A live table reading of the pilot script took place on Sunday, November 19th, 2023 at BFI Southbank, brought to life by the BFI Players. It was accompanied by a Q and A with co-writer Ashley Pharoah. [101] It was met with a positive reception, one fan having travelled all the way from Massachussets, USA, to be there. The casting is interesting. Sam Tyler is played by the likeable Jason O’Mara and he gives a very good performance, balancing the inherent paranoia with an affable charm. To be fair, following an actor of the calibre of John Simm can’t have been easy, but then to most of the American audience this is their first encounter with Sam Tyler. Donaghy, James (11 April 2007). "Is there life after Life on Mars?". The Guardian. UK . Retrieved 9 February 2008. That's exactly the point I'm making. They should make sure when they secure the rights to the music that they can also use it for the DVD release. If the record company wants a ridiculous fee to do this, they should move on and find another piece of music that fits the bill, and use that in the original TV production. That way, the audience are never aware of replacement music.

CRAFT & DESIGN AWARDS 2006". Royal Television Society. 24 January 2011 . Retrieved 10 February 2023. The show has also been transmitted in Croatia ( Croatian Radiotelevision), Sweden (a cut version [ specify] on SVT 2), Netherlands ( Nederland 3), in Germany ( Kabel 1), Greece ( Skai TV), Spain ( Antena.neox), Israel ( Hot), Italy ( Rai Due), Japan, Serbia ( B92), Norway ( NRK) and Estonia ( ERR). Sub began broadcasting Life on Mars in Finland in April 2008, and ATV World started broadcasting the show in Hong Kong on 13 July 2008, [18] [19] [20] France ( 13ème Rue). [21] In Hungary ( Duna TV) Life on Mars started in March 2011. Hyde, a town to the east of Manchester, is used as Sam's former police division as a clue that his 1973 self is an alter ego, as in Robert Louis Stevenson's The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. [26] Reception [ edit ] Critical reception [ edit ] In October 2007, series two was nominated as the Most Popular Drama at the 2007 National Television Awards. [62] Year Thin Lizzy — "Call The Police"; ("The Footie"), immediately following the scene where Hunt promises to 'bang up a hooligan by lunchtime'.A sequel to the series, Ashes to Ashes, whose title references another David Bowie song, aired on BBC One from February 2008 to May 2010, starring Keeley Hawes in place of Simm. A third series entitled Lazarus, returning Simm to the franchise, was announced in 2020, but its development was formally cancelled in 2023. After the premiere, each of the remaining fifteen episodes begins with a short teaser before a monologue in which Sam repeats, as part of the moving imagery of the title sequence:

Whether the Americans will adapt Ashes To Ashes as a follow up remains to be seen, but with that show soon to notch up three series, there will certainly be plenty of material, more especially because American audiences are used to series lasting 22 to 24 episodes. See also: List of Life on Mars (British TV series) episodes The Test Card Girl, a surreal hallucination repeatedly encountered by Sam TylerAn American adaptation of the series was produced by ABC and ran for one season from October 2008 to April 2009. A Spanish adaptation of the series was broadcast from April to June 2009. A Russian adaptation of the series entitled The Dark Side of the Moon was broadcast in November 2012. A Czech adaptation World under the Head was broadcast by Czech Television from January to March 2017. The South Korean adaptation began broadcasting in June 2018. [2] In February 2019, the BBC announced the production of a Chinese version, to be set in the 1990s. [3] Naughton, James (7–13 January 2006). "The Most Original Cop Show... Since the 70s". Radio Times. 328 (4266): 12.