Life on Mars

[Barry Shnikov]

...is turning out to be pretty much the most intelligent series on the box at the moment.

[Jazz_Shoes (Ash)]

Whats that about?

[azande]

Whats that about?
:what: Life on Mars maybe? But in which sense.....

[Barry Shnikov]

Whats that about?
DCI (or something) from 2005 Manchester is searching for serial killer who appears to have nabbed DCI's girlfriend; he's so distraught he walks into the path of a speeding vehicle and when he wakes up he's in 1973 Manchester. He's not sure if he's really back in 1973 or whether he's in a coma and everything that's going on is just the wheels spinning in his mind.
It's clever and thought provoking.
Title is a result of the fact that David Bowie's song is on his car radio when he's hit by the other vehicle.
Anybody else like it?

[Minnie M]

I saw the first 5mins or so and got bored with it, thought the acting was a bit poor ..... so turned it off and updated my list instead :whistle:

Wish now, I gave it some more time ....

[stewart38]

Survived two whole episodes but then got bored im afraid :sad:

[TiggsTours]

I think its great! I'm really enjoying it.

I think I can see what Minnie M means about the acting, but I think you my have missed the point, my little mouse. The acting is, in fact, superb! All of the characters, except the main central one, appear to be acting badly, this is because they are acting in the style of a 1970s cop show, where the acting was apalling, and are doing it briliantly! Whereas, the main central character, who is the one who shouldn't be there, his acting style is totally different, in order to mark the contrast even more to highlight the fact he really shouldn't be there.

I think the bit with the girl from the TV picture is very spooky, and I can't wait to find out what the inevitable twist is going to be.

[Swinging bee]

...is turning out to be pretty much the most intelligent series on the box at the moment.

It's brilliant, takes me back to when I first joined the "Old Bill", aaahhhh the pure pleasure in telling some little scrote.. "Y're nicked, Asshole." Those were the days......:clap:

[Rhythm King]

Yup, I like it too and I agree with Tigg's comments about the acting. Apparently their biggest fear making it, was driving around like The Sweeney, but without damaging the car!

[Stuart M]

It's a slight shame, given tonight's episode's football slant, that it was set in 1973. Two years later and they could have had all sorts of fun with some crazy 'what-if' storyline about Manchester United getting relegated :whistle:

Think the show's great - it's my one 'must-see' on the box at the moment. A soundtrack CD would be great...

[TiggsTours]

It's a slight shame, given tonight's episode's football slant, that it was set in 1973. Two years later and they could have had all sorts of fun with some crazy 'what-if' storyline about Manchester United getting relegated :whistle:

Think the show's great - it's my one 'must-see' on the box at the moment. A soundtrack CD would be great...
Ooh yes! Soundtrack CD, that would be great! Maybe, if enough of us contacted the BBC, they'd do one.

[Stuart]

Did anybody notice the beer pumps in the pub in last night's episode? I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't have been able to buy Greene King in Manchester in the 1970's.

[TiggsTours]

Did anybody notice the beer pumps in the pub in last night's episode? I'm pretty sure that you wouldn't have been able to buy Greene King in Manchester in the 1970's.
A very quick google search would have told you that Greene King has been brewing beer and operating pubs since 1799, and that by the early 1960s the company owned over 900 pubs, so yes, I guess it would have been possible to by it in Manchester in the 1970s.

You will usually find, on this sort of programme, that the research that is done into historical accuracy is mind-blowing!

[Stuart]

A very quick google search would have told you that Greene King has been brewing beer and operating pubs since 1799, and that by the early 1960s the company owned over 900 pubs, so yes, I guess it would have been possible to by it in Manchester in the 1970s.

You will usually find, on this sort of programme, that the research that is done into historical accuracy is mind-blowing!

Speaking as a beer drinker though and one who spent his formative years in East Anglia, I know that you couldn't buy the stuff outside East Anglia until relatively recently.

[Barry Shnikov]

Speaking as a beer drinker though and one who spent his formative years in East Anglia, I know that you couldn't buy the stuff outside East Anglia until relatively recently.

I can tell you that it was available in Devon in 1976. Manchester in 1973 doesn't seem like such a long stretch.

[Stuart]

I stand corrected

[TiggsTours]

Speaking as a beer drinker though and one who spent his formative years in East Anglia, I know that you couldn't buy the stuff outside East Anglia until relatively recently.
So you honestly think they owned over 900 pubs in East Anglia in the 1960s? I doubt they own that many in one concentrated area of the country now!

