Cop dramas once ruled the airwaves in much the same way that the medical and crime dramas do today. In 1975, ITV produced some of the most over the top violent and self-justified cops of any era.
The Sweeney introduced the phrase, ‘get your trousers on, you’re nicked’ and ’shut it!’ to the common parlance as the coppers drive down alleys and streets at harrowing speeds. Series lead John Thaw played DI Jack Regan, a hard talking, hard living copper who took no lip from no one. The program ran for four years and achieved two motion picture releases as well. Embedded in the group memory of TV viewers, The Sweeney has remained a vital part of BBC mythology.
Regan loves the ladies
The 2006 BAFTA Award-winning BBC TV series achieved the seeming impossibility of paying homage to programs such as The Sweeney (and, to an extent, The Professionals).
Life On Mars tells the story of DCI Sam Tyler who, after surviving a car accident, finds himself in the 1973 of his youth. The part of the lead is played by actor John Simm (recently seen debasing himself in the absurdly horrible finale of Doctor Who season three), the most promising actor to come out of the BBC in ages. Simm is challenged with a series that operates on a number of levels, demanding a wide and in-depth range of emotional work for him to go through. Luckily, he has a superb supporting cast to work with.
Surrounded by bent, drunken, vicious, inept and belligerent cops, Sam attempts to discover how or why this switch has happened. No longer in charge of his division, Sam has to work with DCI Gene Hunt who appears to be based lovingly on The Sweeney’s Regan. Hunt is played by the marvelous Philip Glenister (previously seen by me in the excellent Clocking Off which also featured Simm and former Doctor Who Chris Eccleston). Glenister plays the role of Hunt so well that in the short time the program was on the air, he became a TV legend.
Sam meets the Gene Genie
As the series progresses, Tyler attempts to ‘fix’ or even lead the department toward a more civilized police force, much to his own dismay. Each episode features a standard whodunnit crime in which Gene Hunt kicks in doors and kicks seven shades of fertilizer out of anyone he suspects as being involved. Sam is unrelenting in his belief that he cam make a difference and keeps at Gene, trying to do ‘real police work’ rather than just jumping to conclusions and beating confessions out of potentially innocent citizens.
The cop drama elements are so over the top and absurd, no doubt true to the boyhood memories of series creator Matthew Graham has of The Sweeney. To me, it’s a key element to enjoying the program, but there are plenty of other facets to Life on Mars to enjoy.
In addition to the crime-fighting aspect, there is a metaphysical struggle as Sam tries to deal with this potentially unreal world. He hears voices of his loved ones and doctors as his body lies in a coma in 2006, unable to communicate. Enraged, he experiences moments of disorientation as his body is subject to attempts to bring him out of his condition, often interrupting the course of an investigation.
‘It’s Sam Tyler! How are you today?’
Luckily, he is not saddled with just neanderthalic detective Gene Hunt and his merry band of good for nothing coppers for company. Sam trusts sympathetic WPC Annie Cartwright with his unbelievable time travel story and she listens to him. Not entirely believing him, Annie is an ear and shoulder for Sam in his unfriendly world. Their relationship is ofcourse of the will they/won’t they variety as Sam is 50% sure that none of this is real and he is really having a weird hallucination. Thanks to performances from the brilliant John Simm and Liz White, it’s possibly the best man/woman relationship I’ve seen on TV since Sapphire and Steel (go look that up, mate).
Since the series takes place in 1973, the music is absolutely amazing. Featuring tunes from Bowie to T Rex (an actor playing Marc Bolan makes an appearance early on) to Roxy Music, you’ll want to turn the volume wayyy up while watching this. Car chases not seen since the 70’s, foot races are backed by pounding glam and rock music every week, taking the viewer back to a time when McCartney was good.
Lasting only two years, Life on Mars is the most perfectly packaged TV series alongside such greats as The Prisoner and Blake’s 7 (you’re writing the shows you don’t know down, right sunshine?). The ending to the second and final season is jaw-dropping and poignant at the same time, something that modern TV viewers are not used to (remember the outcry over the ending of the Sopranos).
Surprisingly, a follow-up series featuring a female detective stick in the 80’s has been planned. Hunt and his crew are expected to appear ten years after Sam’s experiences, due to a plot contrivance involving Sam Tyler’s notes. For up-to-date details on the follow-up series, Ashes to Ashes, check actor Philip Glenister’s blog. I’m not entirely sold on this sequel business, but Glenister says that it’s good stuff.
We’ll have to wait and see. In the meantime, BBC America have recently started screening Life on Mars season two on cable. If you have access to the ‘On Demand’ feature, you should be able to catch previous episodes. Or you can do the old ‘multi-region DVD player’ scheme I’ve mentioned… or stop by and I’ll screen it for you.
Just promise to not go ‘all Dorothy’ in the emotionally moving bits… or I’ll have to thump ye.
