Life on Mars

Unsure whether he's in a coma, has really time-travelled or has just gone mad, Tyler's 21st-century attitudes make him a fish out of water in this world of clunky technology and old-fashioned policing. Then he discovers a connection between a murder in 1973 and the 2006 kidnapping case he was working on, and solving this case could be the key to getting home.

Sam's faith in the criminal justice system brings him head to head with Gene Hunt. Sam decides to embrace his new world but discovers that Gene is planning to plant evidence to secure the conviction of Kim Trent, an elusive criminal. Sam releases Trent, but when a young woman gets caught in the crossfire as a result Sam is forced to question his methods.

As Sam starts to feel at home in 1973, doctors in 2006 worry that he's losing the will to live. When Sam responds to a fatal stabbing at Crester's Textiles he's shocked to discover that Crester's is the converted mill where he lives in 2006. Sam sets up an investigation but Gene already has a hunch about the murderer. Sam believes he has to stop Gene from sending an innocent man down.

Sam's principles call into question the ethos of his whole department as he takes on a local gangster in an attempt to stamp out police corruption. Gene believes that criminals and the police can co-exist and that the streets are safer as a result, but Sam knows that in the future police corruption will irrevocably change the relationship between the public and the police.

The murder of a football fan results in a clash of methods as Sam and Gene go undercover in a local pub to solve the crime. As Gene looks like he's set to drink the pub dry, Sam worries about their chances of finding the killer before Saturday's big match. And his relationship with the young son of the murdered man brings Sam's memories of his own father flooding back.

A hostage situation becomes personal for Sam when the hostage-taker's deadline coincides with the deadline for switching off his life-support machine in 2006.

The death in custody of drug dealer Billy Kemble pits Sam against CID as he tries to uncover the truth. Sam demands a transparent investigation into Billy's death to encourage public trust in the police. When the evidence of what happened to Billy falls into his hands, Sam has a huge decision to make, which could either tear the team apart or find him an opportunity to get home.

Sam is finally accepting of this world, until he comes face to face with his 29-year-old dad, Vic Tyler. Vic is a small time gambler who unwittingly finds himself at the centre of a murder enquiry. Gene is convinced that Vic is his link to nailing a new crime syndicate and is prepared to put Vic's life on the line to get to them.

As Sam moves to protect his own father he embarks upon an emotional journey as he pieces together a childhood memory and finally uncovers the truth about his father, a truth that will change him forever.