Ashes To Ashes actress, Keeley Hawes has revealed that she would like things to get more steamy between her character Alex Drake and police officer, Gene Hunt in series two of the show.

MSN quote Keeley as saying:

“I’d like to see Gene and Alex get together just to shut people up so they stop asking me about it! But I don’t know if that would be a good thing, just to get it out the way and move on or leave it hanging,”

The Eighties revival continues - the hugely popular Ashes To Ashes will return for a second series on BBC One.

The hit drama, made by Kudos Film and Television in association with Monastic Productions, has been recommissioned by the BBC following strong ratings and fantastic feedback from its army of fans.

Series one has averaged well over 6.5 million viewers so far and the opening episode achieved audience figures of more than eight million.

Details of the new series are being kept under wraps until the current series has ended but Simon Crawford-Collins, Executive Producer and Head of Drama at Kudos, promises there will be more fun for fans of the “Gene Genie”. Read more & comment »

In the final episode of the series, Alex is 24 hours from the event that changed her life – the murder of her parents in a car bomb – as the crime drama concludes. She believes that if she can save her parents, she’ll get home to her daughter in 2008. Her childhood memories of the day are vague, so, armed with that information, she makes her parents’ death into a “case” – a crime that hasn’t happened.

Ray is horrified that Alex chooses him to help her with her crazy mission. She destroys the blue Ford she thinks was the car her parents died in and starts to believe she’s in control of her destiny, although Ray thinks she’s finally lost it.

Meanwhile, Gene is in hell; Lord Scarman is due to visit the station. Gene will stop at nothing to give a good impression, right down to releasing all the prisoners and locking up Chris so that he can give the station a good review.

Read more & comment »

Series one of Ashes to Ashes draws to a close tomorrow night on BBC One, with Alex trying to save her parents from the bomb they died in.

Unfortunately she can’t rely on much help from Gene Hunt, who is caught up with a station inspection.

You just gotta love the writers at Ashes To Ashes on BBC1. In the scene below the cast manage to squeeze in the names of most of the big 90’s boybands, in other words most of my CD collection!

What makes it even funnier is the deadpan face with which Gene Hunt delivers all his one liners. Is it wrong to fancy a man who is so aesthetically unpleasing?

Hit BBC Drama, Ashes to Ashes is to release its soundtrack album later this month.

The album includes hit such as Fade To Grey by Visage, Geno by Dexy’s Midnight Runners and Let’s Stick Together by Bryan Ferry, as well as the shows title music and an introduction by Alex Drake.

I think the Life on Mars looks better myself!

Ashes To Ashes actress, Keeley Hawes has revealed to Grazia magazine that when she was on set filming for BBC hit drama, Ashes To Ashes, the whole family got involved.

Her husband Matthew Macfadyen ended up with a role in the show and her three children often came to watch her act.

Keeley said: “Matthew watched episode one and just said ‘I’d love to be in this!’ He plays a Brummie guy with a mullet - such a good look. And he has OCD. His character sits in a bath of baked beans for a year to raise money for children in Botswana. Then someone steals the money.” Read more & comment »

Tonight (29 February) on BBC One’s Friday Night With Jonathan Ross, Ashes To Ashes actress Keeley Hawes says Gene Hunt is a sex symbol.

“He’s a sexy guy, I really like men of that period.”

She prefers working with men: “It’s very blokey … when you get a lot of men like that in one room it gets a bit smelly.”

And she would like to play another gay role: “I love a lesbian drama … sex with women is very different, you don’t have to worry about stubble rash, it’s softer, a different smell.”

Also on tonight’s show, healthy eating guru Gillian McKeith examines Jonathan’s health. Read more & comment »

When a dead body is discovered at a warehouse, DCI Gene Hunt is quick to dismiss the death of Martin Kennedy as suicide, as the drama starring Philip Glenister and Keeley Hawes, set in London circa 1981, continues. However, with signs of a struggle and a massive blow to the head, the CID team find themselves involved in a murder investigation.

Feisty DI Alex Drake soon uncovers an intriguing piece of evidence: a piece of paper with a code. Leaving Custody Sergeant Viv with the task of solving the puzzle, Gene and the rest of the team head out to do the “real work”.

The investigation leads the team to a feminist socialist group, the Revolutionary Workers Front (RWF). It’s not long before Gene has every woman involved in the group carted down to the station. Chris, meanwhile, tries to impress Shaz with his new-found feminist knowledge and Ray is off on a date with a blonde communist. Read more & comment »

Marshall Lancaster plays the over-cautious DC Chris Skelton in the crime drama set in London circa 1981. He’s a bit of a geek at heart and loves the advancing technology of the Eighties, but he also likes to play the tough guy whenever he can, although always in the shadow of DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) and DS Ray Carling (Dean Andrews).

Chris still likes to think of himself as one of the boys, but he has a love interest in the form of WPC “Shaz” Granger (Montserrat Lombard) and he knows that she won’t stand for the boys’ sexist, backward opinions. So, he often changes his tune when she’s around, much to Ray’s disgust. Marshall talks to Programme Information about practical jokes, skinny jeans and Chris falling in love…

How does Chris fit into the CID team?

Chris is a natural dogsbody, eager to please and loyal to Gene Hunt. It is only the arrival of DI Drake (Keeley Hawes) that upsets the “normal” running of CID. Chris is eager to learn, but avoids work when possible. He enjoys practical jokes and is easily led.

What’s his relationship with Shaz like?

I think Chris has an interesting relationship with Shaz as I think she genuinely loves Chris; he becomes her hero after rescuing her in episode one. Shaz is a “modern” Eighties woman, however, and won’t stand for any sexism or homophobic comments and makes Chris suffer accordingly. Read more & comment »