John Simm didn't just walk onto a set in 2006; he stepped into a fever dream. If you’ve ever binged the series, you know that the cast Life on Mars dealt with something far weirder than a standard police procedural. It was a show defined by a specific, grimy 1970s Manchester energy that felt almost dangerously real to the actors involved. Honestly, it’s one of the few shows from that era of British television that hasn’t aged a day.
Simm played Sam Tyler, a modern-day detective who gets hit by a car and wakes up in 1973. He's confused. We’re confused. But the magic wasn't just in the high-concept sci-fi hook. It was the friction between Simm’s internalised, frantic performance and Philip Glenister’s bombastic, politically incorrect Gene Hunt.
The Exhaustion of Being Sam Tyler
John Simm has been pretty vocal over the years about how draining the shoot was. He's in almost every single frame. Think about that for a second. While most lead actors get the occasional "light day," Simm was perpetually on camera, often looking bewildered, terrified, or furious. It wasn't just a role; it was a marathon. He's mentioned in various retrospectives, including the BBC’s own "making of" specials, that by the end of the second series, he was basically done. He loved the character, but the workload was brutal.
The production didn't have a massive Hollywood budget. They were filming in Manchester, often in the cold, trying to make the modern world look like a decade it had long since moved on from. Simm’s exhaustion actually fed into the character of Sam. That raw, frayed-edge quality you see in his eyes during Series 2? That wasn't just acting. It was a man who had been working fourteen-hour days for months on end.
Philip Glenister and the Birth of a Legend
Then you have Philip Glenister. Before this, he was a respected character actor. After this? He was a cultural icon.
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Gene Hunt was a monster on paper. He was sexist, he was violent, and he had a complete disregard for the rule of law. Yet, Glenister played him with this weird, underlying vulnerability and a sharp wit that made him the show's breakout star. The chemistry between the cast Life on Mars was anchored entirely on the Sam and Gene dynamic. If that didn't work, the show would have been a forgotten cult oddity. Instead, it became a phenomenon.
Glenister has often joked about how people still shout "Get your trousers on, you’re nicked!" at him in the street. He leaned into the physicality of the role—the camel coat, the Audi Quattro (which actually appeared in the sequel, Ashes to Ashes, though the Cortina was the star here), and that swagger.
Why the Supporting Cast Mattered
It’s easy to focus on the big two, but the squad room at A Division was a tight-knit unit.
- Liz White (Annie Cartwright): She was the emotional glue. In a world of hyper-masculinity, Annie was the only one who saw Sam as a human being rather than a lunatic. White played the "WPC" with a quiet dignity that highlighted the casual misogyny of the era without feeling like a lecture.
- Dean Andrews (Ray Carling) and Marshall Lancaster (Chris Skelton): These two were the classic "muscle" and "rookie" archetypes, but they evolved. Ray’s jealousy of Sam and Chris’s puppy-like loyalty to Gene created a believable hierarchy.
Andrews, in particular, brought a specific northern grit to Ray. He wasn't just a foil; he represented the "old guard" who felt threatened by Sam’s "future" ways of policing. They spent a lot of time in the pub—both on-screen and off. The cast has frequently mentioned that the camaraderie was real. You can’t fake that kind of chemistry in a cramped, smoke-filled office set.
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The Problem with the 1973 Set
The 1970s weren't exactly glamorous. The production team, led by creators Matthew Graham and Ashley Pharoah, went to extreme lengths to ensure the cast Life on Mars felt the period. This meant nicotine-stained walls, polyester suits that didn't breathe, and a lot of actual mud.
Filming in Manchester in the mid-2000s to find 1970s-appropriate locations was a nightmare. Gentrification was already wiping out the brutalist architecture and the old warehouses. The cast often found themselves tucked away in derelict corners of the city, filming in buildings that were literally falling apart around them. It added to the sense of isolation Sam Tyler felt. He wasn't just in a different time; he was in a decaying world.
The Ending That Split the Fanbase
We have to talk about the ending. It’s been years, so spoilers are fair game, right?
The decision for Sam to "jump" back into the 1973 world—essentially choosing a coma-dream or an afterlife over reality—was controversial. Simm has stated that he felt it was the only way for the character to find peace. The cast knew they were making something definitive. There was no pressure back then to stretch a show out for ten seasons just because it was a hit. They did two series, told a complete story, and got out.
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That brevity is exactly why the show remains a classic. It didn't overstay its welcome. When the cast Life on Mars wrapped that final scene on the rooftop, they knew they’d finished a "perfect" piece of television.
The Legacy and the "Final" Reunion
For years, there were whispers of a final chapter titled Lazarus. The original creators, Graham and Pharoah, spent a long time during the 2020 lockdowns drafting a script that would bring Simm and Glenister back together one last time.
Unfortunately, in 2023, it was announced that the project had fallen through due to "financial hurdles." It was a gut punch for fans. The cast was reportedly keen, but the shifting landscape of streaming and broadcast budgets meant the numbers didn't align. It’s a reminder that even the most beloved shows face the cold reality of the business.
What You Can Learn from the Production
If you’re a fan or a student of television, looking at how this show was put together offers some genuine insights:
- Chemistry over Casting: On paper, Simm and Glenister shouldn't have worked as a duo. One is a subtle, internal actor; the other is a powerhouse of charisma. That contrast is what created the spark.
- Location as a Character: Manchester in 1973 wasn't just a backdrop. It was an antagonist. The grit was essential.
- The Power of a Hard Stop: Knowing when to end a story is more important than knowing how to start one. By ending after 16 episodes, they preserved the show's integrity.
Moving Forward: How to Experience Life on Mars Today
If you’re looking to dive deeper into the world of the cast Life on Mars, don't just stop at the episodes.
- Watch the "Making Of" Documentaries: The DVD extras (now often found on YouTube or BritBox) contain incredibly candid interviews with John Simm about his mental state during the shoot.
- Listen to the Soundtrack: Music was a massive part of the budget. David Bowie’s estate rarely grants rights, but they did for this. It sets the tone better than any dialogue could.
- Check out Ashes to Ashes: While John Simm doesn't return (until the very end in a specific way), the rest of the Gene Hunt squad moves to 1980s London. It provides the "true" ending to the mythology that started in the first series.
- Read the Scripts: Matthew Graham has released various drafts over the years that show how the character of Gene Hunt was originally much darker and less "lovable" than he became in Glenister’s hands.
The show remains a masterclass in British drama. It proved that you could take a ridiculous premise—a time-traveling cop—and make it heartbreakingly human through the sheer commitment of its cast. Even if we never get Lazarus, the sixteen episodes we have are more than enough to cement its place in TV history.