[Barry Shnikov]

So you honestly think they owned over 900 pubs in East Anglia in the 1960s? I doubt they own that many in one concentrated area of the country now!

We drinks a lot in there fens, bor!

[Stuart M]

In preparation for the second series this year, I've been wandering round the internet looking at "Life on Mars" stuff. Was looking for when it's coming back, might be February). I was intrigued to find out that a spin-off called Ashes to Ashes (http://blogs.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/ianwylie/2006/10/hellois_that_1981.html) is in development. I also found a fan forum called The Railway Arms (http://www.domeofstars.com/forum/), which is full of spoilers so I'm not going to visit it again. Ever.

Well, maybe occasionally.

[Icey]

I didn't see this the first time around so will be sitting down tonight at 10.30pm to watch the repeats on BBC4 :grin:

[clevedonboy]

Back on 13th of feb - Lots of interesting marketing

Teaser for Life on Mars meets Camberwick Green (http://download.guardian.co.uk/sys-video/Media/video/2007/01/23/life_on_mars_animated_tease.wmv)

love the retro BBC logo

http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a4/thelocalman/lifeonmarspostersmall5rm.jpg

[Barry Shnikov]

love the retro BBC logo


Oh! Oh! and the fabulous pun!

[Trouble]

I didn't see this the first time around so will be sitting down tonight at 10.30pm to watch the repeats on BBC4 :grin:

Christ i wont be. i would rather chop off my arm and eat it. !!!

Im going Salsa tonight...much more fun :love:

[David Bailey]

Christ i wont be. i would rather chop off my arm and eat it. !!!
Blimey, I knew you were on a diet, but that's going a bit far :eek:

[Trouble]

Blimey, I knew you were on a diet, but that's going a bit far :eek:

Meat is not allowed in anyway shape or form on my diet.... so i suppose i coundnt do that either.... lets re-phrase it.. i would rather cut off my arm and chuck it at the telly :D

[Stuart M]

Meat is not allowed in anyway shape or form on my diet.... so i suppose i coundnt do that either.... lets re-phrase it.. i would rather cut off my arm and chuck it at the telly :D
That's what Sam will be doing in episode 2 apparently, when his frustration at not having a remote control in 1973 gets too much.

[David Bailey]

So what did people think?

I loved it, personally - great first episode, and indeed second episode for those of us with this newfangled digital telly thing.

It's getting a bit mystic with this "Hyde" stuff, but that's good - and as this is to be the last series I'm sure it'll get resolved somehow...

[clevedonboy]

So what did people think?

I loved it, personally - great first episode, and indeed second episode for those of us with this newfangled digital telly thing.

It's getting a bit mystic with this "Hyde" stuff, but that's good - and as this is to be the last series I'm sure it'll get resolved somehow...

refrain from spoilers please (no matter how trivial they may appear) :flower:

[David Bailey]

refrain from spoilers please (no matter how trivial they may appear) :flower:
:confused: - that was last week, episode 1... Should we never discuss it? What's the time limit?

[clevedonboy]

last series

for example

[Stuart M]

for example

You've been doing well to avoid that one so far!

Thought it was great last week - bit darker in tone than the first series.

[Barry Shnikov]

My new favourite series is 'Skins'.

The lives of these schoolkids is so completely alien from what I experienced. Scripts are brilliant and the storylines are scary and enlightening.

There's one member of the cast who isn't quite up to scratch but some of the others are brilliant actors.

Still enjoying Life on Mars; hope this is the last series because the conceit won't stand up for much longer.

Who's the mysterious caller, then...?

[Msfab]

Just got home from a long day at work. Just sat down to watch Life on Mars Id recorded earlier to instead find Match of the day:(

[Lou]

:confused: - that was last week, episode 1... Should we never discuss it? What's the time limit?
Some forums have functionality where you can put comments in a spoiler tag like this:

Gene Hunt is fab

and you have to highlight the text to read it. That would mean that those of us who want to discuss last night's telly could, but those who need to hang on a bit can avoid the good bits! :wink: How's about it, Franck?


Just got home from a long day at work. Just sat down to watch Life on Mars Id recorded earlier to instead find Match of the day:(
I know - I watched the first 2 episodes in a row, two weeks ago, didn't see any last week, and was really looking forward to another double last night. I looked at the telly pages on the way home to discover it had been replaced by a not particularly significant football match. Ho hum. :(

[Frankie_4711]

Just got home from a long day at work. Just sat down to watch Life on Mars Id recorded earlier to instead find Match of the day:(

Oooh! Wasn't that just so annoying! I was all ready to do my ironing for Storm while watching LOM and was really disappointed it wasn't on.:sad:

[Barry Shnikov]

Just got home from a long day at work. Just sat down to watch Life on Mars Id recorded earlier to instead find Match of the day:(

That's happened to me before.

