Life On Mars
John Simm plays the troubled DI Sam Tyler
How was it returning to the world of Sam Tyler?
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"It was exciting to go back to the role and it was very nice to see everyone again – we slipped back into it very easily. We literally hit the ground running and it was just like before – in fact, it was almost like we were actually filming a ninth episode for series one rather than episode one of series two!
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"I hadn't had time to do another job in between so the time off just went very quickly, and suddenly we were back in to it. It was great."
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There continues to be lots of altercations between Sam and the rest of his team. Does Sam's bloody-mindedness and moral behaviour still make life difficult for him?
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"In episode three, the team are called out because of a threatened bomb blast. Obviously, Gene jumps to conclusions and assumes it's the IRA, but Sam knows that this can't be so.
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"He is absolutely certain that he is right, but Sam thinks it must be a hoax. So, when he and Ray lock horns and Ray goes to investigate, Sam honestly doesn't think that there is any risk, but Ray takes the consequences.
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"I don't think Sam would intentionally put anyone in danger – not even Ray!"
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Is Sam getting increasingly frustrated with his situation – not knowing if he's in a coma or if he's going mad?
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"I don't think Sam is frustrated, as such, I think he's resigned to the fact that he's there and he's waiting for something else to happen to give him a sign – which does happen, more or less, in every episode; he has a frightening dream or he's given the wrong drugs or he's hearing things from 2007 on the radio.
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"I think he's just waiting for another chance to wake up and get out."
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Is it true you and Philip wore Old Spice aftershave occasionally during filming to recreate that Seventies feeling?
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"Right at the very beginning of the series, Phil and I decided we'd wear Old Spice and Brut to try and get the Seventies smell every morning – to get us in the mood. We did it once and we stank so much we never did it again!
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"We both had these bottles of unused aftershave that we had been begging Emma (White), the make-up lady, to go out and buy, which she did, and we only used it once – it was a very bad idea!"
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Will you miss Life On Mars?
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"I'll miss the fact that I'm not working with these fantastic people. It was really hard work, almost like an endurance test in a lot of ways. I was in every scene so the days were really long. I was away from home for a year, and it was quite tough.
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"I'll miss the leather jacket but, hopefully, I can keep it and put it in my wardrobe – it will live on even after Life On Mars!"
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What are you up to next?
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"I have just finished filming a one-off drama for Channel 4 called the Yellow House – due on air later this year. I play Vincent Van Gogh, and it's based around when he lived in Arles, South France, with Paul Gauguin, in 1888.
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"It basically culminated in Van Gogh going mad and cutting his ear off. I enjoyed it immensely, and found it great to play someone else – especially alongside John Lynch who plays Gauguin.
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"Sadly, I don't have any originals of Van Gogh's work. However, I do have a few prints at home. I had to paint when we were filming certain scenes, which was really weird, and I had to get in to the psyche of someone who was very mentally ill at the time.
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"It was very different to playing Sam Tyler!"
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