Life On Mars
Marshall Lancaster plays the naive DC Chris Skelton
Chris has a dating disaster and turns to Sam for advice. Does he sense that Sam has a way with the ladies?
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"Chris thinks that Sam's doing alright with Annie and he pulled Joni in series one, so I think Chris has realised Sam is a bit of a ladies man. Don't forget, it looked like even Sam's own mother was after him at some point during series one!
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"Sam did advise Chris that he didn't have to fill a girl with alcohol to get her to like him. However, I've always found the cider and black route is the better way!"
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How has Chris changed this series?
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"Not too much – I still get the hilarious one-liners and comedy moments. There was one great scene – that sadly got cut in the end – where Chris is describing to Sam how his morning had started. In the flashback, you saw him in his bedroom wearing Incredible Hulk underpants, playing with his action toys when his mum calls up to him.
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"It was a great scene because it gave you an insight into the life behind the character, as well as it being very funny but, apparently, I was too buff for the scene to stay in! The pants were hilarious, though, Emma (Rosenthal, costume) had a few pairs that she came up with and, what with it being the Seventies, they chose the worst ones!"
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His loyalties seem to be still split between Ray and Sam. Does Chris try and keep the peace?
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"He just tries to please everyone. He understands the different angles that both Sam and Ray are coming from. He is quite perceptive in that way – he's not just a wally all the time! At one point, near the end of the series, Chris even loses his rag with Sam – which is a completely different side to him."
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How do you feel about Life On Mars coming to an end?
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"I think it is probably right to end the series now. All good things have to come to an end at some point. I'm missing it a bit now, but it's right that it finishes rather than people waiting for ages to see how it ends.
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"I do miss filming the car chases and the typical cop gun scenes, though. It is nice to be in CID doing those scenes, too, but they tend to be a bit heavier in exploring Sam's psychological status, and car chases are great fun! In episode two, there is a raid in a post office that was great to film.
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"As much as I miss filming it, I'm now able to look forward to watching them."
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What else do you have in the pipeline?
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"After the latest series of Life On Mars I went on to film a bit on Coronation Street, I played a dirty scrubber called Slug! I've just been on screen leading Becky (Katherine Kelly) into more trouble with Roy and Hayley."
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What was it like filming on Coronation Street?
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"It felt strange, because these are people I've seen on my TV for such a long time. On my first day, I walked in the cafe, Roy's Rolls, and Liz Dawn (Vera Duckworth) was there and she said to me: 'It's just like any other Monday morning to me, love, but then again I've been here 25 years!'
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"I had also worked with Katherine Kelly before on Life On Mars (she plays Sam's Aunt in episode four) so she looked after me and introduced me to everyone."
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