Ashes to Ashes tonight on BBC America

Don't forget season two (series two) of Ashes to Ashes starts on BBC America tonight at 10pm EST!

And now, promotional photos (in HQ) for series three of Ashes.





(Photos: K-H.com.) Read More......

More from the Ian Wylie Interview

Ian Wylie (author of the Keeley interview in The Manchester Times) has posted some more excerpts from his interview with Keeley on his blog. Read More......

Keeley on Twitter!

Keeley has joined Twitter! She's tweeting as kcj100.

It isn't a verified account (yet), but this was first reported by Keeley-Hawes.com. They are in contact with Keeley/her agent, so I assume they verified the account themselves before posting the announcement.

(Picture from the 2008 press tour for Ashes.) Read More......

Keeley on the End of Ashes to Ashes

There's long interview with Keeley about the ending of Ashes to Ashes in the April 29, 2010 edition of The Manchester Evening News:

As is the way with filming, the last scene captured is not the final one viewers will see on screen. “It was a very strange ending to the whole thing,” explains Keeley.

"We finished shooting on February 10th, which is mine and Phil’s birthday, which is odd to begin with. And we were in a crematorium and it was a night shoot. So we all ended up outside this crem in a graveyard.

“There was a big cake for me and a big cake for Phil and some champagne - and we’re trying to be very quiet and respectful, whilst trying to celebrate a little bit. It was very odd, very surreal, a little bit dark and quite funny, which is all very appropriate for Ashes.

“It was a good way to end, a perfect ending, really. Ultimately you think, ‘God, it was such a big part of all our lives and so life changing for everybody in one way or another.’ But it’s also nice to think, ‘Right, we’ve done it, we’ve got to the ending.’”

Read the whole article. Read More......

New Ashes Interview

Whats on TV, March 23, 2010.

Where do we find Alex?
"We open with Gene on the run and he has to get her out of this coma to get himself out of the situation. Acting in a coma isn’t like acting dead because you can breathe. I just shut my eyes and think of England."

Is she more settled in the 1980s?
"Well, her confidence has been shaken before and things have been completely turned on their head, but in episode one something happens that takes her a step even further away from her real life. She now has a reason behind her forgetting about her past and this becoming her world. A new character called Jim Keats [played by Daniel Mays] shakes things up because he seems to know a lot more about things than perhaps she thought was possible."

How has she changed?
"She’s not as much of a feminist any more, she is Alex Drake, she is a male bird. I always knew that this would go for three years so it had to go from one extreme to the other so she has changed a lot and I think it’s quite obvious by now that she is hopelessly in love with the Gene Genie whether or not she knows it."

What is Alex’s look like this time?
"It’s slightly smarter. By now Alex has definitely had time to go out shopping and create a look of her own rather than getting her clothes from the back of a dead woman, so it is more grown-up and a very good fresh look."

Is this series darker?
Yes, it was dark last year, but now with the Keats character coming in, it’s even more so. It’s very difficult to get the balance right. You want to see the Quattro come screeching around the corner and the boots come out of the door, but you want the dark side, too. There is a bit of everything in here; I think it is the best one yet."

Are you pleased with the ending?
"Oh yes. It is something that has been speculated about so much that I’m sure someone is going to work it out what happens, but we didn’t. It is such a great ending. The scripts for the last two episodes are just so fantastic and mind-boggling. I don’t think there is anything else like Ashes on telly. It’s so inventive."

Will you miss the show?
"I was absolutely dreading the last couple of weeks because I love the cast so much. Also, Ashes is a job unlike any other. With this, you finish filming and it just doesn’t go away. People shout at you in the street... It's been life-changing for me." Read More......

Ashes (Series 3) Press Packet

The BBC has released the press packet for Series Three of Ashes to Ashes, including the interview below.

Click here to go to the press pack, which includes detailed synopses for episodes one and two. The air date for Ashes has yet to be officially announced. (It will not premiere March 23, as previously rumored, but possibly the week of March 29, according to Ian Wylie.)



March 10, 2010, from the BBC Press Office.

Sexy, sassy and more than a match for DCI Gene Hunt, DI Alex Drake is still trying to unravel the mystery of why she's stuck in Hunt's world. Does the new member of CID overseeing Hunt's empire hold the key, or is it his aim to turn Alex against Gene?

Actress Keeley Hawes reveals what's in store for the feisty DI.

"This series starts with Alex back in what appears to be the present day," explains Keeley, "but it soon becomes apparent that things aren't as they seem and odd incidents start to happen.

"She realises that the reality she is in isn't real and the Fenchurch East gang start to call her back to 1983 where she has been stuck in a coma for three months."

After Gene rouses Alex from her comatose state, she returns to CID, desperate to try and solve the riddle of how to get back home to her daughter Molly.

However, a new arrival at Fenchurch East starts to make her doubt the one person she thought she could trust.

