Cult Spy Icon: Chris Skelton ('Ashes To Ashes')

Every show needs the proverbial 'tin dog'. Doctor Who had Mickey Smith, Buffy had Xander and Ashes To Ashes is adorned by the fresh faced innocence of DC Chris Skelton. Their roles are to provide the comic relief and often be the butt of any joke or humiliating deed going around.

Chris demonstrated his youthful appeal in Life On Mars, forming a nice contrast to the brutishly blunt Gene Hunt and the prejudice-ridden Ray Carling. It was on its 80s based follow-up that the lad really came out of his shell though, becoming an action man, impressionist, boyfriend, flasher and bog-searcher. He was responsible for a variety of hilarious and endearing moments that helped to alleviate Ashes from any depressive reaction to the nauseating smugness of Alex Drake, along with creating a neat contrast to some of the harder-hitting socio-political themes.

Highlights included his Riverdance-style attempts to dodge bullets on the banks of the Thames in the opening episode, leaping to safety like a desperate salmon trying to belly flop upstream; his unconvincing surveillance double act with Ray; and the dodgy impressions of both Taxi Driver era Robert De Niro and Leonard Rossiter's Rigsby from Rising Damp.

When a fall guy was needed, Alex stomped straight to Chris and put him in charge of fishing a crooked fundraiser's gun out of the U-Bend in a public toilet. Furthermore, Gene's fear of Lord Scarman's visit prompted him to make Chris a fake inmate with the cover story of indecently exposing himself on a bus! Aww, bless him!

Ashes To Ashes also witnessed some love action for the chirpy chappy. Hooking up with the equally sweet and dodgy-barneted Shaz, the couple never actually shared an on screen snog but were definitely an item. The outfit and make-up worn by Chris in a bid to impress his ladyfriend at a New Romantic club is the stuff of legend - especially as his fellow police officers unexpectedly turned up. He has a lot to learn on charming the opposite sex though. He tried to talk Shaz round into seeing Friday The 13th Part Two with him because it was set by a lake - and therefore must be romantic!

DC Chris Skelton - long may you keep wagging your tail.

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