KEELEY HAWES - ASHES TO ASHES LOSES 1.6 MILLION VIEWERS FOR FINAL EPISODE

BBC1's time-travelling cop drama Ashes to Ashes bowed out with 5.4 million viewers in last night's season one finale.

When the show, starring Keeley Hawes and Philip Glenister, debuted in February more than seven million people tuned in.

Prior to yesterday's final episode, the BBC announced Ashes to Ashes – the sequel to Life on Mars – had been commissioned for a second series.

The last-ever episode of Life on Mars, which starred John Simm alongside Glenister's no-nonsense DCI Gene Hunt, also drew an audience of seven million.

BBC1 still won a 23 per cent share with 1980s-set Ashes to Ashes for the 21:00 GMT hour, with ITV1's Trial and Retribution attracting 4.3 million viewers.

On Channel 4 1.9 million people watched Sleeping with my Sister, while House on Five earned 1.8 million viewers and BBC2's That Mitchell and Webb Look and The Catherine Tate Show was watched by 1.6 million and 1.4 million respectively.

Commenting on the second series of Ashes to Ashes, which will be filmed in the summer and broadcast next year, Simon Crawford-Collins, executive producer and head of drama at Kudos, the company behind the show, said: "The 80s have had a real revival over the past few months; Ashes To Ashes seems to have captured the imagination of the nation.

"I'm sure viewers will be desperate to know who's back in the second series but for now they'll just have to tune into the last episode of series one to find out."