In Ashes to Ashes Marshall Lancaster reprises the role of the well-meaning, if dim-witted copper, Chris Skelton that we first saw in Life in Mars. “He’s grown up in some respects,” the actor tells Matt McAllister.

The speedboat scene in the first episode must have been fun…

Oh, the speedboat was ace! We kept getting told to stop smirking because it’s supposed to be a serious scene. But the corner of my mouth kept turning up slightly! It was just fantastic. That was one of the bonuses of moving down to London - it’s good for location stuff like that.

How would you sum up Chris and Shaz’s relationship?

It’s this nice little slow-cooker thing that starts with these glances and builds as it goes on. And Montserrat [Lombard] is really great. The relationship has quite a lot of significance towards the end of the series – I can’t say any more than that!

How much do you remember about 1981 yourself?

I was born in ‘74, so I was about seven. It’s funny, but I remember a lot of the music. The Joe Dolce number one [starts singing] - “What'sa matter you, hey!” And Prince Charming and songs like that I remember because my mum used to play them. So a lot of the music is quite nostalgic for me.

Do you have any favourite costumes in the series?

I’ve got a Marty McFly-style bubble coat thing. And I like the fact that I’ve got trainers on – it’s a bit sort of Miami Vice! But I escaped lightly. There was talk of Chris having a mullet and going down that road – I think Dean [Andrews, Ray] drew the short straw with the perm!

In your view, has the character progressed since Life on Mars?

It’s funny because he still has all the little Chris-isms and the funny lines, and he’s still not 'with it' all the time. But even though he can be quite stupid, he’s efficient. He’ll still find the right file on the missing person that you’re looking for. But he’s just one of these people who says things before he thinks them through sometimes.

I think you’ve got to be careful that it doesn’t become too silly, and that’s not happened this time. It’s a fine balance, but he has grown up in some respects. We’ve all experienced a lot more - though we’ve not aged eight years [since Life on Mars, which is set in 1973]. So that’s a bit strange. But then again it’s all in Alex’s mind…Or is it?

How would you describe the relationship between Chris and Alex Drake?

He fancies her when she first arrives and then they all obviously find it strange when they find out she’s their boss because she’s a woman. So it’s quite a confused relationship. But he’s as eager to please as he was with Sam, and he’s keen to make friends. If she asks him to do something he’ll willingly do it - whereas Gene is quite stuck in his ways.

How has the atmosphere been on set?

The atmosphere’s been really good to be honest with you. Fair play to Keeley [Hawes] and Phil [Glenister], because they’ve got a lot more on their shoulders. But it’s a happy ship, and everybody really gets on. Though I’m sure there’s more outtakes than you can possibly imagine…

Ashes to Ashes is currently showing at 9pm on Thursday nights, BBC1.