Life On Mars star John Simm has revealed that the long-awaited sequel to the hit time-travelling cop show has appeared to have vanished. Speaking on The One Show on Wednesday, March 15, the actor broke the news that plans for Lazarus - the much-hyped follow-up to the popular BBC drama - have disappeared into thin air.
The twisty-turny tale of a present day Detective Inspector called Sam Tyler (played by Simm) who finds himself transported back to the 1970s following a near-fatal car crash, Life On Mars ran from 2006 to 2007 and was a massive ratings and awards success. It also spawned a subsequent spin-off called Ashes to Ashes which starred Keeley Hawes and saw the welcome return for Phillip Glenister's famously gruff and politically incorrect anti-hero, DCI Gene Hunt.
And only last year Simm teased fans about how the show's bosses had come up with an idea about bringing it back. That was then followed by confirmation from the series' creators Ashley Pharoah and Matthew Graham that they'd penned the comeback's pilot episode.
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However, it now seems that the new show Lazarus - named after David Bowie's last ever single, thereby keeping with the theme of christening each series after the late singer's tunes - has hit a stumbling block. Asked about it by The One Show host Alex Jones, Simm replied, "All I know is that there was a script which me and Phil Glenister both read and loved.
"We thought it was great. But since then it seems to have gone into some sort of development 'place' and it's taking forever (to emerge). So we just don't know."
The news didn't go down well with Life On Mars fans watching at home either. "Nothing is more heartbreaking on this day than John Simm saying the Life on Mars/Ashes to Ashes bridge series Lazarus is in development hell," tweeted one viewer.
"I think about his on a daily basis," added another. Meanwhile, a third posted, "Why do I now get the feeling it'll end up not happening?"
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