| “ | My name is Sam Tyler. I had accident and I woke up in 1973. Am I mad, in a coma or back in time? Whatever's happened, it's like I've landed on a different planet. Now maybe if I can work out the reason, I can get home. | „ |
| ~ Sam's opening narration |
DCI/DI Sam Tyler is the main protagonist of the BBC drama Life on Mars and the overarching protagonist of its spin-off sequel Ashes to Ashes.
He is portrayed by John Simm, who also plays DS Roy Grace in Grace.
Synopsis[]
He is a detective for the Metropolitan Police Service who fell into a coma and mysteriously woke up in 1973 following a car accident in 2006. In 1973, he worked for the Manchester and Salford Police under the brutish DCI Gene Hunt.
Throughout the show, it is unclear to both Sam and the viewer as to whether Sam has gone mad, is experiencing a coma-dream, or actually time travelled. During the series, Sam experiences strange 'connections' to 2006, such as hearing doctors operate on him, and having a person on a TV begin talking about his comatose state, that seem to heavily suggest that his experiences are indeed a coma-dream while he's in his hospital bed. However, lines between this and reality are constantly blurred.
In the final episode of Life on Mars, Sam wakes up from his coma, returning to 2006. However he is depressed in the 'real world', and wishes to return to '1973' to keep his promise to his friends. Consequently, he commits suicide so he can return to 1973. The sequel series, Ashes to Ashes, reveals that the world of '1973' is actually an afterlife world, that police officials who are housing deep regrets when they die on duty go to.
Appearance[]
In 2006 Sam wears a dark blue suit briefly in the first episode and when he returns in the last episode. For most of the series whilst he is in 1973 he wears a slightly battered black leather coat with jeans or plain trousers,brown leather Florsheim boots and a gold tone Casio watch with digital readout (Module No. 1301 DI) which was not available in 1973. His shirts vary from time to time and as the series progress his sideburns are considerably lengthened. This is also seen when Sam awakes from his coma. His jacket reappeared in Series 3 of Ashes to Ashes when DI Alex Drake investigated his death in 1980. Tyler always wears a silver St. Christopher medal; the patron saint of travelling.
Personality[]
Sam is a professional, self-sufficient officer with morals, who would never become corrupt. An example of this is in "Episode 4", where he discovers the entire CID are being bribed and tries his hardest to turn them around. He is also very strict, liking to do everything by the book and can be very short tempered with people, although this may just be due to the stressful situation he is in. Sam can also be relaxed, however this side of him is rarely seen as he is usually under constant stress. Sam often pushes others away from him and usually only Annie Cartwright or Nelson can get him to open up.
While Sam tries his utmost to adhere to the law while in 1973, there are times he breaks the law based on having knowledge of future events and believing that action now will prevent future crimes. In Series 1: Episode 1 Sam produces a doctor's report that proves Edward Kramer is "seriously disturbed" which would have sent Kramer to a high-security hospital for 20–30 years. Gene and Sam argue about the evidence and eventually Gene leaves it up to Sam, shoving the letter at Sam and walking out of his office. Sam crumples up the letter and throws it away. Without this evidence, Kramer would get life in prison. By doing this, Sam believes he has prevented several future murders by the same man.
In Series 2: Episode 1, Sam tries to convince Eve Olawi to plant a gold fob watch in Tony Crane's desk, the same type of watch stolen from the murder victim who visited Tony's casino. Sam believes Crane is responsible for this murder, and knows that he is responsible for many others, including Eve's, in the future. Sam's response to Eve accusing him of trying to fit Tony up is, "I'd never fit up anybody ... who didn't deserve it." The plan backfires when Tony walks around the corner and interrupts Eve and Sam's conversation.
Trivia[]
- John Simm had quit Life on Mars after two series due to feelings of burnout after appearing in every scene. Sam Tyler was therefore absent in Ashes to Ashes, although still played a pivotal role in its narrative, especially in the third and final series. Simm had admitted regretting leaving the series, and hoped one day to reprise the role of Sam Tyler. There were plans for a sequel series to Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes titled Lazarus which would have seen the return of Tyler and Gene Hunt. It was announced in 2020, although cancelled in 2023.