Single mother to daughter Molly, DI Alex Drake has rapidly risen through the ranks of the Met and, in the modern world of 2008, skillfully uses psychological profiling to capture suspects. However, Alex is shot in the head by a mad gunman, suddenly awakening in 1981. Interacting with familiar characters, not just from her lifetime, but also from the detailed reports logged by none other than Sam Tyler. DCI Gene Hunt is back, flanked by his faithful sidekicks, Ray Carling and Chris Skelton, but will he be able to get on with Alex? Following on from the phenomenal show, Life On Mars (TV Series 2006-2007), we are brought an equally exceptional addition to this fascinating world that sees fatally injured cops transported into the past with no idea as to its reality or not. This time we are in 1981, where Hunt and team have vacated from Manchester to London and Sam Tyler has mysteriously disappeared. Thrown into the mix is our new protagonist, DI Alex Drake, who like us, is craving answers to this phenomenon as she is ripped from her world and daughter into a peculiar, alien land. Alex has an arguably greater affinity for getting back than Sam being a single mother who needs to get back to her young child. Alex equally has more going in her favour when hurtled into this setting having studied Sam's report of his experience when he temporerily returned to the modern day leaving all his findings and experiences to be analysed. She knows all about the characters like Gene as well as all the speculations of Sam's experience. Her skills in psychological profiling make her a force to reckon with as she fundamentally aids the team in cracking some of the harder cases. Upon her immediate arrival to this world, we are greeted with a marvellous introduction from none other than Gene Hunt himself who speeds onto the scene in his bright, gleaming red Quattro accompanied by Ray and Chris. The return of these characters from Life on Mars was simply awesome with each having slightly altered looks matching the times but with their same unaltered mannerisms. Gene is still arguably the best character across both shows with his frequent witty dialogue and unrivalled temper that is frequently put to use on criminals. Ray and Chris have grown too that only further develops throughout the seasons. I'd have to say I much preferred Ray in this series as whilst he was great, his 'rivalry' with Sam made him a bit unlikable, whereas he is extremely fleshed out here and given many occasions to show a more human side. Chris still has a childish naivety, larking about, offering plenty of spectacular gags. We are introduced to new members of the crew too, WPC Shaz and Sergeant Viv. Shaz represents the female side of the law during the time and she looks up to Alex, who takes charge, not taking the behaviour or comments of her peers. Viv works on the front desk delivering news to the Gov and overseeing any who come and go in the department from prisoners to contraband, etc. With each season, Alex undergoes new challenges from trying to save her parents from a car explosion whilst haunted by a creepy clown. Uncovering corruption in the workplace under the mysterious 'Operation Rose' whilst a man who knows all about Alex and what is truly happening in this reality lingers in the shadows. Or the investigation into Gene Hunt and his office by DCI Jim Keats who attempts to twist Alex's judgement to undo Hunt, uncovering what happened to Sam. Each season got progressively better with a slow start that picked up into a running speed. I loved how each season focused on one new narrative and 'bad guy' whilst keeping it overarching. I also love that the show's final season managed to wrap up the story of not only this series but Mars too, answering what this world is and who Hunt is in an outstanding finale that is unbelievably magnificent. Overall, Ashes to Ashes was a beautifully crafted continuation and conclusion to the plot line laid out in Life on Mars. The characters are equally entertaining as before and the new members stand beside them, delivering equal levels of quality. I was incredibly hooked and so glad to witness something so fresh and unique. So worth watching!
(Unfortunatly only the 2nd Season intro is available on YouTube so I cannot show the 1st and 3rd versions)
Series Trailers:
Hilarious 'Uptown Girl' Dream Sequence:
During the show, Alex sees many strange things but none so brilliant as the sequence where she dreams everyone performing a take on the 'Uptown Girl' music video. Absolutely hysterical!
