Ashes to Ashes (2008) - 22 mistakes in entire show
Across whole show
Factual error: During the motorbike chase at the start, the Audi screeches around a corner and narrowly misses a pedestrian. When Gene shouts "what's up with you this morning, you haven't got the decorators in again.", modern day vehicles including a white LDV pickup truck (you can tell by the grille badge) can be seen in the background. Submitted by UKFilmFan
Factual error: In Episode 5, when Chris and Ray pull away in the green car to Garside workshops, a white modern day Mercedes Sprinter van is visible behind them (immediately in front of the red Vauxhall Cavalier that drives past which, incidentally, is also out of place for 1981). Submitted by UKFilmFan
Factual error: During a scene in ep 3 when Gene and Alex are talking in the police station, a poster from the 1981 Bond film For Your Eyes Only can be seen in the far distance. This is correct, and 'in period' for July 1981. However, next to it, on the left, is a promotional photo of Kelly LeBrock in a red dress taken for the film Weird Science which was released in 1985.
Continuity: In episode one, Alex Drake logs on to the computer in Gene Hunt's office. A shot shows the date: 17-07-1981. However, on a wall calendar Alex creates at her flat, the date of July 20th 1981 is circled, with the word "ARRIVED" written in large letters. That implies she arrived in 1981 on July 20th and not the 17th. So, which is the correct date, and what happened to the 18th and 19th July 1981?
Plot hole: In episode 2, Alex Drake and the property developer Moore go to the Blitz club in Covent Garden, London. This club is well documented as having a very strict dress code with reports of people being turned away for very obscure reasons. Even "making an effort" wouldn't have been enough to gain entry. Everyone in the club, except Alex Drake and Moore, was "dressed up" in what came to be called "New Romantic" outfits, including two (off duty) members of Alex's team. It would've been impossible for Alex Drake or Moore to have entered the club wearing the "normal" clothes they had been wearing in the previous scene in the wine bar.
Factual error: In episode one, Alex Drake goes into Gene Hunt's office and tries to log on using the computer she finds there. The computer shows a specific date: 17-07-81. If the computer is an IBM PC (as it appears to be) then the IBM Model 5150 Personal Computer did not go on sale until August 12th 1981, almost a month later.
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