Life On Mars creator Matthew Graham has announced that the revival series Lazarus will not be going ahead.
The cult show starred John Simm as a policeman involved in a car accident who "woke up" as a cop in the 1970s, working in a department run by Philip Glenister's Gene Hunt.
A new show, Ashes To Ashes, then followed, with Keeley Hawes starring as a policewoman who had a similar trajectory, finding herself in the 1980s, again with Gene Hunt as the boss.
First announced at the start of lockdown in 2020, Lazarus would have completed the trilogy and brought Simm and Hawes's characters together with the hopes of definitively explaining what had happened to them.
Taking to Twitter this week, however, Graham wrote: "Some sad news folks. After many months of planning, we will now not be making Lazarus. I can't go into details but the hurdles were financial not creative.
"Naturally all who were involved are sick as a jungle full of parrots. Not least myself and (co-creator) Ashley Pharoah.
"It was a cracking concept - pertinent to our times. It had a whole new round of things to say about the relationship between the public and the police.
"And it was bloody funny too. But that as they say is showbiz baby. Forgive us if we don't take questions on the decision or on what happens next for Gene, Sam and the gang.
"But we wanted to let those who were interested know so that you could instead raise a pint of tan n bitter to the Guv."
Pharoah added: "Really disappointing news but we gave it a proper crack. We're still thinking of a way to either share the script with you or bring it out in another form. Until then... pub?"
Both series of Life On Mars and the three series of Ashes To Ashes were certified hits for the BBC, each averaging over 6 million viewers.
Neil Wilkes
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