17 posts tagged “john simm”

Quite a lot of the f word in this following segment of bloopers from the 2006 series of Life on Mars, but some of these are very funny. The first, and the last three, are among my favourites. Liz White’s bloopers are rather adorable.

Ashes to Ashes’ final-episode viewing numbers were down, sadly, though the series average was still high enough for the BBC to commission a second series.
   They are logically down on Life on Mars because viewers didn’t expect there to be any surprises on Alex Drake’s predicament this time round. (Boy, did we get a big surprise.)
   I believe as word of the final filters out—that Alex Drake’s situation is different from Sam Tyler’s and raises the possibility that Gene Hunt and his team are real—the second series might do slightly better, especially its final.
   Reports are coming in that Ashes “only” scored 5·4 million viewers, still a healthy 23 per cent share, though it is down from the 7 million of the première.
   Compared with Life on Mars, this isn’t too bad given that people thought (and the producers allowed us to think) that there was less novelty to the premise.
   Some figures may help put this into perspective:

• Life on Mars’ first series average: 6·8 million
• Life on Mars’ first series final: 7·1 million

but:

• Life on Mars’ second series début: 5·7 million—despite heavy promotion and YouTube trailers
• Life on Mars’ second series, third episode: 4·8 million
• Ashes to Ashes’ first series début: 7 million
• Ashes to Ashes’ first series, second episode: 6·1 million
• Ashes to Ashes’ first series, fifth episode: 6·6 million

   While the final’s viewing numbers are poorer than episodes during the preceding seven weeks, the series has averaged well and now that there is an apparent twist, those who watched Life on Mars for a mindbender might just tune in to the second series of Ashes to Ashes. The BBC made the right call to renew.

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.

As predicted (though you hardly needed to be a psychic medium to do so), Ashes to Ashes will get a second series, The Daily Telegraph reported today. It might not get a third, even though the BBC has an option for it: star Philip Glenister was quoted as saying, ‘We’ll start shooting a second series sometime in August. They’ve got an option for up to a third series.
   ‘But you tend to get an instinct about when something should finish. And I certainly wouldn't want to drag it on and on.
   ‘The character’s too good for that. I care about the character too much.’
   I know I am reading too much into this but remember, during Life on Mars, Glenister was also the one who said that they didn’t people to begin thinking, ‘Do you remember when Life on Mars was good?’ That, and Simm’s family commitments, saw that series end after two seasons.
   Meanwhile, in the tabloids:

The last two episodes of Ashes to Ashes have got better—either that or we are getting into the new universe of Alex Drake, where she is neither mad, in a coma nor back in time (at least not exactly). Keeley Hawes’s performance as Drake is getting stronger and as she is the protagonist, the show needs this. The whole annoying smart-arsed posh-tart Bolly Knickers approach has been toned down.
   Being a show that has to be shown in order, this development was probably unavoidable. In the old days, with self-contained episodes without story arcs, a TV series could start off with a stronger episode as the “pilot” and a weaker one later on. The Professionals was a good example: the first filmed was not the first aired.
   It is true that Ashes is no Life on Mars: it’s still not of the same quality, and the scripts are shallower. One blogger wrote that it has turned into yet another period cop show. That is not that unfair: Alex Drake doesn’t hear life support machines from 2008 and with the many scenes that do not involve her, it is clear that she is not in the same predicament as Sam Tyler in Life on Mars. Social issues are not dealt with the same contrast as in the earlier show, because the writers don’t feel the 1980s are as different from our present time as the 1970s.
   The characters, too, are shallower, with the exception of Drake, who is getting additional layers, and to an extent, DS Ray Carling (played by Dean Andrews). Philip Glenister seems more a copper put there to react to Alex’s psychobabble—I think I said Gene Hunt Lite a few weeks ago. There are no more memorable Geneisms, at least not of the level of Life on Mars—are we meant to believe he has mellowed since the passing of Sam Tyler? (I only remember two lines in two weeks: ‘You know, you might talk with a plum in your gob, luv, but I would rather go with one of them than waste my money on some bitter, twisted, messed-up, clenched-arsed, toffee-nosed bitch like you.’ And it’s hardly of the ‘armed bastards’ standard. Slightly better is ‘Who’s your mother? Marianne Faithfull?’ when confronting a drug courier who claims he’s transporting garden gnomes for his mother.) Gene’s whiny after being punched by Alex. Marshall Lancaster’s DC Chris Skelton is now there for comic relief. Both characters are shadows of their former selves.
   The story arc surrounding Alex’s parents works well and I am finally getting excited about the final episode for this year, which probably does finish with a bang (viz. the supposed murder of her parents).
   There are still slip-ups on cars: the fourth episode has a mid-1980s Austin Maestro van. Why do these shows get the wrong year Austins in? And I’m pretty sure the Transit in the third episode is newer than 1981—possibly 1984 or 1985?
   Mid-season episodes not written by their creators can become more formulaic and routine—Life on Mars was affected by this, too, in its first year, covered by the novelty of the re-creation of the 1980s. Ashes to Ashes has done well with a couple of episodes which I think are better than co-creator Ashley Pharoah’s second one.
   So, does anyone have any theories about Alex and where she is? Has she really leapt into someone’s body in 1981, in time for returning to 2008 by the end of the 16th episode and being able to find evidence of Sam Tyler’s 1973–80 past, leaving us on a cliffhanger?