Did you spend ages trying to work out what went wrong? Recorded the wrong channel, wrong time, etc...?

[Lynn]

I was all ready to do my ironing for Storm while watching LOM and was really disappointed it wasn't on.:sad:Me too! Though I ended up doing it later watching a really interesting local programme. (Which no-one else will have seen so no point in mentioning it). Did they announce at the end of last week that it wouldn't be on this week and I just missed it?

[Stuart M]

It was particularly annoying for folks like me who've been watching it a week ahead on BBC4. They've stopped doing that now, so I still have almost a fortnight before seeing the next ep for me (i.e. ep 4).

:mad:

[David Bailey]

It was particularly annoying for folks like me who've been watching it a week ahead on BBC4. They've stopped doing that now, so I still have almost a fortnight before seeing the next ep for me (i.e. ep 4).

:mad:
:yeah: - I tuned in happily at 10pm, only to see the first episode repeated :tears:

[Rhythm King]

Deeply annoyed at missing LOM, but watched The OC instead. Think Skins is very entertaining, but slightly scary.

[David Bailey]

What the bl00dy hell is going on with this scheduling, huh?

I tune in to see it, as normal, on Tuesday - all fine, Episode 4, got my fix :clap:

Then I turn to BBC4 hoping to see "next week's" episode, and they've decided to repeat episode 3 :mad:

What's that all about? Is BBC4 the "repeats" channel now? Why can't the Beeb sort out their scheduling and stop interrupting their programming for any random sports event that turns up.

Grrr...

[Barry Shnikov]

What the bl00dy hell is going on with this scheduling, huh?


More importantly, how come Liz White was the only woman at the swingers party who didn't have to get her kit off?:tears:

[David Bailey]

More importantly, how come Liz White was the only woman at the swingers party who didn't have to get her kit off?:tears:
Yeah, it's a ripoff, so to speak.

Oh, and how come all the wives looked so good (tanned, toned) with their kit off? Are swingers parties all like that? I don't think so, I've seen probing documentaries on satellite telly you know :D

[Freya]

Just Watched the First two episodes of LOM! The Second Series! I Missed the first Series and I'm gutted! Really enjoying this but feeling slightly lost at some bits! :sick:

[Frankie_4711]

Just Watched the First two episodes of LOM! The Second Series! I Missed the first Series and I'm gutted! Really enjoying this but feeling slightly lost at some bits! :sick:

DVD box set is out so you can catch up!

[Barry Shnikov]

Yeah, it's a ripoff, so to speak.

Oh, and how come all the wives looked so good (tanned, toned) with their kit off? Are swingers parties all like that? I don't think so, I've seen probing documentaries on satellite telly you know :D

...tee hee, he said 'probing' - ahh-umm!

[Rhythm King]

I'm going away on Monday for several weeks. Could some kind soul tape the remaining episodes for me - pretty please! :flower: :worthy:

[Barry Shnikov]

I meant to say before:

I taped Primeval last week.

Good grief, what rubbish it is.

They appear to have chosen the six dumbest people in the British Isles to protect the world from the vicious jurassic predators that come to our world through (dun dun de-e-errrr) anomalies.

Among last weeks dumbness: not having the intelligence to close the curtains so that the flock of mini pterodactyls couldn't see your temporarily blinded workmate whose blood they had scented; and my particular favourite, when being pursued on a golf course by a carnivorous flying dinosaur with a thirty foot wingspan, do not nip quickly left or right, where there is a satisfactory collection of trees which will inhibit its flying more than somewhat, but instead RUN DOWN THE FAIRWAY, giving the animal maximum amount of time to triangulate on its target and you no chance whatsoever of escape.

If this and Torchwood are the best we can do in terms of modern thriller-type entertainment, then I'm even more grateful for Life on Mars. With things like Supernatural, Ghost whisperer, Invasion, and the mighty Buffy rolling off the US TV production lines, our money seems to be better spent importing than giving the job to the writers and directors still left over here.

[Barry Shnikov]

Oh, and another moan.

I won't be watching Mansfield Park, for the following reason.

In Jane Austen's time, the only occasion on which a gentleman might find himself face to face with a woman whose hair was blond but her eyebrows black is if he frequented music halls or brothels. If the Piper woman wants to be taken seriously, she should bleach the eyebrows as well or let the hair grow out.

