Ashes to Ashes/Characters

DCI Gene Hunt (Philip Glenister)


Also known as the 'Gene Genie', the boozing, womanizing, rough-housing, politically incorrect DCI. He's not the freewheeling Big Dog that he was in Manchester; London is too big for him to take on the "sheriff" role he had Oop North. DI Sam Tyler (see Life On Mars 2006) must have been a good influence, as Gene is now on a mission to clean up the corrupt police force.


 * Asskicking Equals Authority
 * Badass
 * Billing Displacement
 * Cowboy Cop
 * Fan of the Past: specifically, the Old West, and trying to live-up to Gary Cooper roles, specially High Noon
 * Gene Hunt Interrogation Technique: Trope Namer, for his creative and deeply horrifying-yet-hilarious ways of extracting information from suspects.
 * Judge, Jury, and Executioner: Less often than in Life on Mars.
 * Licensed Sexist
 * Noble Bigot with a Badge
 * No Indoor Voice
 * Refuge in Audacity: The stunt with the naked suspects, the pool table, and the phrase "God save the Queen" in 1x02.
 * Wife Husbandry: With Alex. Though justified, what with the time travel.
 * Refuge in Audacity: The stunt with the naked suspects, the pool table, and the phrase "God save the Queen" in 1x02.
 * Wife Husbandry: With Alex. Though justified, what with the time travel.
 * Wife Husbandry: With Alex. Though justified, what with the time travel.

DI Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes)


The time traveler this time around. She's a psychologist and an expert in profiling, and was writing a book about Sam Tyler. Alex is divorced from her former husband, Peter, and they have a daughter named Molly.


 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Dirty Harriet: A few times, including the pilot, where half of Fenchurch mistakes her for a prostitute.
 * Fish Out of Temporal Water
 * Genre Savvy and Wrong Genre Savvy - Alex initially thought she knew exactly what was happening to her - specifically, that she was in Life on Mars - but she and the audience are increasingly certain that she doesn't have complete information.
 * Heroic BSOD: Alex is kind of prone to these, though they are understandable.
 * I'm Ms. Future Pop Culture Reference
 * Lady Drunk: "Signorina Drake, you drink so much."
 * Ms. Fanservice: Oh boy howdy is she ever. Shall we list? Hooker Dress #1 in the pilot, bare bum-stamping in 1.02, Catwoman costume in 1.03, strips to her bra in 1.04, Hooker Dress #2 in 1.05, down to her bra again in 1.06, the many, many off-the-shoulder, bra-strap-baring tops, her various high-heeled boots . . . and this is just season one.
 * Tsundere
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: With Ray in Season 3.
 * Woman in White: Her leather jacket, most notably, though she wears white dresses a number of times.
 * Woman in White: Her leather jacket, most notably, though she wears white dresses a number of times.

DC Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster)


A slightly nervous, slightly bumbling member of the team. He's developed an affinity for technology, which he says he picked up from none other than Sam Tyler.


 * Beware the Nice Ones
 * Butt Monkey: At least until his CMOA in 3.07.
 * Gadgeteer Genius: "Genius" is probably overstating things a tad, but Chris is more comfortable with technology than anyone, except possibly Alex.
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Ray.
 * Insistent Terminology: Chris is cautious, not nervous.
 * The So-Called Coward: Cautious, remember. Not nervous. Not incapable of badassery.
 * Took a Level In Badass: Chris gets a lot darker and a lot more serious between seasons 2 and 3.
 * Those Two Guys (with Ray)
 * Wide-Eyed Idealist: In the beginning, though not after season 2.
 * You Can Leave Your Hat On: Chris gets "attractively postmodern" to Shaz in 2.01.
 * Those Two Guys (with Ray)
 * Wide-Eyed Idealist: In the beginning, though not after season 2.
 * You Can Leave Your Hat On: Chris gets "attractively postmodern" to Shaz in 2.01.

DS (later DI) Ray Carling (Dean Andrews)


A rough character who seems to live most of his life with little to no control over his impulses. Has nothing but contempt for minorities, women, and anyone who isn't a 'man's man'. But Ray is not without redeeming qualities, having a crooked streak of chivalry running through him.


