Annie Cartwright
Encyclopedia
WPC/DC Annie Cartwright is a fictional character
in BBC One
's science fiction
/police procedural
drama
, Life on Mars
. The character is portrayed by Liz White
. In the American version
the character's surname is changed to 'Norris' and she is portrayed by Gretchen Mol
.
allows her to join CID
as Woman Detective Constable. Throughout both series, Cartwright helps the programme's protagonist
, Sam Tyler
adjust to life in the 1970s. A degree of attraction is displayed between the two characters, leading a distinct sexual tension. Cartwright is the only person in 1973 who Sam tells that he has travelled back in time, and she treats him with sympathy, believing that he is suffering from severe concussion after being hit by a car. During the first episode
of series one, when Sam climbs onto the police station roof, considering suicide, Cartwright convinces him not to jump.
Upon Sam first losing consciousness after being hit by a car which sent him back in time, he sees a fleeting image of a woman in a red dress running away from an attacker. The image is later revealed to be a childhood memory of Annie chasing after Sam's father, and being attacked by him.
No references are made to Annie's family in either the first or second series, apart from a mention of an unnamed nephew in "The Crash", which indicates that she has a brother or sister.
Before the final episodes of Ashes to Ashes the reason for her absence and whereabouts have never been stated. During the course of Ashes to Ashes
it is revealed that Sam and Annie married and were described as the "happiest couple ever seen" and had no children. In the finale, Keats mentions that there is no trace of Annie anywhere but it is revealed in the final episode that Gene Hunt, who helps souls of the police force pass on, ultimately helped both Sam and Annie move on, implying that Annie too was a police officer either killed or critically injured in the real world, most probably beaten to death by Vic Tyler, Sam's dad, seen in his flashbacks throughout the first series.
) is a uniformed policewoman with an undergraduate psychology education who has aspirations of making the detective squad. Norris constantly struggles against sexist attitudes about the role of a woman in police work. Owing to her gender, her nickname among the detectives is "No Nuts Norris". She is the only one on the force to whom Sam has revealed that he is from the future – although she does not seem to believe him, she is the most sympathetic of his colleagues; she puts more faith in his claim after a prophecy from Sam saves her life from Vic Tyler in the counterpart episode to the BBC's first series finale.
She is promoted to detective in the finale.
Character (arts)
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
in BBC One
BBC One
BBC One is the flagship television channel of the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It was launched on 2 November 1936 as the BBC Television Service, and was the world's first regular television service with a high level of image resolution...
's science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
/police procedural
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
drama
Dramatic programming
Dramatic programming in the UK, or television drama and television drama series in the US, is television program content that is scripted and fictional along the lines of √a traditional drama. This excludes, for example, sports television, television news, reality show and game shows, stand-up...
, Life on Mars
Life on Mars (TV series)
Life on Mars is a British television series broadcast on BBC One between January 2006 and April 2007. The series combines elements of science fiction and police procedural....
. The character is portrayed by Liz White
Liz White (actress)
Liz White is an English actress, best known for her regular role as WPC/WDC Annie Cartwright in the BBC time travel drama Life on Mars, which began in January 2006...
. In the American version
Life on Mars (U.S. TV series)
Life on Mars was a science fiction crime drama television series which originally aired on ABC from October 9, 2008 to April 1, 2009. It is an adaptation of the BAFTA-winning original UK series of the same name produced by the BBC...
the character's surname is changed to 'Norris' and she is portrayed by Gretchen Mol
Gretchen Mol
Gretchen Mol is an American actress and former model. She is known for her roles in films like Rounders, Celebrity, 3:10 to Yuma, The Thirteenth Floor,and The Notorious Bettie Page, where she played the title character...
.
Character history
During the first series of Life on Mars, the character was a Woman Police Constable serving in uniform. Early in the second series, DCI Gene HuntGene Hunt
DCI Gene Hunt is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama Life on Mars and its sequel, Ashes to Ashes. The character is portrayed by Philip Glenister in both Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, whereas in the American version he is portrayed by Harvey Keitel.The...
allows her to join CID
Criminal Investigation Department
The Crime Investigation Department is the branch of all Territorial police forces within the British Police and many other Commonwealth police forces, to which plain clothes detectives belong. It is thus distinct from the Uniformed Branch and the Special Branch.The Metropolitan Police Service CID,...
as Woman Detective Constable. Throughout both series, Cartwright helps the programme's protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
, Sam Tyler
Sam Tyler
DCI/DI Sam Tyler is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama, Life on Mars.In the original British version of Life on Mars, Tyler is played by John Simm and in the American version he is played by Jason O'Mara....
adjust to life in the 1970s. A degree of attraction is displayed between the two characters, leading a distinct sexual tension. Cartwright is the only person in 1973 who Sam tells that he has travelled back in time, and she treats him with sympathy, believing that he is suffering from severe concussion after being hit by a car. During the first episode
Series 1: Episode 1 (Life on Mars)
The first episode of the first series of the British time travel police procedural television series, Life on Mars, was first broadcast on 9 January 2006. The episode, known erroneously as "The Crash", was produced by Kudos Film & Television for BBC One....
of series one, when Sam climbs onto the police station roof, considering suicide, Cartwright convinces him not to jump.
Upon Sam first losing consciousness after being hit by a car which sent him back in time, he sees a fleeting image of a woman in a red dress running away from an attacker. The image is later revealed to be a childhood memory of Annie chasing after Sam's father, and being attacked by him.
No references are made to Annie's family in either the first or second series, apart from a mention of an unnamed nephew in "The Crash", which indicates that she has a brother or sister.
Before the final episodes of Ashes to Ashes the reason for her absence and whereabouts have never been stated. During the course of Ashes to Ashes
Ashes to Ashes (TV series)
Ashes to Ashes is a British science fiction and police procedural drama television series, serving as the sequel to Life on Mars.The series began airing on BBC One in February 2008. A second series began broadcasting in April 2009...
it is revealed that Sam and Annie married and were described as the "happiest couple ever seen" and had no children. In the finale, Keats mentions that there is no trace of Annie anywhere but it is revealed in the final episode that Gene Hunt, who helps souls of the police force pass on, ultimately helped both Sam and Annie move on, implying that Annie too was a police officer either killed or critically injured in the real world, most probably beaten to death by Vic Tyler, Sam's dad, seen in his flashbacks throughout the first series.
American character
In the US remake, Annie Norris (Gretchen MolGretchen Mol
Gretchen Mol is an American actress and former model. She is known for her roles in films like Rounders, Celebrity, 3:10 to Yuma, The Thirteenth Floor,and The Notorious Bettie Page, where she played the title character...
) is a uniformed policewoman with an undergraduate psychology education who has aspirations of making the detective squad. Norris constantly struggles against sexist attitudes about the role of a woman in police work. Owing to her gender, her nickname among the detectives is "No Nuts Norris". She is the only one on the force to whom Sam has revealed that he is from the future – although she does not seem to believe him, she is the most sympathetic of his colleagues; she puts more faith in his claim after a prophecy from Sam saves her life from Vic Tyler in the counterpart episode to the BBC's first series finale.
She is promoted to detective in the finale.