| Sam Tyler | |
|---|---|
| Life on Mars character | |
 John Simm as Sam Tyler in Life on Mars |
|
| First appearance | Life on Mars: Episode 1, series 1 |
| Last appearance | Life on Mars: Series 2, episode 8 |
| Portrayed by | John Simm |
| Information | |
| Occupation | Police Officer Greater Manchester Police (2006) Manchester and Salford Police (1973) |
| Title | Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) (2006) Detective Inspector (DI) (1973) |
| Spouse(s) | Annie Cartwright (after series events) |
| Nationality | British |
DCI/DI Sam Tyler is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, Life on Mars.
In the original British version of Life on Mars, Tyler is played by John Simm and in the American version he is played by Jason O'Mara.
Contents |
During episode one of the first series, Sam Tyler is a police officer in service with Greater Manchester Police (GMP). After being hit by a car in 2006, Tyler awakes in 1973 and finds himself working for the predecessor of the GMP, the Manchester and Salford Police. Throughout both series, it is unclear to both the character and audience whether he is in a coma, mad or has actually travelled back in time.
Upon waking in 1973, Tyler finds himself working at the same station he is based at in 2006 under DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister). Over the course of the two series, Tyler frequently clashes with Hunt over their different policing methods. Tyler, being a 21st century detective is forensically aware whereas Hunt is often corrupt and brutal in order to catch criminals.
Throughout the series, Tyler frequently sees and hears things from his life in 2006. Tyler often sees moving images from the present day on his television, hears loved ones and medical staff talk about him through phones and portable radios and is stalked by the Test Card Girl (Rafaella Hutchinson & Harriet Rogers). Tyler also eventually becomes good friends with WPC Annie Cartwright (Liz White) and is the only character who he reveals his situation to. Tyler also becomes friends with DC Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster), who he introduces to modern policing techniques and evidence recording. Tyler is often seen to clash with DS Ray Carling (Dean Andrews) as he values brutal and corrupt policing methods in the same way as DCI Gene Hunt.
During episode four and episode eight, Tyler meets his mother, Ruth (Joanne Froggatt) and his father, Vic (Lee Ingleby) along with meeting the parents of his future girlfriend, Maya Roy. While part of Hunt's Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Tyler tries many different ways to return to the present day, thinking that he may have been sent back to stop a man who eventually kills in 2006, bring down Gene Hunt and persuade his father to stay with his mother, which are all revealed to be unsuccessful.
During the series finale, Acting DCI Frank Morgan is introduced as a new character to temporarily oversee CID while Gene Hunt is wrongly suspected of murder. Tyler is convinced that Morgan is his surgeon attempting to revive him from his coma in 2006, which leads Tyler to doubt if he is from the future after Morgan convinces him that he has been involved in a car crash in 1973 and was especially recruited to join Hunt's CID and expose corruption, with Morgan explaining that Tyler has confused his false cover-story with his real life since the accident.
Frank Morgan eventually convinces Tyler that his job is to expose Gene Hunt and his corrupt CID while on an undercover operation to catch a violent armed-robber, Leslie Johns. While the operation is in process, Chris, Gene, Ray and Annie all come under fire from Leslie Johnsand his group. Tyler rushes to Frank Morgan who is watching from inside a nearby train tunnel and asked for armed assistance, Morgan refuses and tells Tyler that they are to let Hunt and the rest of CID die in the fire-fight, as it is the perfect way to expose Hunt. After talking to Morgan, Tyler wakes up in 2006.
Upon waking in 2006, having promised Annie to return and save her from the fire-fight, Tyler launches himself from the roof of the police station in order to return to 1973. Sam re-appears in 1973 in the same place, with Morgan watching the fire-fight, and save's the teams life by shooting Leslie Johns dead. After being thanked by the team and kissing Annie, Tyler gets a message from 2006 stating that he is "slipping away", implying that he has chosen to stay in 1973. Tyler turns off the radio and drives off into the sunset with Hunt and the rest of the team.
Series creators Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham have confirmed that they intended Sam's jump to be suicide. In an interview with the Manchester Evening News, Graham states that Sam is now in the afterlife, where time lasts an eternity compared to the few seconds of the suicide jump: "The truth is, when I wrote it, what I was trying to say is that he's died, and that for however long that last second of life is going to be, it will stretch out for an age, as an eternity for him. And so when he drives off in that car, he's really driving off into the afterlife."[1]
During Ashes to Ashes, a spin-off from Life on Mars set in 1981, it is revealed that Sam Tyler lived for a further seven years. He eventually married Annie Cartwright and died in 1980 after unintentionally driving his car into a river while in pursuit of a suspect, with his body never being recovered.
While Tyler is in 2006, he is shown to be weaing a dark blue suit. Upon waking in 1973, he wears a black leather coat with jeans or plain trousers and typical boots of the day.
Sam is displayed to be a professional officer with morals who is not involved in corruption. An example of this is in "episode four", where he discovers the entire CID are being bribed and tries turn them around. He is also very strict, liking to do everything by the book and can be very short tempered with people. Sam often pushes others away from him and usually only Annie Cartwright or Nelson can get him to open up.
Sam's main relationship in the show is with Annie Cartwright who often helps him when he is struggling to cope.
The young Chris shows no understanding of Sam but respects him, seeing Sam as a role model; for example, in one episode it is revealed that he has begun taping interviews with suspects, as Sam does. However, Chris is apparently quite impressionable and often torn between following Sam's example and those of Gene Hunt or Ray Carling. In the series finale it is clear that Chris' loyalty is to Hunt first and foremost; he is repulsed by Sam's betrayal of him.
DS Ray Carling has very little respect for Sam, considering his methods, at best, overly cautious and a waste at time. He frequently insults Sam openly or disobeys his orders, (for example, failing to guard an informant in episode 2). Carling's extreme loyalty to Hunt is often a source of conflict as Sam questions Hunt's methods. In the series finale Ray furiously tells Sam that while he may be able to take Hunt's job, he can never measure up to him as a man.
Despite his frequent disagreements with Sam, Gene Hunt gradually develops some small, grudging respect for his tireless and methodical investigation techniques. When he was framed for murder in "Series 2: Episode 7", Hunt rang Sam first, believing that despite their differences Sam would work to prove his innocence while the other officers might accept his guilt.
According to Ashes to Ashes, Sam lived for another seven years after the events of the final episode of Life on Mars.
In Episode 1, it appears that Ray's attitude to Sam softened slightly in that time. Ray acknowledged Sam's bravery in saving his colleagues during the last episode of Life on Mars, but he still criticises his tendency to disobey Hunt. Indeed, Ray attributes Sam's death to his going off alone, not waiting for Hunt as Ray told him, and advises Alex Drake not to follow this example.
The same episode shows that Hunt keeps copies of Sam's obituaries on his office wall.
In Episode 2 of series 2, Ray comments on the irony that he has become a 'tyler' at his Masonic lodge.
In Episode 4 of series 2, journalist Jackie Queen (who had previously appeared in Life on Mars) states that Sam married Annie, but had no children. She wrote an obituary for him, describing him as the most loved man she had ever met.
In the same episode, Chris Skelton operates the receiver for a wireless bug, and boasts that he had been taught about such things by "The great Sam Tyler himself." In an episode of Life on Mars, Sam had previously been treated with ridicule for advocating the use of electronic surveillance. Chris' boast, and the lack of any rebuke from his colleagues, may imply that by 1982 Sam had gone up in the estimation of his CID colleagues.
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