ARghghghh!

[Barry Shnikov]

The Camberwick Green pastiche at the beginning of today's episode was a stonker! Absolutely brilliant.

I'll miss it when it finishes.

NB See Thursday, 9pm. BBC1 - Hotel Babylon; ITV - The yellow house, a drama about van Gogh and Gauguin in Arles; Channel 4: House, superlative drama with Hugh Laurie. So which of those am I going to watch? Actually, none, I'll be dancing, so which will I tape? And which 2 will I miss?

Yet look at Monday 9pm or Friday 9pm and there's nothing of much interest. Why do they do that?

I'll probably tape The Yellow House, 'cos House is on every week and Hotel Babylon - well, it's for Heat readers really, isn't it?

BTW John Simm from Life on Mars plays van Gogh.

[Paulthetrainer]

Oh, and another moan.

I won't be watching Mansfield Park, for the following reason.

In Jane Austen's time, the only occasion on which a gentleman might find himself face to face with a woman whose hair was blond but her eyebrows black is if he frequented music halls or brothels. If the Piper woman wants to be taken seriously, she should bleach the eyebrows as well or let the hair grow out.

ARghghghh!

I think you know WAY too much about history Barry!

Does it make you feel physically sick if you discover a historical inaccuracy a few days AFTER you thoroughly enjoyed a film or TV show?:D

[Barry Shnikov]

I think you know WAY too much about history Barry!

Does it make you feel physically sick if you discover a historical inaccuracy a few days AFTER you thoroughly enjoyed a film or TV show?:D

Why do you think I'm locked in a dark room with a wet towel on my head?

Anyway, it doesn't take much historical expertise to know that ladies of that era did not dye their hair - it would have caused a scandal.

[Lynn]

Among last weeks dumbness: not having the intelligence to close the curtains so that the flock of mini pterodactyls couldn't see your temporarily blinded workmate whose blood they had scented; and my particular favourite, when being pursued on a golf course by a carnivorous flying dinosaur with a thirty foot wingspan, do not nip quickly left or right, where there is a satisfactory collection of trees which will inhibit its flying more than somewhat, but instead RUN DOWN THE FAIRWAY, giving the animal maximum amount of time to triangulate on its target and you no chance whatsoever of escape.
I know you like paying attention to detail Barry so... it wasn't a large dinosaur chasing the man down the fairway, it was the flock of smaller dinosaurs - that was the whole point, they originally thought it was the large one that had got him, but it turned out to be the hunting flock. Which would have had no problem with a few trees.

(I only watch it for the cute guy.)

[Mezzosoprano]

Oh, and another moan.

I won't be watching Mansfield Park, for the following reason.

In Jane Austen's time, the only occasion on which a gentleman might find himself face to face with a woman whose hair was blond but her eyebrows black is if he frequented music halls or brothels. If the Piper woman wants to be taken seriously, she should bleach the eyebrows as well or let the hair grow out.

ARghghghh!

:yeah: Not enough time in 1 to 2 hours to do the book justice either...

[Barry Shnikov]

:yeah: Not enough time in 1 to 2 hours to do the book justice either...

How true.

[Barry Shnikov]

I know you like paying attention to detail Barry so... it wasn't a large dinosaur chasing the man down the fairway, it was the flock of smaller dinosaurs - that was the whole point, they originally thought it was the large one that had got him, but it turned out to be the hunting flock. Which would have had no problem with a few trees.

(I only watch it for the cute guy.)

I think you are wrong. I'll explain why. They realised it was a flock of tichy dinos, and therefore not the big fella, that were killing people. (One of the 'scientists' did a Gillian McKeith and tasted its poo and was able to definitively state (arf arf) that it had only been eating animals, not people.) Then they started talking about the incident where the guy was running down the golf fairway, and they said that 'it' must have been after the animal, and not the guy (he has this extremely unconvincing little-puppy-cute CGI dinosaur, doesn't he?)

So he wasn't running from the flock, but from the giant.

[Lynn]

I think you are wrong. I'll explain why. They realised it was a flock of tichy dinos, and therefore not the big fella, that were killing people. (One of the 'scientists' did a Gillian McKeith and tasted its poo and was able to definitively state (arf arf) that it had only been eating animals, not people.) Then they started talking about the incident where the guy was running down the golf fairway, and they said that 'it' must have been after the animal, and not the guy (he has this extremely unconvincing little-puppy-cute CGI dinosaur, doesn't he?)

