Life on Mars

Life on Mars (2006)

6 factual errors in season 1 - chronological order

(5 votes)

Life on Mars mistake picture

Episode 3 - S1-E3

Factual error: Gay pride flags are visible in a window. The 6 color flags shown were introduced in 1979 (though an 8 color flag preceded it in 1978). (00:30:44)

Episode 3 - S1-E3

Factual error: The reflection of a blue DAF XF lorry can be seen in a window. These lorries were not made until many years later. (00:31:51)

Episode 5 - S1-E5

Factual error: At the end of the episode Sam walks down an alley looking for the son of the murder victim. In the background small split-system air-con units are visible on the outside of some buildings. These were not available at this time. (00:48:30)

Episode 6 - S1-E6

Factual error: There is a phone ringing in the police office, but it is using the American style ringing tone - with a single, repeated, long ring - instead of the British ring tone - two short rings repeated. (00:00:24 - 00:01:17)

Mhugh

Upvote valid corrections to help move entries into the corrections section.

Suggested correction: Internal phone calls rang with a single ring, similar to the American phones.

Episode 6 - S1-E6

Factual error: Sam's watch (which we see when he checks it just after the escape attempt) is a quartz movement "analog" with a little window at the bottom where an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) display shows the date. LCD didn't appear on watches or calculators for another five or six years.(Although in 1973, there were Digital Watches with LED (Light Emitting Diode) displays. (You can see Roger Moore as James Bond wearing one in "Live and Let Die"(1973)).

Episode 5 - S1-E5

Revealing mistake: When the Capri crashes into the goal net & they go to arrest the suspect you can see sky satellite dishes on the houses in front of them. Satellite TV didn't start in the UK until the 80s.

peter mcgougan

More mistakes in Life on Mars

Episode 5 - S1-E5

Trivia: Chris is in front of and to the left of the camera, which is on Sam as he runs up and they have a 10 second dialogue. Sam then turns round and runs back the way he came, shouting "Annie". The camera tracks to follow him and at the very last moment Chris is forced to jump out of the way to avoid being hit. (If you listen to the audio commentary you can hear the producer laughing about this). (00:40:25)

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Show generally

Question: When Sam reads someone their rights why does someone else tell him he's saying it wrong? This happens few times in different episodes.

strikeand

Chosen answer: Sam is using the modern wording of the right-to-silence caution prescribed by legislation such as the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994. In the 1970s, the wording would have been different, if it was used at all.

Sierra1

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