Representations in

Police / Crime Dramas

Ashes to Ashes
Spooks
The Wire
 Representation
• A cultural ‘force’ as it relates to tastes, identity
and interests that are shaped by the culture we
inhabit.
• Related to regulation. People have legal means
to respond to representations they consider
inaccurate, offensive or harmful OFCOM
• Also linked to economic forces. Big budget
dramas made in relation to likely audience and
future DVD sales.
• Increasingly shaped by technology. (players on
internet, DVDs etc…) Watched in staggered
fashion or at once… Fragmented audience
 Deconstructing the text
• Remember your TV Mats
• From Micro to Macro
– Analyse micro elements of the text
– Conclude from the micro elements a range of
macro representations
– Consider how different people might respond
differently to these representations
– Are the representations on the whole positive,
negative, challenging conventions,
controversial, etc?
 Police / Crime Dramas

– What are the main elements of this genre that

you might expect to occur in any programme
with this label?
– What are the main ingredients that produce
various forms of ‘pleasure’ for the viewing
audience?
 Ashes to Ashes
• Ashes to Ashes is a British science fiction/police procedural drama television
series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars. http://www.bbc.co.uk/lifeonmars/

• The series began transmission on BBC One in February 2008. A second series
began broadcasting in April 2009. A third and final series is being broadcast
from 2 April 2010 on BBC One and BBC HD.

• The series tells the fictional story of Alex Drake, a female police officer in
service with London's Metropolitan Police who is shot in 2008, and inexplicably
regains consciousness in 1981.

• The series' first episode reveals that in the present day, Drake has been
studying records of the events seen in Life on Mars. Upon waking in the past,
she is shocked to meet returning character Gene Hunt, of whom she has
learned from her research. Throughout the series, it is ambiguous to both Drake
and the audience whether the character is dead or alive in the present day.

• BBC WEBSITE: trailers and characters:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/ashestoashes/characters/
 Reception
Source: Wikipedia
• Based on overnight returns, The Guardian reported that audience figures for the 7
February 2008 broadcast of the first episode, in a 9:00 pm slot on the flagship
channel, BBC One, were 7 million: about 29% of viewers. The figure was "in line with
the final episode of Life on Mars in April last year, though well up on the earlier
show's second series debut of 5.7 million two months earlier," but The Guardian
noted "the heavy publicity blitz this week for Ashes to Ashes" as a factor in its
success against the opposition.
• Critical reception to the first episode of the series was mixed; The Observer criticised
the episode's direction, structure and tone (although it did praise the costumes and
art direction). The national free sheet, Metro, gave the episode four stars as "a vote of
faith" on what it described as "a dodgy start".
• The Guardian reported on 15 February 2008 that, with 6.1 million viewers and a 25%
audience share, the ratings for the second episode, shown on 14 February, were
down by almost one million on the first, comparing overnight returns. The fifth
episode, broadcast 6 March 2008, attracted 6.6 million viewers according to overnight
returns. With this episode, The Daily Telegraph stated that "Ashes to Ashes stepped
out of the shadow of Life on Mars."
• Entertainment news website Digital Spy praised the show's return with cult editor Ben
Rawson-Jones describing the opening episode of the second series as "greatly
promising". It was watched by 7.01 million viewers.
• The second series has been nominated for The TV Dagger at the 2009 Crime Thriller
Awards. Keeley Hawes and Philip Glenister have received nominations in the Best
Actress and Best Actor categories respectively.
• The finale of Ashes To Ashes, which finishes in 2010, has been described by Dean
Andrews as, 'Genius‘. He explained on GMTV: "Everything is tied up. You get all of
the answers from Life On Mars and Ashes To Ashes.‘
 Episode 1 series 1
• List examples of:
– typical characters
– typical narratives
– typical themes
– Iconography (setting, costumes, props)

• Practical: Re-creating and editing an extract –

introduction of Gene Hunt Character
– Then try changing the editing or a number of shots to
present Hunt in a slightly different way.
 Analysis
• Read Life on Mars model first. In pairs, come up
with success criteria, looking at how all 4 micro-
elements are dealt with together.
• Write up your analysis of the short extract you re-
created up to when the villain is arrested (and his
face is smashed against the car).
• You can work in pairs but everyone must post
their work on their TV drama Blog by next
Wednesday / end of twilight.
 TV Drama blogs
and Home Learning
• Completing the work is not an option.

• Shameless exam practice – assessment.

• Home Learning: Analyse / Deconstruct the

opening 3/4 minutes of another crime /
police drama of your choice. Bring to your
next lesson (either a Word document or a
presentation).