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LIFE ON MARS, the acclaimed and utterly brilliant drama series, finished its first run on BBC TV last night, February 27th 2006 in the secure knowledge that a second series begins filming in April. If you missed it, catch up with it, it's being repeated - check your TV paper for details. If you live outside the UK, watch out for it, it is in my opinion the best TV drama so far this century, and must get an award if there's any justice. Here's a brief synopsis of how Sam Tyler ends up in the predicament that seems to him like Life on Mars.

Sam is run down in an RTA in the present day, and wakes up in 1973, where he has somehow lost his own clothing and donned the fashion of the time - flared trousers, wide-collared shirts and so on. When he tries to explain to the local police force in Manchester, they ignore him, telling him he was expected to join them after a spell with the police force in Hyde. Only one of his new found colleagues, WPC Annie Cartwright, takes the time out to listen to him as he explains that he believes himself to be comatose in hospital in 2006. She doesn't believe him, but understands that he has some problems and that he is in some way different to the rest of the male colleagues she has to work and deal with on a daily basis.

With no other option but to assume his role as DI Tyler in the Manchester police force, Sam is drawn into a series of situations where his superior officer, DCI Hunt, bends every rule known and gives rise to the terrible reputation the police forces of the 1970s had, when confessions were beaten out of known criminals to get them off the streets. Sam's conscience and knowledge of modern police procedures bring him into conflict with his colleagues, especially DCI Hunt, on almost every case, and he finds it difficult to cope at times.

Only his belief that he has been sent back in time for a specific purpose, and that he will one day emerge from his coma and return to the present day keep him going. Annie Cartwright is his only friend in a male-dominated "bent-cop" world, and even her patience is tried on numerous occasions as he tries to explain modern police procedure and prevent corruption from tainting every arrest and interview.

He even meets his mother in one episode, giving her a false name so she doesn't get suspicious, as he tries to discover why his father walked out on them when he was just a young boy. Often haunted by voices from the present day as the surgeons and nurses argue over whether or not to keep his life-support machine switched on, Sam faces a desperate struggle to find out why he's been sent back and to penetrate the fabric of time to make sure he's kept alive, all the while forming a strong bond with Annie and, in many ways, with DCI Hunt.

In the final episode, one of the most powerful, Sam finally meets his own father and discovers the awful and sad reason why he abandoned his family in 1973. Sam is faced with the most agonising decision of all - whether or not to change what happened and release himself to return to the present day, or to protect his mother and his colleagues and allow his corrupt father to walk away. This series can't return too soon for me - absolutely brilliant, perfect cast, fascinating and gripping storyline. Let's now have someone write the books based on the series.

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Gateway is published by Paul Edmund Norman on the first day of each month. Hosting is by Flying Porcupine at www.flyingporcupine.com - and web design by Gateway. Submitting to Gateway: Basically, all you need do is e-mail it along and I'll consider it - it can be any length, if it's very long I'll serialise it, if it's medium-length I'll put it in as a novella, if it's a short story or a feature article it will go in as it comes. Payment is zero, I'm afraid, as I don't make any money from Gateway, I do it all for fun! For Advertising rates in Gateway please contact me at Should you be kind enough to want to send me books to review, please contact me by e-mail and I will gladly forward you my home address. Meanwhile, here's how to contact me: Gateway banner created by and © Paul Edmund Norman

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