Murder on the Mars

Drama of the Week

BBC

Drama, Fiction

3.9 • 1.9K Ratings

🗓️ 21 November 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Mars, 2048. The first settlers, a mix of international workers and the super-rich. And the first unexplained death.

When a body turns up in the corridor between a scrappy warehouse and a half-built luxury hotel, no-nonsense Harbourmaster Rita Siddiqui finds herself in charge. With Earth temporarily out of contact and no official law enforcement on Mars, she ropes in Vice Captain Jaz Hickson, a wide-eyed young pilot who’s only just landed.

But murder's not their only problem. Atmospheric tests have triggered a dangerous storm. Paranoia grows as the power fails. Lights, gravity, oxygen: everything is at risk.

Rita and Jaz must navigate a growing list of suspects, a dwindling supply of patience, and a killer who’s not finished yet.

Because even 140 million miles from Earth, people still have secrets. And someone’s willing to kill to keep them.

Written by Tim Foley

CAST RITA SIDDIQUI ..... NISHA NAYAR JAZ HICKSON ..... LUKE NEWBERRY KAYA ..... SASHA MCABE DAN ..... JOANA BORJA POWELL ..... JASON BARNETT DR LI ..... CRYSTAL YU WARD ..... STEFFAN RHODRI NILS ..... DAVID MENKIN MAX ..... SIDHANT ANAND

Sound: Sharon Hughes, Keith Graham and Neva Missirian Production Co-ordinator: Luke MacGregor Director: Anne Isger Casting Manager: Alex Curran

A BBC Studios Production for BBC Radio 4

Transcript

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0:00.0	BBC Sounds, Music, radio, podcasts.
0:06.5	The party is raging.
0:09.8	Drinks flowing, laughter echoing.
0:12.8	But this isn't your standard night out.
0:17.0	It's all happening inside prison.
0:20.2	Join me, Amber Hack, for a shocking case of forbidden love, hidden corruption and a million pound drug boss.
0:28.7	You don't think it can happen to you, but it does.
0:31.0	Gangster presents sex, drugs and cell block parties.
0:35.7	Listen on BBC Sounds.
0:40.2	This is Drama of the Week. Murder on Mars by Tim Foley. Episode 1 When I
1:07.0	I want to live on Mars.
1:10.0	On the news this week, they announced a space project, the biggest one yet.
1:14.6	They're going to put a city on Mars and have people living there full time.
1:19.6	They picked the spot near a place called the Hail Crater, which is on the southern hemisphere, and it's very interesting for science.
1:30.6	It'll take 20 years to set it up properly, and it'll cost a lot.
1:34.7	But when they are done, there will be all kinds of jobs.
1:38.7	There'll be builders and farmers and teachers,
1:41.8	and people might even have their own shops and restaurants.
1:45.0	I haven't decided what I'm gonna be when I'm older, but whatever I do, I want to do it on Mars.
1:52.0	Mars is amazing.
1:56.0	... Peter?
2:08.6	Follow the smell.
	...

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