It is an epic clash. Gene Hunt, the popular, television maverick cop, goes toe-to-toe with Lord Scarman, whose public inquiry changed policing for ever, in the sequel to the hit time-travel show, Life on Mars.

Sales of secondhand Audi Quattros are expected to soar when Hunt returns to the streets. The politically incorrect detective is resurrected in Ashes to Ashes, which begins on BBC One next month.

Set in 1981, the self-styled “sheriff of Manchester” has been transferred to the Metropolitan Police, where he faces riots in Brixton and a nation in thrall to legwarmers. Most challenging of all, the hard-drinking sexist, played by Philip Glenister, is paired with a high-flying, intelligent, female Detective Chief Inspector — Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes).

Like Sam Tyler in Life on Mars, Drake has been catapulted back in time after an accident, and the success of the sequel will depend largely on whether viewers accept that the conceit can be repeated.

The Times has learnt that the series comes to a climax when Hunt meets his policing nemesis, Lord Scarman, played by Geoffrey Palmer. Asked by Margaret Thatcher to investigate the causes of the riots in Britain in 1981, the landmark report by Lord Scarman identified a loss of confidence and mistrust in the police as a key factor. It is an opinion that Hunt finds little merit in and the peer is given a dressing down when they meet.

Ashley Pharaoh, one of the writers of the series, said: “All the research we did indicated that the police knew the Scarman report was on its way and they knew it wasn’t going to be good news, so the threat of that hangs over the whole series.

“A very specific era of policing is coming to an end. I think there’s a slight sense of melancholy to Gene at times — he misses the North and the old days. But he’s a fighter, he refuses to give up.”

Attention will focus on the period style of the series as much as the plots. Hunt’s battered Ford Cortina has been replaced by a bright red Audi Quattro. He is wedged reluctantly into a Bryan Ferry-style shiny suit while his co-stars adopt the primary colours of the era. The design is “more Miami Vice than The Sweeney”, the producers said. Music by Ultravox and Adam and the Ants provides the soundtrack.

Ashes to Ashes will also show how the Neanderthal style of policing of Hunt is challenged by modern practices. Drake employs Cracker-style psychological profiling to capture suspects and computers make an appearance at Scotland Yard.

Beth Willis, of Kudos, which produces the series, said: “We thought we’d bring Gene to London where his northern views would come into sharp conflict with the ‘southern ponces’ he finds there.”

Editor's choice

• The 100 Best Films of 2009
• The 100 Worst Movies of 2009
• The 100 Best Films of the Decade