So he wasn't running from the flock, but from the giant.Thought you were referring to the opening scenes where a golfer was running down the fairway from something flying which then killed him and at least partially ate him. We were supposed to think it was the big dinosaur.

The other incident you described was with a regular character who wasn't killed.

So two 'running down the fairway' scenes.

[Freya]

Just watched the 5th episode of "Life on Mars"

Loved the opening sequence with the little plasticine models! :grin: Very Clever!

[Barry Shnikov]

Just watched the 5th episode of "Life on Mars"

Loved the opening sequence with the little plasticine models! :grin: Very Clever!

I see you are too young to remember Camberwick Green. That was the children's program from the 70s that featured a carousel music box up from which this week's main character would come, and the narrator would talk to him/her while they would 'mime' the answers - wave hand for 'hullo', head in hands for 'oh no!', and so forth.

You may have seen some Windy Miller adverts recently - for Quaker Oats? -- that was from Camberwick Green.

And then there's the fire brigade - Hugh Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub.



...or was that Trumpton?

Anyway, not a chainsaw in sight.

[Freya]

I see you are too young to remember Camberwick Green. That was the children's program from the 70s that featured a carousel music box up from which this week's main character would come, and the narrator would talk to him/her while they would 'mime' the answers - wave hand for 'hullo', head in hands for 'oh no!', and so forth.

You may have seen some Windy Miller adverts recently - for Quaker Oats? -- that was from Camberwick Green.

And then there's the fire brigade - Hugh Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub.



...or was that Trumpton?

Anyway, not a chainsaw in sight.
I don't remember Camberwick green but I do remember Trumpton! They repeated that when I was a child! :whistle:

[clevedonboy]

I see you are too young to remember Camberwick Green.

You may have seen some Windy Miller adverts recently - for Quaker Oats? -- that was from Camberwick Green.

And then there's the fire brigade - Hugh Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub.



...or was that Trumpton?




Indeed it was Trumpton

Camberwick Green had the Army

Chigley had a train :whistle:

Loved the line in this week's Life On Mars "I'll to you this once Gene, stay out of Camberwick Green" :rofl:

[Dreadful Scathe]

I see you are too young to remember Camberwick Green. That was the children's program from the 70s that featured a carousel music box up from which this week's main character would come, and the narrator would talk to him/her while they would 'mime' the answers - wave hand for 'hullo', head in hands for 'oh no!', and so forth.

You may have seen some Windy Miller adverts recently - for Quaker Oats? -- that was from Camberwick Green.

And then there's the fire brigade - Hugh Pugh, Barney McGrew, Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub.



...or was that Trumpton?

Anyway, not a chainsaw in sight.
I've got the DVD collection for my daughter. Classic :)

sigh. Another few years and we'll be talking about LP's and tapes to cries of "what?". A tape? That you had to rewind to use! eh? nah?

Theres probably people on here who cannot begin to imagine outside toilets :)

[Stuart M]

If this and Torchwood are the best we can do in terms of modern thriller-type entertainment, then I'm even more grateful for Life on Mars. With things like Supernatural, Ghost whisperer, Invasion, and the mighty Buffy rolling off the US TV production lines, our money seems to be better spent importing than giving the job to the writers and directors still left over here.
Without wishing to point out the obvious, Primeval and Torchwood are not the best we can do. But if they get viewing figures and make money, then it's to be hoped they lead to the making of other, better, shows. And perhaps improve themselves once they've bedded in. To have a successful TV industry, it has to be able to make money out of average stuff. Not every show has to (or indeed can) be BAFTA material.

It's worth pointing out that Primeval, Torchwood, an LoM wouldn't have seen the light of day without the success of Doctor Who (OK, not entirely true with LoM - it was greenlit before the revived DW hit the screen, but it was greenlit by the same person so there is a connection). I'd say a 33% hit rate in material from the same genre is not bad, and you never know, Primeval or TW might improve in their second series.

I prefer a second rate show made here to a second rate US import like, say, Ghost Whisperer (IMO nowhere near as good as similar UK stuff like Sea of Souls or Afterlife). Over the past few years there's been a creeping "it's been a hit in the US so it must be good" thing, fuelled mainly by Channel 4 hyping of the Sopranos and Simpsons, it must be said.

Anyway, back on topic I thought Tuesday's LoM was great: reminiscent of the Prisoner episode "A,B or C" in some ways, but lots of good stuff. The Camberwick Green thing was brilliant - but imagine what they could have done with Mr Ben, or Bagpuss...

[DavidY]

Mr BenWas it Mr Ben or Mr Benn?

