Life on Mars

Life on Mars
Episodes:	16
Year:	2006-2007
Country:	United Kingdom
Seasons:	2
Seasons Breakdown:	(1) 8, (2) 8
Category:	Time Travel
Colour:	Yes
Format:	Series
Company:	Kudos and BBC Wales
Creator:	Matthew Graham, Tony Jordan and Ashley Pharoah
Run Time (mins):	60
Language:	English
Type of Show:	Live Action
Status:	Ended
Broadcaster:	BBC

Summary

Detective Chief Inspector Sam Tyler (portrayed by John Simm) experiences a profound dislocation from his contemporary life after a critical incident in 2006. Moments after the abduction of his girlfriend and fellow officer Maya (Archie Panjabi) by a serial offender, Tyler is struck by a car and loses consciousness. Upon awakening, he finds himself inexplicably transported to 1973, occupying the role of a Detective Inspector within the Manchester and Salford Police.

In this earlier era, Tyler confronts a policing culture markedly different from the professional standards of the early twenty‑first century. His new superior, Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister), embodies a forceful, impulsive approach to law enforcement, frequently relying on instinct and physical authority. Tyler struggles to reconcile Hunt’s methods with his own procedural and ethical framework. Among his colleagues, the officer most sympathetic to his disorientation is WPC Annie Cartwright (Liz White), who becomes a stabilising presence during his adjustment to the unfamiliar environment.

While attempting to assist with a local murder investigation, Tyler identifies parallels between the 1973 case and the serial‑kidnapping investigation involving Maya in 2006. This connection leads him to speculate that resolving the historical crime may influence events in his own time, potentially offering a means of returning home and saving Maya. His efforts, however, are complicated by the stark contrast between modern investigative standards and the practices of the 1970s, culminating in a moral dilemma when he realises that altering or suppressing evidence in 1973 might affect Maya’s fate in 2006.

Tyler’s psychological state becomes increasingly unstable as he begins to hear disembodied voices resembling medical staff from 2006, prompting him to question whether he is experiencing a coma‑induced hallucination rather than a genuine temporal displacement. His crisis reaches a climax when he contemplates suicide from the roof of the police station, believing it may return him to his own time. Cartwright intervenes, persuading him to step back, leaving Tyler, at least temporarily, confined to a period that remains alien and unresolved.

Cast

DI Sam Tyler JOHN SIMM, DCI Gene Hunt PHILIP GLENISTER, WPC/WDC Annie Cartright LIZ WHITE, DS Ray Carling DEAN ANDREWS, DC Chris Skelton, Nelson TONY MARSHALL, WPC Phyllis Dobbs NOREEN KERSHAW.