Re: life on mars
 

I just watched the (recorded) first episode. It's magic - particularly if you remember the 70's :) - which I do, vividly. The female PC in it has her hair in the same style mye first (serious) girlfriend had around that time. he he.

And I just love the Sweeney connection. How did they get all those period accesories, the cars, furniture etc. The set designers and buyers must have been VERY busy for this one!

Re: life on mars
 

Has the repeat been cancelled? According to my Sky planner - Michael Hesteltine the Uncommon Gardener - is on at 12:25

Re: life on mars
 

Hi,

Dunno if it's a help - but you could always go to www.uknova.com and download the episode, I did and watched it last night.

It was fresh, new and I enjoyed it. My wife hates sci-fi and she enjoyed it.

There are lots of quirks like they didn't call WPC's until mid 70's etc., but hey its a drama!

Someone suggested a bit of cross of Quantum Leap meets The Sweeney ... but definatly something I haven't seen before

Re: life on mars
 

Thats what I'm worried about--that I invest x hours watching this series till the end and to find it ends inconclusively.

Re: life on mars
 

John Simm (who plays DI Sam Tyler) said it was a cross between Back to the Future and the Sweeney ... and he has a point, the scene when he first arrives in 1973 and the camera pulls back to show an architect's poster of the forthcoming dual carriageway is almost a direct lift of the scene when Marty McFly arrives at his estate to discover it's under construction, and has a large poster showing what it's going to look like when complete.

I can't wait for the next ep. :)

Re: life on mars
 

Mandy, my wife is positive the sets and props are closer to mid to late 60's than early 70's....

we especially liked the sounds.....little touches like the sound of a 70's milk float outside his bedsit window or the sound of a 70's car exhaust....takes us right back to childhood. :)

Re: life on mars
 

But then a common mistake of any 'period' drama is to load the sets with everything that is totally contemporary to the minute. Real life's not like that. A five-year-old car in 1973 would be from the late 1960s. And any shop that was last decorated 10 years previously would actually have been from the early 1960s. We replace our PCs every few years because they become obsolete. But a typewriter made in 1960 would be pretty much as useful as one made in 1973.

Re: life on mars
 

I know that it's too late now, but I got that info from the BBC website :shrug:

Re: life on mars
 

although the limit has been exceeded and not accepting any new members!

Re: life on mars
 

Don't forget--it's on again tonight! :)

Re: life on mars
 

Another excellent episode. The Testcard sequence would have done any horror film proud. But, they have now begged the million-dollar question: why don't you see white dog turds any more? I am googling right now but no luck as yet. Does anyone know? :D

Re: life on mars
 

Yes - dog food of today no longer contains some chemical which turned it white. Something to do with being biodegradeable or some such tree-hugging nonsense.

Re: life on mars
 

I think its something to do with the formulation of dog food changing. They used to use ground bone in it to bulk it out and now its a lot more 'meat' (well bits of animal anyway)

Re: life on mars
 

Agree on another excellent episode......and I remember white dog turds too........:D

Re: life on mars
 

And these days you can't find any for love nor money.