Anyhow I did notice that in Tuesday's LoM episode, they did include a variation on Mr Ben(n)'s famous "As if by magic, the shopkeeper appeared" catchphrase.

[Barry Shnikov]

Watching Northanger Abbey last night (featuring Andrew Davies' trademark - Jane Austen bedroom scenes that would probably have led to JA viciously satirising him in her next novel, if she were still around) when I nearly dropped the iron.

(I was ironing.)

There's Miss Moreland, staying at the Abbey, getting up in the morning when up comes the maid and brings her a cup of tea in bed!!

I know that the middle class is gradually taking over the fine arts, but please! I half expected her to take out an electric toothbrush.

Then later, she has to take a stagecoach and it is full, not of middle class people who could not afford to keep their own carriage nor to hire one, but of working class people with stubble and rotten teeth who could have no more easily paid to travel by stagecoach than they could have invented the internal combustion engine and done the trip by air. Sheesh.

When 'common' people like that did travel on stage coach, they sat outside because a) it was cheaper and b) the stagecoach companies applied a very strict class segregation system.

[Paulthetrainer]

Watching Northanger Abbey last night (featuring Andrew Davies' trademark - Jane Austen bedroom scenes that would probably have led to JA viciously satirising him in her next novel, if she were still around) when I nearly dropped the iron.

Nearly dropped the iron? Barry, if you'd had a heart attack and died at witnessing yet another historical inaccuracy, your nearest and dearest would've been fully justified in pursuing the programme makers for manslaughter! :wink: :D

Just to bring this thread back almost to the subject of Life on Mars, what do people think that Gene Hunt would make of the Bob Woolmer case??

[Barry Shnikov]

Nearly dropped the iron? Barry, if you'd had a heart attack and died at witnessing yet another historical inaccuracy, your nearest and dearest would've been fully justified in pursuing the programme makers for manslaughter! :wink: :D

Just to bring this thread back almost to the subject of Life on Mars, what do people think that Gene Hunt would make of the Bob Woolmer case??

If somebody wasn't looking after the historical accuracy we'd be having television series in which cops of the 1970s are - completely against type - expressing the objectives and sensibilities of the lets-get-in-touch-with-our-feminine-side 1990s, instead of being all Sweeney-Professionals torture the toerags to make them cough...


...oh, wait a minute...

[clevedonboy]

great episode tonight with some of the best one liners to date. Possibly the best line in the whole two series (we were in fits anyway)

"She's as nervous as a short nun at a penguin shoot"

[Stuart M]

great episode tonight with some of the best one liners to date.
I thought there were just a bit too many one-liners, to be honest. Every second sentence from Gene seemed to be "she/he's as ...... in a ......" (though it was one of the last ones - "he's got fingers in more pies than a leper in a bakery" - which got me to LOL :D )

Probably down to the fact that it was written by Guy Jenkins, of Drop the Dead Donkey fame. Anyway, at least the identity of Mystery Man from last week's flashbacks (flashforwards?) was revealed - DCI Frank Morgan (that's an interesting name (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frank_Morgan)).

[David Bailey]

Gene's great - I like the sound of the actor too, especially after this rant:
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Mars actor attacks TV's 'fools' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6498495.stm)

[Barry Shnikov]

I thought there were just a bit too many one-liners, to be honest. Every second sentence from Gene seemed to be "she/he's as ...... in a ......".

Not for the first time, in last night's episode I though the contrivance of some of the one liners was a bit laboured. Gene doesn't strike us as the sort of person with the wit to make up such comparisons on the spot, so I would expect them to be more commonplace, the sort of remarks which might have been made in 1973 rather than, to paraphrase Sam Johnson, "the most heterogeneous ideas...yoked by violence together".

A small prize to anyone who without googling or similar is able to say what the phrase originally described. You are on your honour.

[Mezzosoprano]

I just saw Life on Mars for the first time last night... is it supposed to be a comedy? I was falling about laughing at the 1970'sesque equality and diversity stuff (lack thereof) and the references to 70's popculture were fab!!! I was right back to sneaking into the living room (when I was far too young - I used to peek round the door whilst Dad was watching) to watch the sweeney and the professionals... the language and terminology was spot on...

[Frankie_4711]

Gene's great - I like the sound of the actor too, especially after this rant:
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Mars actor attacks TV's 'fools' (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/6498495.stm)


(mentioned in article ... )
US remake??? Why do they have to ruin brilliant TV by doing US remakes? Why not just show them the original?:confused: :angry: Are they so stupid over there that they can't cope with ... well, I don't know what!

