I accidentally bought Life on Mars on DVD, but since it arrived while I was ill, I can't say it was a bad accident. I re-watched both series (and the extras) in five days. I always meant to re-watch it after knowing whether Sam was mad, in a coma or back in time. It's interesting to re-evaluate in that light. The last episode doesn't work at all, though. The first time it's a chance to wonder what's really happened to Sam and then be disappointed and then happy with the ending. But the second time you already know, so you don't have the same feelings about it at all.

I am looking forward to Ashes to Ashes a bit more now though. Gene Hunt's great and it'll be good to see him more. Mind you, it helps that I haven't seen any old episodes of The Bill. Ashes to Ashes won't need to be a cop show in the 80s, the same way it was a cop show in the 70s, because we already have it. Even if it's changed beyond all recognition.

On the subject, last week The Guardian had a conversation between the two writers and Gene Hunt.

Taggart was really good last week and I was disappointed to find it was only an hour long tonight (I remember the days when it took them three weeks at an hour a week to solve the murders - and you got half a dozen of them). However, even though it felt like it raced along, the end of it was so emotional I felt that it was just as well there wasn't more of it.