Gene Hunt's language 'toned down'

The writer of Life On Mars today said that in the original scripts for the show, the character of Gene Hunt had used more racially offensive language than had finally made it into the programme.

Co-creator of the hit BBC One show, Ashley Pharoah, who was speaking at MGEITF today, said in the early script reading sessions, the writing team decided some of Hunt's more 'racist' lines should be cut.

"We self censored, and so it certainly isn't a true depiction of policing in 1973, but we did it so people would like Gene Hunt as a character," Pharoah said, "We needed him to be the centre of the show."

Pharoah also said that the Life On Mars team felt uncomfortable about some of the racist language that was originally written for the character, saying of that moment in the script meetings, "there was a intake of breath from around the room." Though he added that the team had laughed at the homophobic and sexist language that eventually appeared in the show.

Following the first appearance of Hunt in Life On Mars, Pharoah said that he wasn't surprised the character was popular with some people for the wrong reasons. "He became a pin-up for the Daily Mail. They lost the irony, but I think they knew exactly what they were doing," he said.