 * Character Development: Both he and Alex start to respect each other more in Series 2; and in series 3, not only does he get an excellent day in the limelight episode, he makes DI and is generally more respected by the team.
 * Cowboy Cop
 * Heterosexual Life Partners: With Chris
 * Jack Bauer Interrogation Technique
 * Jerkass: For the first two seasons.
 * Jerk with a Heart of Gold: It takes a while, but we finally see a softer, empathetic, and very perceptive side to Ray in 3x03.
 * Porn Stache
 * Those Two Guys (with Chris)
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: Ray and Alex get there in Season 3.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: Ray's daddy issues
 * Vitriolic Best Buds: Ray and Alex get there in Season 3.
 * "Well Done, Son" Guy: Ray's daddy issues

WPC (later DC) Sharon "Shaz" Granger (Montserrat Lombard)


Chris' love interest. She is a gifted cop, but no one (except Alex) takes her seriously.


 * Brainy Brunette
 * Dude, Where's My Respect?: Shaz is dismissed by everyone except Alex.
 * Girl Next Door
 * Fair Cop
 * Manic Pixie Dream Girl: To Chris for much of the series.
 * Roma: As we find out in 2.02, but it's never mentioned again.
 * Sempai-Kohai: with Alex.
 * Took a Level In Badass: Her Crowning Moment of Awesome in 2x08 -
 * Sempai-Kohai: with Alex.
 * Took a Level In Badass: Her Crowning Moment of Awesome in 2x08 -

PC (later Sergeant) Vivian "Viv" James (Geoff Francis)


Uniformed Sergeant at Fenchurch East.


 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Genius Bruiser: Solves the cryptographic clues in 1.04 and still manages to knock heads.
 * Token Minority
 * Token Minority
 * Token Minority
 * Token Minority

Luigi (Joseph Long)


Long-suffering owner of the restaurant all the coppers hang out in.


 * Butt Monkey
 * Deadpan Snarker
 * Shipper on Deck: He really, really wants Alex and Gene to R their UST.

PC Martin Summers (Gwylim Lee - Young!Martin, Adrian Dunbar - Older!Martin)
Fellow time-traveller and all 'round creepy dude, Summers makes Alex's life un-fun during season 2.


 * Affably Evil
 * Driven to Villainy
 * For the Evulz: His explanation for why he's such a creep, why he's stalking Alex, and why he's not a nice guy? It's fun.
 * I'm Mr. Future Pop Culture Reference
 * Never the Selves Shall Meet: Subverted, so very much.

DCI Jim Keats (Daniel Mays)


Ostensibly sent from HQ to keep an eye on Fenchurch East, he actually has a more personal vendetta against Gene Hunt. He'll stop at nothing to bring Hunt down.


 * Big Bad: One of the biggest and baddest on the show.
 * Cheshire Cat Grin
 * Evil Counterpart: To Gene.
 * Evil Is Hammy:
 * Face Heel Turn: One of the fastest and most surprising we've seen.
 * Four Eyes, Zero Soul
 * Glasses Pull: He seems to wear his horn-rimmed specs mainly so he can take them off for emphasis.
 * Inspector Javert
 * It's Personal: He knows what Gene Hunt did three years ago. And he's taking him and his entire team down for it.
 * Knight of Cerebus: Much more of a threat than the Bowie Clown, Supermac, or Martin Summers.
 * Manipulative Bastard: After 3x04, it becomes very clear that he's pulling the strings.
 * Magnificent Bastard: By the finale, he's evolved into one.
 * Obstructive Bureaucrat
 * : And not a very nice one, either, as we find out in 3.04 and 3.06.
 * : revealed in the finale (honestly, don't highlight this until you watch it).
 * The Corrupter: His main goal, besides bringing down Gene, is to get Ray, Chris, Shaz, and especially Alex to turn on Gene.
 * Took A Level in Villainy: Oh my god, and how. Keats escalates from mild-mannered Obstructive Bureaucrat in 3.01 to  in the finale.
 * Tyrant Takes the Helm
 * Took A Level in Villainy: Oh my god, and how. Keats escalates from mild-mannered Obstructive Bureaucrat in 3.01 to  in the finale.
 * Tyrant Takes the Helm