Is a third Life on Mars series (named Lazarus) finally happening and will it be on the BBC

Life on Mars and perhaps to a lesser extent Ashes to Ashes were seminal pieces of television. When suggestions of a third series, names Lazarus emerged, possibly bringing back Sam Tyler (John Simms) many (including here at Cultbox) were thrilled. Then, on June 6, 2023, we had to bring the news it wasn’t happening. It seems life has moved on…

What is the latest “news” about Lazarus

It seems co-creator Ashley Pharoah has been interviewed by The Sun newspaper, and (according to reports) these are his words:

‘Something is stirring in the Life on Mars world. I’m sworn to secrecy but the Cortina isn’t ready for the scrapyard just yet.

“It really puzzled us that no one wanted to make Lazarus — the fans certainly did. We had always planned to do three series, not two. I remember there was a bit of worry from the BBC.”

The notes end with the following from the BBC:

“There are no plans for Life on Mars to return to the BBC.”

Could this mean conversations might already be in place with another outlet such as Netflix? We have all our fingers crossed and will bring any more news as soon as we find it.