[Barry Shnikov]

(mentioned in article ... )
US remake??? Why do they have to ruin brilliant TV by doing US remakes? Why not just show them the original?:confused: :angry: Are they so stupid over there that they can't cope with ... well, I don't know what!


They'll probably both happen. Americans (some, anyway) can e.g. see the UK and US versions of The office, if they so desire.

[Paulthetrainer]

(mentioned in article ... )
US remake??? Why do they have to ruin brilliant TV by doing US remakes? Why not just show them the original?:confused: :angry: Are they so stupid over there that they can't cope with ... well, I don't know what!


One of the shows strongest points (for me) is that you feel like you're in 1973 Britain (albeit a slightly stereotyped version), with many viewers relying on their memories (of varying clarity) of that time to reinforce this. I'm not sure that the average American would have much knowledge of 1973 Britain, so the show as it is, could lose some effect.

We, on the other hand, with the benefit of much greater exposure to US culture 1973 style, will hopefully get to appreciate the whole thing all over again. :clap::clap::clap:

[Lynn]

Watching Northanger Abbey last night (featuring Andrew Davies' trademark - Jane Austen bedroom scenes that would probably have led to JA viciously satirising him in her next novel, if she were still around) when I nearly dropped the iron.I guess there are different ways of viewing a dramatisation of a book.

Get annoyed by historical or set inaccuracy.

or

See new perspectives on the book through the way the story is presented.

It has been a while since I've read Northanger Abbey (must revisit it) but I found the 'dream scenes' very helpful in communicating how reading so much romantic fiction led the 'heroine' (certainly she saw herself as such) to having an overactive imagination. It gave me a fresh insight into the novel.

And that to me was of more value and impact than any irritations there may have been about a few inaccurate or misrepresented details.

[David Bailey]

We, on the other hand, with the benefit of much greater exposure to US culture 1973 style, will hopefully get to appreciate the whole thing all over again. :clap::clap::clap:
Ah, yes - Starsky and Hutch, here we come! :clap:

[Lou]

Ah, yes - Starsky and Hutch, here we come! :clap:
[Gene Hunt]Who?[/Gene Hunt]

[Stuart M]

Just a note for those trying to remain spoiler-free, which is becoming very difficult - avoid today's Daily Mirror, and Heat magazine. Apparently.

Personally I have no difficulty in avoiding either publication, and I'm sure they're not on many forumites' reading list, but just in case you pick one up in your office by accident.

[Paulthetrainer]

Dunno if anyone else saw the last episode but I thought it was a fabulous ending to one of the best things I've ever seen on TV.

Just been on an MSN Life on Mars message board with all these people saying how they didn't understand the ending - "so was he really this?", "so was he really that?". The whole point for me though is its like any other kind of art form - it is exactly what you want it to be, so in the case of Life on Mars and its ending, people have to just believe whichever possible conclusion sits best with them.

Anyone else got any thoughts on the last episode?

[sidney]

I loved the last episode last night, and for me it made sense in the last five mins when he jumped off the roof and ended back to 1973, he had made up his mind where he belonged where just before that, when he had come out of the coma and it to me it would have been unfinish ending and a let down to me if he had ended back in the present and just had been a dream, but I think there could another series now because the partnership between Sam and Gene is magic, and it has been a long time since a comedy has given me so many laughs, and I am very hard to please:rofl:

[Stuart M]

but I think there could another series now because the partnership between Sam and Gene is magic, and it has been a long time since a comedy has given me so many laughs, and I am very hard to please:rofl:
Comedy? Psychodrama, surely.

And there won't be any more series involving John Simm (Sam Tyler) as he found the filming schedule too demanding. If you watch the series again, you'll come to realise John is in almost every shot, which is a lot of filming (albeit dramatically necessary for this particular show). And since JS has just had a second kid, he decided not to be involved in a third series.

There is a "spinoff" coming next year, set in 1981, and called Ashes to Ashes. With Gene Hunt and a female character. Which will probably be pants. Actually, I'm only saying that last bit because the setup for Ashes to Ashes ruins my theory for how the finale of LoM worked.

Still, good stuff, and if John Simm doesn't get a BAFTA, then whoever votes for the BAFTAs should be locked up after a good kicking down at the station.

[straycat]

There is a "spinoff" coming next year, set in 1981, and called Ashes to Ashes. With Gene Hunt and a female character. Which will probably be pants. Actually, I'm only saying that last bit because the setup for Ashes to Ashes ruins my theory for how the finale of LoM worked.

Well - we've been recording Ashes to Ashes since it started, and finally had time to watch the first one this weekend...

