Life On Mars
How do you follow that?
After a successful run both in the UK and on ³ÉÈËÂÛ̳ America, the makers of Life On Mars faced a tough challenge: how do they follow that? How can they ensure the second series is as strong and captivating as the first?
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The team relished the challenge as much as they had done when approaching the first series, and the enthusiasm and excitement were motivation to the writers to ensure the final part of Sam's journey was just as full of intrigue and surprise as the first.
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Matthew Graham, who co-created, wrote and executive produced the first series, felt the key to maintaining the high standards was to stay true to the winning formula.
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"We were keen not to 'reinvent the wheel' for series two," says Matthew. "In this series, the show will operate much as before. As Sam and Gene attempt to settle their differences in order to crack crime, Sam looks for answers and a way out of his Seventies prison."
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However, to captivate audiences for another eight episodes new team producer Cameron Roach was all too aware they couldn't just rely on the success of series one.
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"It was clear that the audience wanted 'more of the same'," explains Cameron. "This presented our biggest challenge – the audience have an expectation of being constantly surprised and amazed by Sam's world.
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"However, we had so many ideas and potential stories that the show could have run to about eight series. But, because we knew Sam's journey was finite, we have compacted them into just two to make sure that it packs a punch and, hopefully, people will remember Life On Mars for years to come."
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Whilst any avid viewer will agree that the relationship between Sam and his DCI, Gene Hunt, has been a key factor to the show's popularity and, naturally, continues to thump and thrust its way through eight more episodes, series two unlocks some darker secrets held close by Sam's team who, if Tyler is to be believed, are merely "part of his subconscious".
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And another blossoming partnership also develops...
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"Annie has a very big journey in this series – fresh challenges in her job and deeper feelings for Sam," says Matthew. "Viewers should brace themselves for some pretty intense moments between these two!"
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The cases continue to cause conflict between Sam and Gene, and the additional pressure of their mentors' involvement in them only serves to heighten tensions within the team.
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However, Sam's almost hallucinogenic "episodes" continue to haunt him, and the voices of the future make a very real impact on his mental and physical state.
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The production team tried to avoid using a Seventies setting as leverage for nostalgic trips down memory lane to remember only the "good old days".
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However, it did give the makers an excuse to pay tribute to a Seventies' classic with Sam and Gene making their plastercine debut in a rather surreal version inspired by Camberwick Green which will, no doubt, delight a generation of Brian Cant lovers.
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"I think it's one of the most beautiful, hilarious and satisfying things we've done on the show, and that's due to a brilliant job by Hot Animation," comments Matthew.
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"However, 'Sam' and 'Gene' have now, sadly, been dismantled into their constituent parts and, who knows, they could have gone back into making up Fireman Sam and Bob the Builder!"
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In this multi-channel age, so few series gain both critical acclaim and sustain massive viewing figures every week, so to end a concept that has achieved both of these seems an unusual choice. However, the creative team had always known how Sam's journey would end, but felt that the series also had a definite shelf life."
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"Ending a series which has been such a hit with the audience is a huge responsibility which everyone took very seriously," adds executive producer, Jane Featherstone.
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They were able to concentrate all their efforts on making the series two finale the biggest and best they could muster. "As a producer, it is a luxury to know that the series you are working on has a definite end," explains Cameron.
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"Everyone put a huge amount of energy and care into developing and filming the final episode," elaborates executive producer, Claire Parker. "When we were actually filming the final scenes there was a really sad, but celebratory, atmosphere on set."
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However, the creative team have been "living in the Seventies" for some time since the genesis of the project, having been on an eight-year journey with Sam Tyler and his colleagues, and inevitably felt like his final moments were the end of an era.
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As writer of the final episode, Matthew felt a great responsibility bringing the series to an end and realised that it was a double-edged sword: "I'm glad we're bringing Sam's journey to a conclusion now," he explains.
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"It feels very satisfying to tie the story up but it's sad, too. It's like saying goodbye to friends with whom you have shared a long and eventful journey."
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Once Matthew had delivered the final script, Featherstone found it difficult to finish. "Reading the first draft of the final episode was actually a very emotional experience," she explains, "But it's got a remarkable ending!"
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