DCI Gene Hunt is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama Life on Mars and its sequel, Ashes to Ashes. The character is portrayed by Philip Glenister in both shows. His younger self is portrayed by Mason Kayne. In the American adaption, he is portrayed by Harvey Keitel.
The character is portrayed as politically incorrect, brutal, and corrupt, but fundamentally good. Hunt is often depicted to maintain a love–hate relationship with both Sam Tyler (John Simm) and Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes), the protagonists of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, respectively.
The character received critical and public acclaim for his role in Life on Mars, being dubbed a "national hero", an unlikely sex symbol and a "top cop". A third and final series of Ashes to Ashes was said to "reveal all about Gene Hunt and what his alternative world really means in a stunning finale" and that the "truth [would] out". The character is ultimately revealed to be an integral part of the strange world that both Sam Tyler and Alex Drake inhabit.
Life on Mars During Life on Mars, Hunt is in command of Manchester and Salford Police's A-Division CID.
Throughout the programme Hunt is respected by the characters under his command, mainly Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster) and Ray Carling (Dean Andrews). During the two series, Hunt often uses unnecessary force while making arrests and conducting interviews, along with practising "noble-cause corruption" demonstrated by his fabrication and falsifying of evidence in order to secure convictions but never for personal gain. In response to this, he has been referred to as an "old-style cop" and "maverick". Hunt also believes that there is a "very fine line between a criminal and a copper".
Hunt often clashes with Sam Tyler (John Simm), the protagonist of the series. Eventually, during the second series their relationship improves and they become friends.
Ashes to Ashes During Ashes to Ashes, Hunt is in command of the Metropolitan Police's Fenchurch East CID.
Series 1 During the first episode, it is revealed that following Life on Mars, Hunt worked with Sam Tyler for a further seven years until Tyler crashed his car into a river. Shortly after in February 1980, Hunt transferred from the Greater Manchester Police (which Manchester and Salford Police by then had become) to the London Metropolitan Police, along with Chris Skelton and Ray Carling.
The first series, set in 1981, reveals Hunt to have divorced and replaced his Ford Cortina, as seen in Life on Mars, with an imported Audi Quattro. He is also displayed to be more professional, less aggressive and calmer than when last seen in Life on Mars, set in 1973. Hunt first meets Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes), the protagonist, during a police drugs raid at a party. Initially, he mistakenly believes that she is a prostitute and is unaware that like Sam Tyler, she has travelled back in time from the future.
During the series, the main storyline follows Alex Drake in her struggle to return to the present day. In order to do this, she believes that preventing the death of her parents, Tim (Andrew Clover) and Caroline Price (Amelia Bullmore), will enable her to return. While watching the death of her parents in the finale of the first series, she discovers that the person she remembers taking her hand as a child was Gene Hunt and not Evan White (Stephen Campbell Moore) as she previously thought. This leads her to question if Hunt is real and not a figment of her imagination as she thought.
Series 2 The second series, set in 1982, introduces a new storyline of both Hunt and Alex Drake working together in order to expose corruption within Fenchurch East CID. As well as the corruption storyline, Drake is stalked by Martin Summers (Gwilym Lee and Adrian Dunbar) who also claims to be from the future. After several discoveries and unofficial investigations led by Hunt and Drake, it is revealed that the newly introduced character, Charlie Mackintosh (Roger Allam) is heavily involved in the corruption. During episode four, after finding out that Hunt and Drake know about his corruption, Mackintosh shoots himself and with his dying words warns Hunt and Drake of "Operation Rose", but dies before he can reveal more details. Summers, also involved in Operation Rose, plants a tape stolen from Drake on Hunt's desk on which she had questioned his existence and motives. After playing the tape, Hunt furiously demands an explanation from Drake, who is forced to explain that she is from the future, which enrages Hunt leading him to think that she has taken him for a fool.
During the series, Hunt and Drake begin to notice that files and evidence have gone missing. Eventually it is revealed that Chris Skelton had been paid large sums of money to undermine the investigation into Operation Rose, and had done so in order to pay for his wedding to Shaz Granger (Montserrat Lombard). Without informing those involved in Rose that Skelton has been discovered, Hunt uses him to gain information. It is revealed that Rose is the codename for an upcoming robbery of a van carrying gold bullion masterminded by corrupt officers. After a heated argument with Drake, Hunt suspends her and confiscates her warrant card, threatening to kill her if he finds her involved in the following day's events.
During the finale, Hunt shoots Martin Summers dead in order to save Drake's life and accidentally shoots her afterward. With no witnesses, Hunt is accused of attempted murder. After being shot, Drake wakes up in the present day to be greeted by her surgeon and her daughter Molly, but observes Hunt screaming at her through hospital screens to wake up. She realises that she is now in a comatose state in 1982, and that the 2008 world she has woken into is illusory.
Series 3 The first episode begins with Hunt emerging from hiding after shooting Alex Drake, as he was accused of attempted murder and fled to the Costa Brava and Isle of Wight for three months. After waking Drake from her comatose state, Hunt is suspended by Jim Keats (Daniel Mays), from the Discipline and Complaints Department (D&C), sent to assess Fenchurch East CID in the wake of Drake's shooting and as part of Operation Countryman. Keats unofficially assures Hunt's team that he will file a good report about them, before privately telling Hunt he intends to destroy him.
