Life On Mars
The guest cast
Marc Warren (Ep 1)
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Marc Warren plays dark and devilish casino owner Tony Crane. A self-made man, Crane has worked his way up from the bottom ranks of the underworld. When a casino chip is found at a murder scene, routine enquiries bring Gene and his team to Crane's establishment.
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Crane seems squeaky clean; however, Sam has the benefit of his "future past" and trusting his instincts he won't let him off so easy. Sam soon comes to realise that the Crane in 2007 has now been released from jail and is trying to kill him in his coma.
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Warren is better known as cheeky Danny in another of Kudos's hit shows, Hustle. Other credits include Hogfather, Dracula, State Of Play and Dr Who.
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Yasmin Bannerman (Ep 1)
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Eve Olawi has ambitions. However, being a black woman in Seventies Manchester isn't easy, and when Tony Crane offered her security and respect as his girlfriend, Eve jumped at the chance.
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Knowing what horrors await her in the future, Sam tries to convince her to break ties with this dangerous man – a concept that Eve finds hard to accept.
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Yasmin's career was kick-started on Channel 4's Hollyoaks, where she played Maddie Parker. Other credits include Merseybeat, Dr Who and 55 Degrees North.
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Ray Emmett Brown (Ep 2)
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DC Glenn Fletcher always draws attention when he walks into a new CID unit. Being the first black DC in Manchester's precinct means he faces an inordinate amount of mickey-taking, criticism and bigotry – not least from Ray and most of his other colleagues.
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Sam instantly recognises him as his future mentor, a man he respects and loves greatly. However, the DC before him is only a shadow of the man Sam once knew.
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Ray's credits include Outlaws, The Second Coming and Judge John Deed.
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Brendan Mackey (Ep 3)
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Things don't look good for Patrick O'Brien when dynamite stolen from the construction yard he works at is used in a suspected IRA bomb attack. Finding an Irishman with "previous"' is like flashing a red rag in front of a bull where Gene Hunt is concerned.
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Sam knows the IRA didn't start their mainland campaign until the late Eighties and that, along with the current attacks failing to fit their regular Modus Operandi, it's up to Sam Tyler to help clear Patrick's name.
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Brendan has starred in the films Touching The Void, Fated and 48 Angels. TV credits include Holy Cross and The Bill.
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Georgia Taylor (Ep 4)
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Employed as a local beauty sales rep, Denise Williams rarely has a hair out of place. However, she is more than ruffled when a colleague of hers is found murdered and Sam interviews her to help with his enquiries.
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Reluctantly, she leads them to Roger Twilling, a local car salesman who employs the young and glamorous make-up artists to help out at his private parties.
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Georgia's TV credits include Blackpool, Viva Blackpool and Coronation Street. She has recently starred in the critically acclaimed film The History Boys.
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Eva Pope (Ep 4)
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Carol Twilling is wife to Roger, a local car salesman who has a love for "private parties". When the body of a local beauty rep is found on a waste ground, the team suspect the Twillings will be able to help with enquiries.
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Sam takes Annie undercover, posing as a couple new to the area. With her husband lusting after the beautiful Annie, Carol takes a notion for Sam and the couple welcome the newcomers into his close circle of friends.
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Eva's credits include Vincent, Sorted and Coronation Street.
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Reece Dinsdale (Ep 5)
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When Simon Lamb's beloved wife and daughter are kidnapped, he resorts to desperate measures.
By threatening to hang himself in the station's canteen, the CID unit are forced to take his claims seriously.
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It's then up to Sam and the team to figure out who is holding Simon's family captive. But, in order to do that, they first need to figure out why they have been targeted.
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Dinsdale's TV credits include Conviction, The Chase, Love Lies Bleeding and Ahead Of The Class. His film credits include the critically acclaimed I-D.
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Ian Puleston-Davies (Ep 6)
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When a new, powerful, illegal drug, Heroin, makes its way onto the streets of Manchester, Gene Hunt and the CID unit have a race against time to stop its spread.
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"Toolbox" Terry isn't so happy about the new arrival, either. Finding an unusual conscience, he decides to rid Manchester of this new poison the only way he knows how, through torturing a suspected dealer – something that Hunt is happy to let him to do until Toolbox's real motives rear their ugly head.
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TV credits for Ian include Funland, Conviction, Vincent and Hustle. He also wrote the award-winning Dirty Filthy Love, which starred Michael Sheen.
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Alex Reid (Ep 6)
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Young and confused, Layla isn't sure who she can trust, especially since she's in a mixed race relationship – something the local community finds hard to accept.
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Having realised Layla's close relationship to someone special to him in 2007 and knowing how her life will pan out for her, Sam tries to guide her in a tricky situation when she's unsure of what path to take.
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Alex has starred in the hit film Departed and her TV work includes Sorted, The Government Inspector and Ultimate Force.
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Kieran O'Brien (Ep 7)
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When Gene Hunt gets in a spot of bother it's up to DI Sam Tyler and the rest of the CID unit to help him out. As always, Sam's methods and opinions divide the team.
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Sam's enquiry leads him to washed-up boxer Davie Mackay, a man who once loved his sport passionately but is now jaded by the industries underground criminal activities.
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Having achieved cult status as Stephen "Gruey" Grucock in the hit children's show named after his character, Kieran later went on to star in Cracker, as well as Burn It and Totally Frank.
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He also starred with John Simm in the film 24 Hour Party People, as well as playing the lead in the controversial film 9 Songs. He is soon to star in ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ One's new police drama, HolbyBlue.
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Ralph Brown (Ep 7 and 8)
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When Frank Morgan is sent from internal affairs to investigate A-Division's methods of policing, Sam Tyler finds his priorities are called in to question.
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Ralph has starred in films Withnail & I, Stoned and Wayne's World 2. His TV credits include Nighty Night, Spooks, Coronation Street and the forthcoming Cape Wrath.
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