The creators of Life on Mars have confirmed a follow-up series is on the way.
Screenwriter and creator Matthew Graham confirmed the news on social media via the account of his production company, saying he and collaborator Ashley Pharoah had finished the script for a pilot for the sequel called Lazarus.
“So Ashley Pharoah and I have completed the pilot script for Lazarus. It contains the words – Hanging, Boogie, Creme Fraiche,” the tweet reads.
So @AJPharoah and I have completed the pilot script for #Lazarus.
It contains the words –
Hanging
Boogie
Creme Fraiche— Watford&Essex ???????? (@EssexWatford) April 28, 2022
The BBC drama aired for two seasons between 2006 and 2007 before a three-series spinoff Ashes To Ashes. It tells the story of DI Sam Tyler (John Simm) who had a car accident in the year 2006 and finds himself taken back in time to ’70s Manchester. He learns that he has a boss in the shape of Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister), an old school DCI.
A new series or one-off Life On Mars programme was reportedly previously turned down by the BBC back in 2020, according to Graham’s fellow creator Ashley Pharoah. In 2018, he said it had not made “financial sense” for the corporation to make a mooted ’70s-set Christmas special.
In other BBC programme news, two new Stewart Lee stand-up specials are set to air on BBC2.
Both Snowflake and Tornado will be filmed in front of a live audience in York, as part of Bafta award-winning comedian’s current national tour across more than 60 towns and cities across the UK.
The release date for Life on Mars spinoff Lazarus is yet to be confirmed – stay tuned for updates.
