The BEST episodes of Ashes to Ashes season 1

Every episode of Ashes to Ashes season 1, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Ashes to Ashes season 1!

DCI Alex Drake of the Metropolitan Police is shot in the head and wakes to find herself apparently thrown back in time to 1981. She soon recognises DCI Gene Hunt and his team from detailed reports made by DCI Sam Tyler about his own trip to 1973. Alex, a modern, no-nonsense woman, soon clashes with her sexist colleagues but both DCIs have to learn to adjust while she tries to find a way back to 2008.

Last Updated: 11/8/2024Network: BBC OneStatus: Ended
Charity Begins At Home
star
7.95
219 votes

#1 - Charity Begins At Home

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 3/20/2008

The team investigates the armed robbery of a fundraiser who has been travelling across the country in a bathtub full of baked beans to raise money for Children in Need. Alex thinks that a crime reconstruction on Police Five will do the trick, but Gene prefers some old-fashioned police work.

Directors: Jonny Campbell
Watch Now:Amazon
The Missing Link
star
7.90
348 votes

#2 - The Missing Link

Season 1 - Episode 4 - Aired 2/28/2008

CID investigate a murder, and discover a plot to sell stolen nuclear secrets to the Revolutionary Workers Front. When Gene and Alex get trapped in a secret Government facility at Edgehampton, the temperature rises.

Writer: Mark Greig
Watch Now:Amazon
Alex's Big Day
star
7.79
309 votes

#3 - Alex's Big Day

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/27/2008

Alex is determined to prevent the murder of her parents in a car bomb attack. Gene, meanwhile, is determined to give a good impression to a visiting Lord Scarman, but the station is still dealing with the aftermath of a Gay Pride demonstration.

Directors: Jonny Campbell
Watch Now:Amazon
The Smoking Gun
star
7.75
257 votes

#4 - The Smoking Gun

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 3/6/2008

Gene and Alex discover that a notorious pimp and drug dealer has a major firearms deal in the pipeline. In an attempt to locate him, the team go undercover in a gay club, and Ray goes beyond the call of duty to get his man.

Directors: Bille Eltringham
Writer: Mark Greig
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Nothing Changes
star
7.52
320 votes

#5 - Nothing Changes

Season 1 - Episode 3 - Aired 2/21/2008

Fresh from a successful drugs bust, Gene and the team investigate a prostitute's rape allegation. A dangerous serial attacker may be at large, but the case is hampered by an unreliable witness and the suspect's connections.

Directors: Bille Eltringham
Watch Now:AmazonApple TV
Over the Hill
star
7.39
248 votes

#6 - Over the Hill

Season 1 - Episode 6 - Aired 3/13/2008

An armed robbery leads Gene to Chas Cale, a criminal he tried to bring down in Manchester. But when Chas reveals his alibi, Gene begins to wonder if he is past his prime as a DCI. Alex sends Ray and Chris undercover at the local pub in order to solve the case.

Writer: Mick Ford
Watch Now:Amazon
The Happy Day
star
7.32
405 votes

#7 - The Happy Day

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 2/14/2008

DCI Hunt is determined to keep a lid on protests against the London Docklands development. When a suspected member of the London Liberation Front is arrested, Alex asks her mother, a lawyer, to defend him. Meanwhile, Prince Charles is marrying Lady Diana Spencer and the in-crowd is partying at the Blitz Club.

Directors: Jonny Campbell
Watch Now:Amazon
Deja Vu
star
7.19
483 votes

#8 - Deja Vu

Season 1 - Episode 1 - Aired 2/7/2008

DI Alex Drake is taken hostage and shot, and wakes up in a brothel... in 1981. Rescued in a police raid, she quickly recognises DCI Gene Hunt and his team from detailed reports made by DCI Sam Tyler about his own trip to 1973. Gene is determined to address London's growing drugs problem, and has targeted city playboy Edward Markham as the brains behind the operation. Alex suspects Arthur Layton, the man who kidnapped her in 2008. Could Layton be the key to her return to her own time?

Directors: Jonny Campbell
Watch Now:Amazon