TV star cars: Ashes to Ashes DeLorean

How do you top seeing your favourite car appear in your favourite TV show?

Well, knowing it's your actual car appearing on screen must be a pretty special, and for one car-mad Ashes to Ashes fan this long awaited dream will come true on Thursday, as the second episode of the BBC's new hit show is broadcast.

GALLERY: Mike Bosworth's DeLorean DMC-12 on the set of Ashes to Ashes

When Life on Mars fan Mike Bosworth heard rumours of a spin off show set in the '80s he was thrilled. But the news it was to be set in 1981 was even more exciting. How so? Well, Mike just happens to own a car from the same year. Not any old car though. He's the proud owner of a DeLorean DMC-12, the infamous gullwing-doored phenomenon from the early '80s. Thanks to Back to the Future, time travelling DeLoreans are an established celluloid phenomenon but never in his wildest dreams did Mike expect his own car to be transported back to the year of its birth.

But on Thursday night it will be, even bearing an authentic 1981 tax disc in its windscreen. But how did this come about? Well, dogged determination and a refusal to take no for an answer would appear to be key. Having heard about Ashes to Ashes Mike set about lobbying the company behind the show, Kudos Film & Television with the offer of the loan of his car. "My thoughts were that being as how the DeLorean was built in 1981 wouldn't it be great to get a car onto the show in any capacity, even if it was just in a single drive by scene," says Mike.

Best known for its distinctive doors and stainless steel body panels, the DMC-12 remains a uniquely recognisable car and one with considerable fame after its Back To The Future outings. Originally intended to pioneer new lightweight construction techniques the DeLorean project was plagued with difficulties from the start. Eventually Lotus founder Colin Chapman was drafted in and installed Esprit running gear and a Renault V6 engine under the distinctive bodywork. But strangled by US emissions regulations and underpowered it was never as fast as it should have been.

This doesn't bother enthusiasts like Mike, the DeLorean's still unique looks and iconic status proving irresistible. Mike bought his car in 2004, importing it from the US and its original owner from new. With around 9,000 DeLoreans built before the firm's spectacular bankruptcy in 1982 they're actually not as rare as you might think, not that this dilutes the impact of actually seeing one in the flesh one bit. Which is why Mike reckoned his car would be ideal for Ashes to Ashes, although it took some pestering. "I emailed the BBC, Kudos and pretty much everyone I could think of," he recalls. "Not surprisingly, I heard nothing."

All was not lost though, and after posting about his car on the Life on Mars forum, The Railway Arms, Mike received a call. "At first I thought it was a wind up," he admits. "But the lady explained that someone from the production team had passed my details from the forum and she wanted to know if I was serious about loaning the car to them. Of course I said yes." Come July of last year Mike and the DeLorean faced a 2am start from their Hull home for the journey to London and the Ashes to Ashes set.

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The experience was unforgettable, especially for a Life on Mars fan like Mike. "It was a truly fantastic day getting to meet the cast and crew with my car featured in the foreground of the scenes they filmed." he says. More was to come though and Mike found himself on set for a further three days, including location shoots near Tower Bridge and a visit to Elstree studios. And here Mike was presented with a dilemma: would he be happy for actor Rupert Graves - playing '80s playboy Danny Moore and on-screen owner of the DeLorean - to drive his precious car for the cameras?

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"I was obviously very nervous about this," says Mike, "especially when it was explained he would have to drive the car close behind a camera truck at 40mph inside a tunnel." Eventually he agreed, although Mike admits "those three hours were the longest of my life." As it turned out Rupert was a dab hand with the DeLorean. "This was the first time anyone else had ever driven the car in my ownership of it." laughs Mike. "But Rupert was a natural sports car driver and after a few dry runs I was more than happy letting him off on his own."

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Having your car appear in your favourite show is clearly a huge privilege. But there was an added bonus in store for Mike. "The most surreal moment was when I was asked to be a driving double for Rupert," he recalls. "As I am 'follically challenged' I needed to go into make up for an instant hair transplant and as I sat there to my left was Philip Glenister and to my right Keeley Hawes." With Mike suitably hirsute the only problem for the crew after that were the reflections from the DeLorean's famous stainless steel bodywork as it posed for the cameras alongside Gene Hunt's Audi Quattro.

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Filming complete and just days away from his car's starring role in front of millions of viewers Mike has only fond memories of his 15 minutes of fame. "The crew and actors were all super friendly and made us feel very welcome all the times we were on set," he says. "They even signed a 1/18 scale DeLorean model as a souvenir and we have never had as many nice comments about the car." You can be sure that after Thursday night's screening Mike will receive a hero's welcome next time he logs on and visits The Railway Arms.

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