesis in 2008. Sean Harris playes Arthur Layton. Presumably this is for the first episode.
A speedboat rescue scene comes at the end of the episode. This is filmed at the Royal Docks but it’s to double for the area around Tower Bridge, which will be CGIed in later.
A story arc (according to the Murdoch Press) is the Scarman Report, which was being compiled in 1981. Geoffrey Palmer (not the former New Zealand prime minister!) plays Lord Scarman.

I really need our UK correspondents to extend their reach into TV so they can get to these premières.

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Jack Yan on Vox

Not bad for a posh bird

Ashes to Ashes première clues