"DCI Jim Keats is played by Danny Mays and he's very charming to Alex," reveals Keeley.

"She likes him, despite the fact Gene has a different opinion. Gene and Keats' relationship seems to take place behind closed doors and he acts very differently towards Gene than he does with the rest of the team.

"Keats tries to split up Gene and Alex's partnership. Slowly but surely he starts to drive a wedge between the two of them and Alex starts to wonder if she can really trust Gene," continues Keeley.

"Alex also believes that, if she can solve the mystery surrounding Sam Tyler, she'll be able to get home and Keats points her in the direction of evidence which implicates Gene in his death."

There may be a question mark over Jim Keats' real intentions in Ashes To Ashes but Keeley reveals the actor playing him couldn't be nicer.

"Danny is absolutely lovely!" she exclaims. "He has to play a very difficult role and I think he's done it brilliantly. I really enjoyed filming scenes with both Danny and Phil because they spar off each other so well."

Ashes To Ashes is set in the Eighties so throughout its three-year run Keeley has had to wear some amazingly colourful outfits.

But what's been her favourite costume from this series and has she taken anything home with her?

"Our costume designer has had more freedom this year and she's done a gorgeous job," reveals the London-born actress.

"I really liked the outfit Gene gave to Alex in hospital which consisted of a t-shirt with the New York skyline on it and skinny jeans.

"I think it's been easier this year because we haven't been restricted to all the clothes for the series being originals from the period. There seems to be so much Eighties stuff in the shops at the moment that we actually went out and bought some clothes. The costume department also made a lot of things.

"I have taken a couple of pairs of boots with me," confides Keeley, "and I've got Alex's white leather jacket which I think I'll auction off for charity.

"I've also got the most fantastic pair of red Dorothy-style sequined shoes with a bow on the front of them. They remind me of the moment when Dorothy clicks her ruby shoes to go home."

The finale of Ashes To Ashes is about to air and Alex Drake's journey looks set to come to an end – how does Keeley feel about the end of her journey working on the series?

"It's very sad in some respects because I've been working with the cast and crew for so long, but it feels the right time to finally find out the mystery surrounding Alex's world. In this business you find people pop up all the time so you never know when you are going work with someone again." Read More......

Keeley Filming Ashes (9/18/09)

Keeley filming the third series of Ashes to Ashes in London, the weekend of September 18, 2009.





(Photo source: The Daily Mail.) Read More......

On the Set of Ashes to Ashes (September 12, 2009)

Keeley, Philip and Ashes to Ashes crew members on the set in London, September 12, 2009.

Click to enlarge.






























(Photos: Contact Music.) Read More......

Third Series of Ashes Begins Filming

The third and final series of Ashes to Ashes recently began filming. Daniel Mays is joining the cast as Discipline and Complaints Officer Jim Keats. Series Three will air in 2010.

And Keeley -- or rather, Alex -- has a new look for the new series!

Articles on the new season:
What's on TV
Seen It
Press Release from BBC Read More......

Ashes Renewed for Third and Final Series

The BBC has renewed Ashes to Ashes for a third and final series (season). Filming will begin in September 2009, and the series will air in 2010.

You can read more about the renewal on The Life of Wylie. Read More......

Ashes to Ashes (2008-2010)

Genre: TV Series, Mystery, Crime, Fantasy

Writers: Matthew Graham, Mark Greig and Ashley Pharoah

Synopsis: In this spin-off from Life on Mars, DI Alex Drake finds herself transported from 2008 back to 1981, where she meets DCI Gene Hunt and his side kicks, DI Carling and DC Skelton.

Keeley's Role: DI Alex Drake

Other Cast Members:
Philip Glenister as DCI Gene Hunt
Dean Andrews as DI Ray Carling
Marshall Lancaster as DC Chris Skelton
Monserrat Lombard as WPC Shaz Granger
Amelia Bullmore as Caroline Price
Stephen Campbell Moore as Evan White
Andrew Clover as The Clown/Tim Price

Status: Renewed for a third and final series (season). Series three is expected to consist of 8 episodes and will begin filming September 2009 with an expected airdate in 2010.

The second series of 8 episodes aired on BBC1 starting April 21, 2009 and finished June 8, 2009. Filming of the second series began September 8, 2008 and ended in March 2009.

The first series consisted of 8 60-minute episodes and aired on BBC1 on Thursday nights at 9pm February 7, 2008 until March 27, 2008, and on BBCAmerica on Saturday nights at 9pm March 7, 2009 until April 25, 2009. Filming occurred July - December 2008.

Links:
Ashes to Ashes photos
Ashes to Ashes Series Two photos

also see,
IMDb
BBC America site
Wikipedia
Ashes to Ashes TV (fan blog)
Dean Andrews's blog
Philip Glenister's official website Read More......