Hunt becomes frustrated with Drake over her renewed interest in Sam Tyler's death. Encouraged by Keats, Drake conducts an unofficial investigation into the events, requesting old witness statements and reports of the supposed car accident, along with the leather jacket Tyler was seen wearing during Life on Mars. Hunt soon burns the files and jacket, cryptically warning Drake to forget her search for certainty and take a leap of faith. Hunt remains unaware Drake is being haunted by a uniformed police officer with a mutilated face, and she later becomes alarmed when she finds a picture of the officer taken earlier without injuries in Hunt's desk, along with an undeveloped roll of film.
During Episode 6, Sergeant Viv James is taken hostage during a riot at HM Prison Fenchurch, having attempted to cut a deal with the riot leader to protect his incarcerated nephew. Viv is shot during the final rescue attempt and is discovered by Keats, before dying just as Gene reaches them. Hunt is devastated by the death, which casts a shadow over the team. As Drake senses their time is running out, she asks Hunt on a dinner date, in which she asks him whether he killed Sam Tyler. Hunt explains he helped Sam fake his death, but refuses to elaborate about what happened afterwards, again offering a veiled warning about faith.
The date is later interrupted by Keats, who hands Drake the photos he developed from the roll of film. Amongst several pictures of Tyler and various scenes from Life on Mars is a picture of the grave where the dead police officer haunting Drake is buried. Believing this grave to be Tyler's, a mistrustful Drake walks out on Hunt. At the same time, Shaz, Ray and Chris are confronted with visions of stars, as if looking up at the sky, and hear strange voices as described by Chris as Nelson (Tony Marshall), the publican from Life on Mars, asking him what he would like to drink.
Finale During the last episode, Hunt is revealed to be part of a supernatural world, a form of limbo, populated by dead police officers. His role has been described as an "angel", helping the souls in a place between "earth and heaven" to get where they wanted to be. His role is to take them "to the pub" - moving on to a "heaven" beyond. It transpires that Hunt has done this for many officers before, including Sam Tyler and Annie Cartwright. It is only implied that Gene also took Annie Cartwright to the Railway Arms.
During the course of the episode each of the main characters of the show discovers they are dead, all killed while on duty. While Alex Drake recalls her past, Shaz, Ray and Chris had forgotten theirs due to the time they have spent in limbo. The uniformed officer haunting Drake is revealed to be Gene Hunt, killed as a young Constable after only a week in the force by an armed man on Coronation Day in 1953. His body is buried where Drake expects to find Tyler's body, only to discover Hunt's original warrant card, which she hands to Hunt who has followed her. According to a news broadcast Drake sees after waking from her gunshot wound operation in 2008, Hunt's undiscovered grave was recently found by a group of Travellers.
A dazed Hunt admits he had forgotten his past. Keats mysteriously appears to continue persuading Alex not to trust Hunt and drives them back in the Quattro to explain the truth to Ray, Shaz and Chris. As they enter Fenchurch, Keats attacks Hunt then gleefully smashes up their office. The ceiling disappears to reveal the same star filled universe seen by the characters previously. Keats accuses Hunt of entrapping the souls of Shaz, Chris, Ray and Alex in his fantasy, and offers them all a transfer to a wonderful new life in his own department. Chris accepts eagerly, taking Shaz and Ray along, while Alex remains with a despondent Gene Hunt. At Keat's station they wait in a lift lobby, Shaz is wary and we see a lift ominously ascending a deep shaft, the implication of a gateway to Hell with Keats as the Devil or soul-catching demon. Alex has rallied Hunt and his voice is heard over Chris' walkie-talkie, to Keat's displeasure. The team reunite for one last operation, with Shaz promoted to DCI and Ray and Chris appearing just in time to stop the villains getaway. To celebrate, despite his beloved Quattro being 'killed' in the shoot-out, Hunt announces a trip to the Pub, 'their Pub'
They arrive at an ethereal version of The Railway Arms, the favoured hangout in Life on Mars, and Landlord Nelson steps outside to welcome them. Shaz, Chris and Ray say their goodbyes then enter the Pub together with jokes and usual banter, leaving Alex who begins to realise she may also be dead, and never going home. Keats reappears and promises he can reunite her with daughter Molly in 2008, but Alex asks to see his wrist-watch which shows the time still frozen at 09:06, meaning she has died. Hunt knocks Keats down, Alex is reluctant to leave but Hunt reassures her, they kiss, and Alex steps into the Pub. Keats mocks Hunt at being left alone, malevolently snarling and barking, Hunt pushes him away and Keats retreats singing We'll Meet Again and manically laughing.
At the close the series comes full circle, referencing Life on Mars, as another police officer from the future appears like Alex and Sam, demanding to know who changed his office and where his iPhone is. Gene Hunt saunters out to greet him, using the same words he used to greet Sam Tyler in his first scene in Life on Mars.
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