THE BBC's follow-up to Life On Mars, Ashes To Ashes, certainly provided some comical moments.

From DI Gene Hunt christening new girl Alex Drake "Bolly knickers", to her hallucination featuring none other than children's TV favourites Zippy and George, the show looks like it will be just as much fun for nostalgia fans as Life On Mars.

It was always going to be hard to follow John Simm's performance as Sam Tyler, but Keeley Hawes' no-nonsense attitude towards the boys and refusal to let the fact she was wearing only a bit of red lycra and some stockings get in the way of stamping her authority made her instantly likeable.

Yes Gene Hunt is an old rogue, and beloved of men who long for simpler times, but in Alex Drake it looks like us girls have found someone to cheer for too .