Detective Sam Tyler is racing to save his girlfriend and colleague from a serial killer when a car crash puts him into a coma. When he wakes up he is no longer in 2006 - he is now assigned to the team run by the loudmouthed and un-politically correct DCI Gene Hunt in 1973. This was the opening premise that hooked 7 million viewers and had them glued to their screens every week as the mystery surrounding Sam deepened and his dilemma grew ever more intense. Will he ever get home again, and how? Why is he in 1973, and can he hang on to his sanity and cope with life in a very different world than the one he is used to? Is it all coma-induced, in his head, or is it real? Produced with the full backing of series production company Kudos - the makers of Spooks and Hustle - the official Life on Mars companion is packed with interviews with cast and crew and insights into the making of the series, from what first inspired it to the meticulously researched 1970s background and design. The whole is a package which brilliantly recreates the look and feel of the show - right down to the hidden 1973 Life On Mars Annual cover underneath the outside dust jacket - and which anyone who fell in love with Life On Mars on screen will want to own.

'Don't move! You're surrounded by armed bastards!' Viewers of "Life on Mars" could be forgiven for thinking that the police force of the 1970s lived by the maxim 'The rules are: there are no rules', yet it turns out that this was not the case. A fascinating historical document has now emerged which shows that there were indeed rules and in 1973 they were recorded on paper by none other than DCI Gene Hunt himself. Divided into ten sections, "The Rules of Modern Policing - 1973 Edition" covers everything from interrogating suspects and undercover operations to driving and dress code. Several of the rules are illustrated with diagrams, and photographs of DCI Hunt himself illustrating the more physical parts of the job: how to hit suspects so you don't leave a mark; how to signal the importance of your arrival by crashing into inanimate objects (cardboard boxes are a perfect example here - lots of noise; no damage to your motor); how to roll over the bonnet of your cortina without making a dick of yourself. Completing the book is an invaluable glossary of police terms, covering everything from blag to lag, and nonce to ponce. An essential reference work for fans of "Life of Mars", "The Rules of Modern Policing" offers a unique insight to seventies' law enforcement that will make you laugh until you cry like the wet little turd you are.

The hilarious companion to the cult TV series Ashes to Ashes takes a look at modern policing — a whole different kettle of fish from what it was in the seventies when coppers were heroes. Thankfully, DCI Gene Hunt’s guide has advice-a-plenty for today’s bobby.