So, was anyone bored waiting for something good to happen on Ashes to Ashes on Thursday night?
   I don’t think I have memories of Life on Mars that are filtered-out versions, without all the dull moments on that show. It just held my attention better: the whole mystery element about where Sam was, the romance with him and Annie, the fond memories I had of 1970s cop shows. All these are missing in the 1981 context of Ashes.
   Here we have DCI Gene Hunt a pale shadow of his former self. He may have had a few memorable lines (referring to the consummation of the marriage of Lady Diana Spencer to HRH Prince Charles as the ‘twanging of the royal hymen’) but none that I wanted to learn. Where were the moments such as raising the fingers to children from an ice-cream van or politically incorrect racist or homophobic terms?
   I know he is meant to have mellowed out in a post-Sam Tyler world, and that makes some sense, but I’m just not as entertained.
   The only character that seems to have developed better is DC Chris Skelton, who gets more lines and more humour.
   We have more scenes now that do not take place when Alex is present, which is another clue that her experiences are different from those of Sam.
   Which brings me to Alex Drake. I liked her in episode 1, when she proved to be a capable modern-day copper, thrown initially into 1981 and understandably confused by her new world. In episode 2, she seems more relaxed by her surroundings, no surprise—but goes around like a smart-arsed know-it-all. It’s not a clever self-awareness as Danny had in The Last Action Hero. I didn’t have fun like I did there.
   The scenes with Alex’s mother were not great as I doubt I would be such a cow toward someone I hadn’t seen in 27 years.
   I know there are all these meanings about our creating our own reality in this show, and obviously Alex has a few childhood problems, but at least Sam never crossed swords with his parents—with the exception of the confrontation leading up to letting his Dad go in episode 8.
   I realize that Alex Drake is not the regeneration of Sam Tyler à la Doctor Who, but I am not warming to her.
   And I really, really didn’t want to join the negative reviewers in the pre-début phase, but it seems I must.
   I will keep watching as there is still nothing better, and self-parody is part of this postmodern world, but please give us stronger and more realistic characters.
   Summary: Gene Lite is just not as fun.

The opening title to Ashes to Ashes (BBC1, Thursday, 9 p.m.) has made it on to the internet and makes an interesting study.
   The comparisons to Life on Mars are obvious. Star Keeley Hawes narrates an introduction, as John Simm did with the original parent series. It’s taken from a line of dialogue that she delivered to herself in the mirror in the first episode—I think most of us saw that coming.
   Edmund Butt’s music is obviously a homage to his original theme for Life on Mars but with a more energetic electric guitar.
   The typeface chosen is interesting: the 1983-released Neue Helvetica. It’s not exactly what I would have chosen for the 1981 theme. However, this was also expected from the pilot’s opening, as well as the way the words Ashes to Ashes appear on screen, playing on a 1980s computer program.
   It’s clear that this is a related show even if you never saw the first episode and the designers have conveyed its feeling pretty well. Essentially, this is Life on Venus.

The Murdoch Press—The Times, anyway—is putting forth a contrary viewpoint to all the hype around Ashes to Ashes, by journalist Caitlan Moran.
   And I think she has a point.
   In summary, Moran feels that Ashes to Ashes has reached some level of self-parody. The star is now undeniably Gene Hunt, which, as I put forth in the comments, must be akin to the Fonz getting top billing in Happy Days after Richie left.
   Richie is Sam Tyler in this context.
   Moran, who has seen the première, or pilot, writes:

It’s not Phil Glenister’s fault – he continues to play Hunt with malicious, controlled glee. The problem is with the show itself. It has lost its innocence. It’s gone from being a little bit in love with Hunt – as any rational programme would be – to borderline stalking him. Every Hunt entrance is a “Hero Shot” – slow pans, moody lighting, orchestral upswell. Every scene is waiting for Hunt to enter, or animate, or conclude it. The show will give him anything he wants – machineguns, a speedboat, a ludicrous plot resolution.

