Ashes to Ashes

DI Alex Drake wakes up in 1981. With Gene Hunt's help, can she find who shot her in 2008.

It's the week of the royal wedding and CID is under pressure to keep the streets quiet. Alex is desperate for escapism. As bombs threaten to ruin Charles and Diana's big day, Gene needs Alex to stop being distracted and acknowledge this world has the power to hurt.

When a prostitute complains of rape, Alex has a tough time convincing Gene to take the case seriously. The pursuit of the attacker takes them undercover to a fancy dress boat party, but has Alex's determination got the better of her, and is her effort to prove a point masking her judgment?

When the body of a worker at a nuclear research centre disappears from the morgue, it smacks of conspiracy to Alex. Was Martin Kennedy killed because he had proof the government was testing neutron bombs? Gene is adamant that murder has simpler motives, and a link to Alex's mother gives him at least one suspect in an investigation that leads them onto dangerous territory.

Simon Neary is a gangster Gene has wanted to nail for years. When the team discovers that his latest deal is to obtain guns, the case takes on another imperative for Alex. Is stopping the guns a way to stop herself getting shot in 2008?

Alex thinks she's close to death and has to keep her brain alive by solving the case: a raid at a Post Office. For once, Alex needs Gene to be strong for her. She fears she can't solve the case alone and is desperate not to die in 1981.

Thousands of pounds collected for charity have been stolen, and the only lead is Gil Hollis, the man who raised it. When Gene is humiliated on a TV appeal, he resorts to his 'fists first, questions later' method. Can Alex prevent Gene going off the rails just at the point when she needs to stay in control, and if she can't, will someone die?

It's the biggest day of Alex's life: the day her parents were killed. She believes that if she can prevent this from happening she can leave the prison of 1981 and get back to her daughter Molly. With Gene waylaid by a station inspection, Alex needs to use every ounce of her strength and energy to stop the elements coming together, throw a cog in the wheel of fate, and finally return home.