Chris Skelton (Marshall Lancaster)
The youngest of the team in Life on Mars, and although he is older in Ashes to Ashes, he still gives the impression of being the least experianced. He is the DC under Gene Hunt.
In Life on Mars[]
Chris is clearly a young detective, and eager to learn from both Sam and Gene, while trying to remain friends with Ray, who is fiercely loyal to Gene and equally fiercely against Sam.
He often makes remarks that are critisised by other members of the team.
Chris: "Do you think he drowned then?"
Gene: "No, Christopher, I think he tried to drink the entire river for a bet and failed"
Sam however encourages Chris' opinion and makes Chris feel a lot more like he's contributing to the team.
Ashes to Ashes[]
In Ashes to Ashes Chris has moved on, and is more confident in his role in the policeforce.
He is first dating and then engaged to WPC Shaz Granger, a new member to the team. He loves her fiersly, and never stops pining after her even when she breaks off the engagment in Series 3. After she is stabbed in Series 1 Episode 7, he sets upon her attacker, almost beating him to death in his anger.
He is not as reliant on Alex as he was on Sam, but he still listens to her opinion, and she often encourages him to be more confident.
At the end of the series Chris passes on with Shaz to the next life.
Previous Life[]
Like all the characters in Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, Chris was an police officer before he died and ended up in the purgitory like world.
Whilst a uniformed constable in 1976 his Sergeant tells him to "do as he is told", which was for Chris to move out into the open at the blow of his Sergeant's whistle, resulting in him being gunned down and killed. Chris ponders on how he acted as a dogsbody for the Sergeant and did absolutely whatever he asked, just like his relationship with DCI Hunt, which he changes after standing up to Hunt in series three, episode seven.