   My remaining concern is whether we are as fond of the 1970s as we are of the 1980s. The cop show—what Americans call police procedurals now, in an effort to differentiate from English English*—probably reached a zenith in the 1970s in the UK, with shows such as The Sweeney (the sort-of inspiration for Life on Mars) and The Professionals (which was designed to compete with The Sweeney). In this context, The Sweeney is the Gospel of Matthew, and the last season of Special Branch with George Sewell was the Book of Malachi.
   But I am not sure if we are as fond of the next decade because we missed these dark, gritty shows. Dempsey and Makepeace and Cat’s Eyes are loved only by fans of the genre. Putting Gene Hunt into this world means the show must centre around him and the evolution of his character in a new decade, full of bright colours and later, pastel shades. Ashes to Ashes cannot be a homage to anything actually from the 1980s even if Moonlighting had been cited in an early press release—to all intents and purposes it can only be a homage to Life on Mars.
   Nevertheless, I am looking forward to the new show, because it presents an opportunity for fans to ask a new set of questions. Or at least I hope we can.
   As Life on Mars neared the end of its run in 2007, there were numerous speculations on what actually happened to Sam Tyler. Some argued that 1973 was Purgatory. Another theory was that Sam Tyler leapt into the body of a 1973 cop called Sam Williams while in a coma. He would wake up, someone else said, and find that Annie Cartwright was actually his nurse and they would fall in love and get married. And a lot more pointed out the Wizard of Oz references. 
   Scriptwriter Matthew Graham put that all to rest when he said, yes, Sam’s in a coma and he killed himself to get to his idea of Heaven, which features Gene Hunt, Ray and Chris, and, most importantly, Annie Cartwright. No other explanation is canon.
   Are we to accept that it’s so elegantly simple?
   Maybe yes, since this is just a TV show, but Graham and co-creator Ashley Pharoah say they want to explore the ‘mythology’ of Gene Hunt.
   The press kits are essentially saying that DI Alex Drake has imagined 1981 and the gang because she read Sam Tyler’s case file and developed an obsession over it.
   It just seems too simple, if it is written as cleverly as the original. I can’t imagine watching Ashes to Ashes and not having the same questions about: what is this time period? Who is Gene Hunt? And I would hope that Graham, Pharoah, Chris Chibnall and whomever else is writing would explore the “why” element of all of this than leave us without pondering what has happened to Alex Drake.
   If this is all—if Hunt is a psychological manifestation of a tumour or the bullet in Alex’s head—then we approach Ashes to Ashes backwards. Last time, seven million of us watched the finalé because we wanted answers. This time we approach the show knowing the answer first. And there goes one major element of why we watched the original.

* The Brits I hung out with for drinkies last night had never heard of the term police procedural.

How could I miss these?

• Life on Mars co-creators Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah have a talk in a pub with Gene Hunt and Luigi from Ashes to Ashes, in The Guardian. Or, ‘Bunch of snivelling pinkos and sandal-wearing poofs. We had an outdoor lav when I was a kid and my Dad wouldn’t even let us wipe our arses on it.’
• A complete Life on Mars short story specially written for Christmas by Matthew Graham. A very interesting part sees Annie tell Sam that she felt she was in the ward with him in 2007—again this seems to lend weight to Soozanne’s theory and that it was not as neatly sewn up as Matthew Graham had us think!

N.B.: Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes spoilers below.

Ian Wylie of the Manchester Evening News, one of the best Life on Mars–Ashes to Ashes bloggers, revealed more about the fate of Sam Tyler in a post last week, after seeing the first screening of the new series.
   In case the fans who have not finished Life on Mars can see this from peripheral vision, I have cut the first two paragraphs pretty brutally.

The last episode of Life On Mars featured Sam ….
   His leap also took him …
   In the first episode of Ashes To Ashes, Ray explains to Alex how Sam had spent a further seven years with the team.
   He tells her that Sam then died during a jewellery robbery the year before—1980.
   Sam’s car ended up in the river, but his body was never found.
   Which, of course, gives some hope to those fans who believe Sam may return one day.

   This is making me wonder a bit more about the finalé in 2007, even if Matthew Graham told us all that it was a straightforward case of Sam dying and returning to 1973, his idea of Heaven.
   One fan, Soozanne, posted a theory which still fits given the premise of Ashes to Ashes.