Bodie and Doyle, top agents for Britain's CI5 (Criminal Intelligence 5), and their controller, George Cowley fight terrorism and similar high-profile crimes. Cowley, a hard ex-MI5 operative, hand-picked each of his men. Bodie was a cynical ex-SAS paratrooper and mercenary, while his partner, Doyle, came to CI5 from the regular police force. They are the top men in their field and the ones to whom Cowley always assigns the toughest cases. The Professionals is a show like no other. Whilst it falls under a similar group of shows following action, police drama, and comedic elements like, for example, Starsky & Hutch (TV Series 1975-1979), it takes this miscellany of genres to a new height with a grittier and more realistic style, unmatched by other products of the time. It subsequently made shows like Starsky & Hutch feel more comical and in a way, tame, despite themselves having darker-themed episodes but nothing to the level of this series. I first watched this show with my family, which coincidently, coincided with our watching of Starsky and Hutch, where we could see the drastic differences between the American series and this British one. The professionals blew me away with its rich stories that varied from all sorts of crimes, terrorist acts, international incidents, personal vendettas, dangers of varying proportions and magnitudes, plus many more exciting plots. Such stories held many villainous antagonists that CI5 are pinned against from terrorists, hit-men, hate groups, gangsters, espionage suspects, gunmen and many more. But these episodes are only as good as those leading them and there are none finer than our main trio. We follow two of CI5's best operatives, William Bodie and Ray Doyle, as well as their boss and leader of the organisation, Major George Cowley, as they work to put a stop to all crimes in their country no matter the danger or risk. We spend a great deal of time with Bodie and Doyle through thick and thin throughout all sorts of complex and explosive missions. Their relationship may edge on the side of contentiousness, but they still care enough for one another and exchange plenty of delightful banter. I never got tired of their quick remarks that were flung back and forth through their adventures and their playful mannerisms (regardless of the current dangers they were in or around) are equally entertaining. They also come from different backgrounds as CI5 is made up of, well, professionals from all areas of her Royal Majesty's services with Bodie being from the army and Doyle from the police force, which gives them an edge in those fields and paired together, there is little they can't accomplish. Cowley keeps this duo and his many operatives in line as he governs for a safer neighbourhood, being up for anything thrown at him. Whilst he may send out his men to these extreme situations, he isn't afraid to get involved himself taking charge on the scene on many occasions (when not enjoying a malt Scotch whisky). The organisation of CI5 may be a fictitious one but they really sell you on the idea of such a force existing, one that uses uncustomary methods in cracking down on criminal groups. One of the all-time highlights of the show is the intros. The first season features Cowley conducting a test on his men on a trial course (sometimes with a voiceover) that is overwhelmingly exciting. Later seasons featured one singular intro featuring collective clips in a phenomenally energetic manner that really gets the blood pumping. If you could sit still without moving an inch to this magnificent piece, then there is something wrong! I personally, own a boxset that saw an overhaul in visual upscaling that has breathed new life into the show, making it look so much crisper (I've linked a video below comparing such visuals). Equally, there are loads of special features and an inclusion of the original banned episode 'Klansmen'. Overall, The Professionals is an outstanding piece of television and of a British one at that. Fast cars, explosions, gritty, realistic stories, a banter-filled duo and a killer theme. This show is undoubtedly worth watching. There isn't one episode that misses the mark with quality residing in each one.
Roy Knable, a couch potato, is a struggling Seattle plumbing salesman and former fencing athlete who spends most of his spare time watching hours of television. Roy's neglected wife, Helen, a senior vitamin product manager, resents the fact that they never do anything special or romantic together anymore. As husband and wife begin arguing they are sucked into a hellish television set and must survive the gauntlet of twisted versions of shows in which they find themselves. Stay Tuned was one of those pleasant surprises, which I stumbled upon by mere accident and was overwhelmingly captivated by. I happened to see this flick on streaming moments before it disappeared and I was treated to a marvellous adventure. Our story centres around a family on the verge of dysfunctionality and possible divorce as parents Roy and Helen cannot see eye to eye (quite literally) as Roy is glued to the television, paying more mind to it than anything else, especially Helen. Her efforts to go away and spend time together without the kids backfire at the words of no TV causing her to destroy the television unit. However, a mysterious man named Mr. Spike arrives offering him a new high-tech satellite dish system filled with 666 channels of programs one cannot view on any other networks. Roy, overly excited, takes Spike up on this offer with a free trial period, but little does he know that Mr. Spike is an emissary from hell prowling for additional souls to be obtained entertainingly. Both Roy and Helen end up being sucked in by the satellite, where they come face to face with extraordinary situations they must overcome. This place is a television world, called Hell Vision, where 'candidates' must attempt to survive satirical versions of sitcoms and movies. If they survive for 24 hours, they will be set free, however, if killed, their souls become the property of Satan. Once a part of this unnatural world, the movie takes off, displaying some phenomenal hellish takes on other productions, as well as featuring some unhinged 'products' in commercials. My favourite is a mask for annoying children on long car journeys called The Silencer of the Lambs. The Knables undergo all types of scenarios, from a game show called 'You Can't Win', a wrestling match against the beastly duo Mr. and Mrs. Gorgon to fending off wolves in 'Northern Overexposure'. During their bizarre experience, the couple are aided by Crowley, one of Spike's employees whom he banished to the world. Also helping them, are their two kids back home who work together to find a way of getting the parents out of this predicament. I found the whole idea of being sucked into a Television to be rather fun, especially with so many possibilities to explore. For instance, the animated segment where the parents turn into mice and battle with a robotic cat in Looney Tunes fashion. It was one of my all-time favourite parts and the most iconic. Alongside this style, we see a black-and-white noir serial of a private investigator, a Wild West stand-off, science fiction with a phenomenal knock-off Star Trek: The Next Generation (TV Series 1987-1994), a sports game of hockey, a period drama of 18th Century France called 'Off With His Head' to a music video and plenty more. The creativity of this magnificent adventure is on full display during the channel-skipping sequence that sees varying situations in quick succession as Roy and Spike fight over the world controlling remote. That final battle, especially the sword duel, was truly spectacular and equally can be said about Spike as the main villain who relishes in the chaos. This film throws so many wacky moments at you, filled with laughs, suspense and energetic action, making for top-class entertainment. The argumentative couple slowly begin to reconcile, rekindling their love for one another and the experience helps Roy come to terms with his inactivity, making the effort in every way going forward. Overall, Stay Tuned is one of the wackiest, lesser-talked-about cult classics I have had the pleasure of viewing. There are many references, superb effects, overwhelming creativity, tremendous acting and hilarious comedy. What more could you want from a movie?
