Episode 1 (Ashes to Ashes)

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“Episode 1”
Ashes to Ashes episode

DI Alex Drake wakes up in 1981 after being shot in 2008.
Episode no. Episode 1
Written by Matthew Graham
Directed by Jonny Campbell
Guest stars Adam James
Original airdate February 7, 2008
Episode chronology
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Series 2: Episode 8"		 "Episode 2"
List of Ashes to Ashes episodes

The first episode of the first series of the British science fiction television series Ashes to Ashes was broadcast by BBC One on 7th February 2008.

Contents

[edit] Synopsis

21st-century DI Alex Drake seemingly wakes up in 1981 after being shot by a has-been criminal mastermind, Arthur Layton. Quickly deducing that she is in the same position as Sam Tyler, she enlists the help of Gene Hunt and the rest of the team to hunt down Layton and his drug-dealing ring. She believes arresting Layton will be her escape route back to 2008 - only to find herself mistaken.

[edit] Plot

DI Alex Drake is taking her daughter to school on her birthday. Whilst in the car, she and Molly discuss her latest case: the death of a DCI called Sam Tyler, who during a comatose period, came to believe he was trapped in 1973. On the way, Drake is informed about a hostage situation taking place. She parks nearby and tells her daughter Molly to stay in the car while she tries and negotiate with the hostage taker who has asked for her by name.

The hostage taker is Arthur Layton, who says he knows her and begins to recite part of Ashes To Ashes by David Bowie. While this is happening Alex's daughter comes forward, rushing towards her mother. He pushes his hostage to the floor and grabs Alex's daughter. He takes her under the decking on the shore of the Thames. Alex follows after a gun shot is heard, but her daughter is unharmed and the criminal cannot be found.

Alex tells her daughter that she has a lot of paperwork to do, and she'll be back to celebrate her birthday before she blows out her candles. Alex calls her daughter's godfather, Evan, who picks her up. Layton hides in Alex's car and puts a gun to her head, telling her to drive. He then takes her down into an old barge where he tells her that "back in the day he had an empire". When Alex tries to negotiate with him, Layton shoots her in the head and she loses consciousness.

A series of visions ensue of the bullet flying in slow motion towards her, a couple and a little girl, and a Clown calling her name. Alex then wakes up in the middle of a drug-filled boat party in 1981. She pushes her way off of the boat just as police raid the party. As she staggers around in a daze, one of the Yuppies from the boat - later named as Edward Markham - grabs her and begins to threaten her believing she phoned the police.

In the nick of time, a red Audi Quattro charges round the corner driven by Gene Hunt carrying Chris Skelton and Ray Carling. Hunt and the others pull out their guns believing that the man who was threatening Alex has a gun to her head. Alex then persuades him to stop pretending he has taken a hostage and he surrenders. Hunt kicks Markham and arrests him. Upon realising Skelton, Carling, and Hunt are the same men from Tyler's story she faints. They take her back to the police station for questioning.

After they pull up outside a Central London police station Alex is amazed at the reality of the situation, thinking it all a hallucination. A brief interrogation ensues between Alex and Gene. After she finds her name on an empty desk and a new warrant card, Alex and the team discover she is Gene's new DI. Gene's team applied for a transfer after the death of Sam Tyler, who apparently served faithfully with the GMP force for another seven years after the events of Life On Mars, until his untimely death the previous year. Ray explains that Sam died during a jewellery robbery. Despite express orders from Gene not to, Sam gave pursuit after the suspects and ended up plunging his car into the river- the body was never found.

Confrontations ensue as Alex searches desperately for a radio to find information on her current "real" situation, remembering Sam Tyler's experiences. While Hunt believes Markham is the drug lord, on Drake's insistence they arrest Layton. While Alex is interviewing Layton, the Clown's reflection is visible in the table. Markham appears innocent and is released.

Drake continues to believe that this is all a hallucination or dream. She tries to reason out her situation and find a radio to contact the "real world." She discovers that her assailant Layton is active and under occasional surveillance in Gene's world, but is considered a minor villain at worst. Drake is convinced Layton holds the key to both the drug ring and her return home, but finds it hard to convince Gene.

Drake returns to Layton's warehouse and purloins a notebook which appears to be in code. As she leaves she sees a frightening vision of the Clown. Drake sets a trap for Markham to try and smoke out Layton, but Markham is prepared and ambushes the surveillance team. He assaults Chris and kidnaps WPC Sharon ("Shaz") Granger as "insurance."

With Shaz in danger, all eyes turn to Gene to lead the charge. Gene quickly deciphers Drake's stolen ledger as referring to boats and tide times, and they head for an abandoned area of the Docklands. Markham is seen unloading large bags of drugs from a boat with an extensive and well-armed team. However, Drake's suspicions are confirmed when Layton arrives and takes charge.

