Ashes To Ashes

Keeley Hawes (Spooks) has beaten hundreds of hopefuls to don her leg warmers and play ambitious, psychological profiler, DI Alex Drake who, when finding herself stuck in 1981, takes on the infamous DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) in Ashes To Ashes, the eagerly-anticipated sequel to Life On Mars, it was announced today.

Alex has rapidly risen through the ranks of the Met in the modern world of 2008.

However, she is ripped from her current world of sexual equality and respect and finds herself faced with the boorish Gene in a two-tone, New Romantic, Eighties London with a soundtrack of Adam Ant, Roxy Music and The Human League ringing in her ears.

Today, Keeley said: "I'm thrilled to be playing Alex. She's a fantastic character and will be a force to be reckoned with as far as Gene Hunt is concerned; the two of them locking horns in the Eighties will certainly be a sight to behold, never mind the shoulder pads."

Jane Featherstone, Executive Producer for Kudos, said: "Keeley will be fantastic as Alex 'posh knickers' Drake. She is sexy, ballsy and very intelligent, exactly like Alex – she's bound to turn Gene's egocentric life upside down!"

After a gripping finale to the critically-acclaimed and multi award-winning Life On Mars on BBC One, Kudos, Monastic Productions and the BBC are delighted to announce the next chapter – Ashes To Ashes.

DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister) is back but he's no longer the self-styled "Sheriff of Manchester".

Flanked by his faithful sidekicks, Ray Carling (Dean Andrews) and Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster), and drawn to the action and intrigue of the London Met, Gene turns his attentions to taking on the "southern nancy" criminal scum.

However, Gene does not expect to be thrown together with sexy, intelligent, DCI Alex Drake.

Single mother to daughter Molly, Alex has rapidly risen through the ranks of the Met and, in the modern world of 2008, skilfully uses psychological profiling to capture suspects.

When Alex and her daughter are kidnapped she makes a daring attempt at escape, resulting in a horrific accident.

Alex suddenly finds herself in 1981 interacting with familiar characters, not just from her own life-time, but also from the detailed reports logged by none other than Sam Tyler, which Alex has previously spent months pouring over.