‘Masterpiece’ BBC drama hailed as ‘best series of all time’ has fans calling it a ‘rollercoaster’

The cult classic has earned a perfect Rotten Tomatoes critics’ score, with viewers still hooked nearly two decades after its original run

A BBC drama that ended almost 20 years ago is still being hailed by viewers as one of the greatest British series ever made.

Life on Mars, the genre-bending crime drama starring John Simm and Philip Glenister, originally aired between 2006 and 2007 and has since developed a devoted cult following.

The series follows police detective Sam Tyler, played by Simm, whose life is turned upside down after a near-fatal car accident.

When Sam wakes up, he discovers that he has somehow been transported from 2006 back to 1973.

Life on Mars stars John Simm and Philip Glenister (Image: BBC)

Confused and desperate to return to his own time, Sam continues working as a detective while struggling to understand what has happened to him. His biggest obstacle is his new boss, Detective Chief Inspector Gene Hunt, played by Glenister, whose aggressive and morally questionable approach to policing is almost the complete opposite of Sam’s.

As Sam attempts to solve crimes in the unfamiliar world of 1970s Manchester, he begins questioning whether he is actually travelling through time, experiencing some kind of hallucination or trapped somewhere between life and death.

That mystery sits at the heart of the series and keeps viewers guessing throughout its two-season run.

Part police procedural and part science-fiction mystery, Life on Mars also mixes supernatural elements, dark comedy and period drama into a story that constantly keeps its audience questioning what is real.

The series takes its title from David Bowie’s iconic song, which also plays an important role in its distinctive 1970s atmosphere.

Critics were hugely impressed when the show first aired. Life on Mars holds a 100% critics’ score on Rotten Tomatoes, while the drama also won two International Emmy Awards for Best Drama Series and went on to inspire several international adaptations.

But it is the reaction from viewers that perhaps best explains why the series remains so highly regarded.

One fan described the show as a “rollercoaster”, praising the writing and saying the suspense and confusion experienced by Sam are shared by the audience.

They added that the characters become incredibly lovable despite their flaws, describing the entire series as a “masterpiece of writing.”

The viewer also admitted to being caught in a strange dilemma: wanting to savour every episode while desperately wanting the ending to arrive so they could finally understand exactly what was happening.

“I’ve never been so hooked on a show whilst wanting the ending to come sooner,” they wrote.

Life on Mars is available to stream on BBC iPlayer (Image: BBC)

Another viewer went even further, naming Life on Mars as the “best British series of all time” in an online discussion about the greatest British television shows.

The chemistry between Simm and Glenister is another major reason for the show’s enduring popularity.

Sam represents a modern, more restrained approach to policing, while Gene Hunt embodies the rough-and-ready attitudes of the 1970s. Their constant clashes provide much of the show’s humour and tension, but their complicated relationship gradually becomes one of its strongest elements.

What begins as a seemingly impossible journey through time eventually becomes a much deeper story about identity, memory, friendship and the search for answers.

And that combination of mystery and character-driven drama has helped Life on Mars remain relevant long after its original broadcast.

For anyone who missed the series the first time around — or simply wants to revisit one of the BBC’s most distinctive dramas — it remains a highly recommended watch.

Life on Mars is available to stream on BBC iPlayer.