The third and final series of Ashes to Ashes is back - and it's a real slap in the face for DI Alex Drake. Time travelling copper Alex thought she'd made it home to the present day, but wakes to find herself in a hospital bed back in 1983, having been shot by her boss, DCI Gene Hunt, three months ago.

Back in CID a lot has changed; with Gene on the run, Ray Carling has been promoted to DI and is running the show, while DC Chris Skelton and WPC Shaz Granger have ended their romance and new Discipline and Complaints officer, DCI Jim Keats, is breathing down everyone's necks.

Jim has been sent by Scotland Yard to investigate the shooting of Alex, putting Gene and his team right under the spotlight. But it soon becomes clear that Gene and Jim have history as Keats throws some unexpected light on past events. Jim's presence puts strain on the team, which is exacerbated when Gene is forced to turn in his badge until his name is cleared.

The team is working on the kidnap of a young girl, Dorothy Blonde, who was abducted as her stepmother walked her to school. With a 50,000-pound ransom demanded for Dotty's life the team has to work fast. However, Dotty's father wants to go it alone, and when newly-promoted Ray panics while running the sting, it seems the family may have been better off without CID's involvement. Gene is forced to put his career on the line as he's unable to stand by and watch a young girl lose her life.

Meanwhile, Alex is being haunted by the ghost of a young policeman, and with a gentle nudge from Jim she decides her only hope of getting home is to discover the truth about Gene Hunt and unlock the dark secrets of the past. Show less