And it wasn't pants. If only it had merely been pants. It was just a diabolically awful mess :cry:
What happened? Did they sack every single person who'd had any artistic input into Life on Mars, and replace them with a bunch of autistic monkeys? Seriously disappointed :sad:

Anyone else been watching this? Does it improve after the first episode? Or should we just not bother with any more?

[Stuart M]

Anyone else been watching this? Does it improve after the first episode? Or should we just not bother with any more?
I thought episode 2 was an improvement, but 3 was a dip again.

I'm struggling to work out whether the stylistic superficialities are a knowing wink to the 80s in general, or just, erm, stylistic superficialities :rolleyes:. Some of them are just TOO obvious to be incompetence - Drake's off-the-shoulder outfit with the bra strap showing, for instance: surely a DI would never have got away with that? And the whole atmosphere of the show doesn't fit with 1981, but more a generic "1980s" cliche. Also finding the mindset of Alex Drake odd - she has a daughter in 2008, in mortal peril, yet she's spending her time in her construct getting pissed and shagging strangers she meets in bars. She has a far stronger pull to her real world than Sam Tyler had, yet seems less motivated by it.

Overall, I'll keep watching because a lot of the music's great :cool:. However I can't engage with the story in the same way somehow. It was easy to empathise with Life on Mars, because the central character was the same age/gender as me, and the whole 70's thing created a warm fuzzy vibe of more innocent times in my head. With A2A, the central character's female and in a time zone where I was just about to hit puberty :eek: - not much for me to empathise with there really!

[Lou]

I'm struggling to work out whether the stylistic superficialities are a knowing wink to the 80s in general, or just, erm, stylistic superficialities :rolleyes:. Some of them are just TOO obvious to be incompetence - Drake's off-the-shoulder outfit with the bra strap showing, for instance: surely a DI would never have got away with that? And the whole atmosphere of the show doesn't fit with 1981, but more a generic "1980s" cliche. Also finding the mindset of Alex Drake odd - she has a daughter in 2008, in mortal peril, yet she's spending her time in her construct getting pissed and shagging strangers she meets in bars. She has a far stronger pull to her real world than Sam Tyler had, yet seems less motivated by it.
My theory is that, having read Sam Tyler's files, she's believes that everything she's experiencing is just in her head. That's why she's calling everyone "constructs". Also, she believes that the time she's spending in her 80s fantasy doesn't directly correspond with real time - in the intro she says something like she's "a second away from life or death". That means she thinks she's got all the time in the world to figure out how to get out of it - so why not enjoy it by drinking and shagging?

But that's just my theory. The writers might be intending something else. Who knows...

[straycat]

Also, she believes that the time she's spending in her 80s fantasy doesn't directly correspond with real time
She does, doesn't she? It would seem that she didn't pay a whole lot of attention to Sam's files though... because 'present day' time was very obviously passing for Sam - and at a similar rate to 1970s time.

[Juju]

Well - we've been recording Ashes to Ashes since it started, and finally had time to watch the first one this weekend...

And it wasn't pants. If only it had merely been pants. It was just a diabolically awful mess :cry:
What happened? Did they sack every single person who'd had any artistic input into Life on Mars, and replace them with a bunch of autistic monkeys? Seriously disappointed :sad:

Anyone else been watching this? Does it improve after the first episode? Or should we just not bother with any more?

Sorry, but I like it lots! It's different from "Life on Mars": it's sillier, shallower, whatever. But it's still fun. And the soundtrack is cracking.

Happy to admit that I might be biased, due to having a bit of a 'thing' for the Gene Genie. :grin:

[straycat]

And the soundtrack is cracking.

Well - we agree on one thing, anyway. The soundtrack is indeed great :D

[Juju]

To be fair, I didn't expect it to be as good... low expectations, that's what you need.

[jeanie]

I haven't had a chance to watch A-A yet but am too scared incase I'm disappointed. Loved L o M so much... Always trust the Gene Genie...

[Lou]

She does, doesn't she? It would seem that she didn't pay a whole lot of attention to Sam's files though... because 'present day' time was very obviously passing for Sam - and at a similar rate to 1970s time.

Agreed - except that she got the idea when she heard that Sam had come back to the 70s and had lived for a further 7 years, presumably during the seconds between him hitting the ground & finally dying.

Although, as she was told this by Ray during her own fantasy, it probably doesn't prove anything. :wink:

[straycat]

To be fair, I didn't expect it to be as good... low expectations, that's what you need.

I'm happy to lower my expectations... just not my standards.