Episode Two

Following its promising debut, Ashes To Ashes sails into stormy waters. The iceberg that looms large on the horizon is the character of Alex Drake, which surprisingly was very poorly handled throughout the story.

We're meant to care for Alex's yearning to be reunited with her daughter Molly and feel her sadness surrounding the tragic early death of her parents. Yet she comes across as utterly smug, arrogant and annoying too much of the time, losing much pathos and sympathy in the process. Fortunately, Amelia Bullmore is superb as the suitably steely Caroline, suggesting that much depth lies behind her stern visage.

The central plot fails to deliver much excitement, fluctuating between pointing the finger of suspicion at the father and the son for the bombings. Ray Carling is also woefully underused compared to his days on Life On Mars.

Nonetheless, there are still pleasing flashes of humour to sustain one's interest. The prominence of bottoms as part of the copper banter is amusing, as are Chris's New Romantic endeavours, while Gene Hunt's line about the 'twanging of the royal hymen' is truly vintage. Let's hope someone twangs Alex's personality in time for the next episode.