10 Famous TV Characters Who Randomly Changed Personalities

5. Gene Hunt - Life On Mars/Ashes To Ashes

Life On Mars was a huge hit all round. A cop from 2006 is involved in a car accident, wakes up in 1973, and his boss is a gruff, politically incorrect, Mancunian man's man, who doesn't do things by the book. The pair clash on cases, often with hilarious consequences, as Sam Tyler's 21st Century policing techniques are ridiculed by DCI Gene Hunt and his team. When a spin-off was announced, this time starring Keeley Hawes as the time-travelling police officer, expectation was high; the Gene genie had become one of the most adored characters of British television, with his no-nonsense, brash and offensive one-liners having made him the most interesting character for many. Disappointment though was high following the first series of Ashes To Ashes, as the previously fearless Hunt had now become incredibly toned down; he didn't speak his mind anymore, he wasn't as quick-witted, as violent or as condescending, and he seemed to lust after Hawes's character Alex, without actually making a move. Eight years had passed in the show; it was a new decade, he'd divorced his wife and Sam Tyler had left a lasting impression with the Guv, but many were underwhelmed with Ashes to Ashes, and its watered down anti-hero. The final reveal that Hunt was a guardian angel seemed massively out of character from the fag-smoking, heavy-drinking asshole of Life On Mars.