A gun battle ensues across the river between the police and Layton's goons. Despite superior firepower, the police begin to take control and Layton flees with Shaz as a hostage. Drake sets off in pursuit and confronts Layton, but succeeds only in creating a standoff. Hunt's team reappear in Miami Vice style, having acquired a speedboat and heavy weaponry from Layton's goons. Gene unloads an entire clip from a submachine gun towards Layton, but succeeds only in terrifying Layton and producing a minor head wound. Markham is arrested by Chris, who mockingly taunts Chris's inability to shoot him- Chris then promptly shoots Markham in the foot to prove him wrong.

Drake arrests Layton - but does not, as she had hoped, return to the "real" world. The episode closes with a mysterious message from the clown, who speaks with Molly's voice through the television - saying that Drake is still lying beside the river and that "it doesn't have to hurt".

[edit] Cast

[edit] Cast Notes

Andrew Clover's website describes his role as "the Angel of Death". [1]

[edit] Cultural References

  • There is an entire scene with the children's characters Zippy and George (from Rainbow) talking to Molly.
  • The pierrot is modeled on David Bowie's costume in the music video of Ashes To Ashes.
  • Chris Skelton (and others) sing "Shaddap You Face" by Joe Dolce, a novelty hit of the era which parodies Italian English, in front of Luigi
  • When Alex is in her flat Ashes To Ashes sung by David Bowie can be heard.
  • The scene in which Gene, Chris and Ray rescue Alex is a parody of Miami Vice, which featured loud, fantastic scenes involving speed boats, cocaine and the police.
  • The scene where Alex Drake first meets Gene Hunt has a shot framing Hunt between Alex's legs. This is a reference to the promotional poster for the 1981 James Bond film, For Your Eyes Only. The poster is seen later on the wall of Hunt's office.
  • When Alex says "I'd like to get out of red before Chris de Burgh writes a song about me". Alex is talking about Chris de Burgh's song, Lady in Red, released in 1986, five years after this episode is set.

[edit] Production

[edit] Music

Music featured in the episode includes :

[edit] Reception

Based on overnight returns, The Guardian reported that audience figures for the 7 February 2008 broadcast of this episode, in a 9:00 pm slot on the flagship channel, BBC One, were seven million: about 29% of viewers. The figure was "in line with the final episode of Life on Mars in April last year, though well up on the earlier show's second series debut of 5.7 million two months earlier," but The Guardian noted "the heavy publicity blitz this week for Ashes to Ashes" as a factor in its success against the opposition.[2]

Critical reactions to this first episode were mixed,[3] with positive reviews from The Daily Telegraph,[4] The Herald[5] The Spectator,[6] and the New Statesman[7] and negative reviews from The Times,[8] Newsnight Review,[9] and The Guardian, which described the episode as "actually pretty bad".[10] The popular national free sheet, Metro, gave the episode four stars as "a vote of faith" on what it described as "a dodgy start".[11]

[edit] Gene Hunt

Reactions to the return of Philip Glenister as Gene Hunt were overwhelmingly positive. His characteristic bluntness drew much attention. In an interview with The National Student, Glenister himself chose "'Today, my friend, your diary entry will read: took a prozzie hostage and was shot by three armed bastards'" as a personal favourite quote from this episode, [12] and commentators also cited it. [13][14][15]

[edit] References

  1. ^ Andrew Clover's website, "This autumn, however, I've been playing the Angel of Death in Ashes to Ashes, and have felt more comfortable." accessed 11 February, 2008
  2. ^ Ashes burns up the opposition, The Guardian, 8 February, 2008
  3. ^ A perfectly smooth change of gear, by Robert Hanks, The Independent, 8 February, 2008, retrieved 08 02 2008
  4. ^ Last night on television: Ashes to Ashes (BBC1) - Cutting Edge: Who Killed the Playboy Earl? (Channel 4) by Gerard O'Donovan, Daily Telegraph, 8 February, 2008
  5. ^ Back in the Day when PC meant Copper by David Belcher, The Herald, 8 February, 2008
  6. ^ In praise of Ashes to Ashes, by Matthew d'Ancona, The Spectator, February 8, 2008
  7. ^ Let's do the time warp again, by Rachel Cooke, New Statesman, 7 February, 2008
  8. ^ Ashes to Ashes, TV review by Andrew Billen, The Times, January 16, 2008
  9. ^ NewsNight Review, 7 February, 2008, on BBC iPlayer, duration 35 minutes, requires Windows XP or Windows Vista
  10. ^ Sam Wollaston. "Last night's TV", The Guardian, Guardian, 2008-02-08. 
  11. ^ Keith Watson. "Ashes To Ashes could be a slow-burner", Metro, 2008-02-08. 
  12. ^ Philip Glenister interview, The National Student, accessed 12 February. 2008
  13. ^ From Life on Mars to Ashes to Ashes, Philip Glenister interview with Stephen Armstrong, The Times, January 27, 2008
  14. ^ Ashes to Ashes: Hot fuzz, Craig McLean, The Daily Telegraph, January 26, 2008
  15. ^ DCI Gene Hunt is back and up to his old tricks but actor Philp Glenister says in reality he's a family man, interview with Philip Glenister, Tim Oglethorpe, Daily Mail, February 1, 2008

[edit] External links

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Life on Mars Episodes / Ashes to Ashes Episodes
Life on Mars Series 1
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