A-Division receive a bomb warning, the caller claiming the IRA are about to extend their bombing campaign to Manchester. But Sam knows the IRA never used dynamite - only home-made explosives - and believes the bomb doesn't exist. Only it does, and his misplaced certainty results in DS Ray Carling being injured and the rest of the team turning their back on Sam.

Cue the usual bigotry from Gene Hunt - this time aimed at Manchester's Irish community. He goes for the obvious (potential) villain while Sam uses his knowledge of the time and his anti-terrorist training to sidestep the obvious and look for the real culprit.

Who that was is largely irrelevant - Sam (with Annie's help, naturally) does eventually discover who it is and why he's blowing things up, and as usual has to agree to share the kudos with Gene - the surprise for me in this third episode was how quickly even an innovative series like Life on Mars can become formulaic. Break the action down and this was "Life on Mars by numbers." A regular crime story with a bit of a twist, a lot of 70s non-PC humour and banter, and a couple of nods to Sam's real life in the future at the beginning and end to keep the sci-fi freaks happy.

Not good enough. Never thought I'd even think this, but if this is the best they can do it's a good thing the second series will be the last. What made this show different - no, unique - was Sam's situation, and that was so far into the back seat in this episode it was hanging off the bumper of the trailer. And you know what? I don't think a character like Gene Hunt, on his own, will be strong enough to carry an entire series, no matter how well he is realised by Philip Glenister. Ashes to Ashes could be dead in the water before it even floats.