archytele The Vault
Season guide

Life on Mars: Series 1

8 episodes Premiered Jan 9, 2006 Updated Jul 29, 2026

The first series of Life on Mars focuses on Sam's life following a crash and his arrival in 1973. Elements suggest he may be mad, in a coma, or travelled back in time. Sam is informed that he is part of the CID department in Manchester in 1973, with DI Gene Hunt as his superior. Sam finds it difficult to understand this revelation and spends most of the series working alone, often against his team and Gene. The serie

Season overview

The first series of Life on Mars focuses on Sam's life following a crash and his arrival in 1973. Elements suggest he may be mad, in a coma, or travelled back in time. Sam is informed that he is part of the CID department in Manchester in 1973, with DI Gene Hunt as his superior. Sam finds it difficult to understand this revelation and spends most of the series working alone, often against his team and Gene. The series explores Sam's experiences and interactions with the people and culture of 1973, as he navigates his new surroundings and tries to make sense of his situation.

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Episodes

S1·E1

Episode 1

Jan 9, 2006 · 59 min

After a car accident in 2006, Sam Tyler wakes up in 1973. Sam's 21st Century attitudes make him a fish out of water in this world of clunky technology and old fashioned policing. A

S1·E2

Episode 2

Jan 16, 2006 · 58 min

Sam decides he has to embrace this world - for now. But then he discovers Gene is planning to plant evidence to secure the conviction of Kim Trent, an elusive criminal. Shocked by

S1·E3

Episode 3

Jan 23, 2006 · 59 min

When Sam responds to a fatal stabbing at Crester's Textiles he's shocked to discover that it's the converted mill where he lives in 2006. Sam sets up a forensic investigation but G

S1·E4

Episode 4

Jan 30, 2006 · 59 min

Gene believes that local gangster Stephen Warren and the police can co-exist and that the streets are safer as a result. But Sam knows that in the future, dodgy deals like this wil

S1·E5

Episode 5

Feb 6, 2006 · 59 min

Sam and Gene go undercover in a local pub to solve the murder of a local Manchester United fan. As Gene looks like he's set to drink the pub dry, Sam worries about their chances of

S1·E6

Episode 6

Feb 13, 2006 · 59 min

When his mother's voice bleeds through from 2006 and he hears her say goodbye to him, Sam is desperate - he's alive and determined to make himself heard. But then the call comes in

S1·E7

Episode 7

Feb 20, 2006 · 59 min

Sam demands a transparent investigation into the death-in-custody of small-time drug dealer Billy Kemble. He believes that if the police don't police themselves, the public will ne

S1·E8

Episode 8

Feb 27, 2006 · 59 min

Sam is finally accepting of this world - until he comes face to face with his 29 year-old dad, Vic. Vic Tyler is a small time gambler who unwittingly finds himself at the centre of