Season One of the BBC’s “surprise hit” Life on Mars was a bit of an eye-opener. The idea of a main character trapped in a world not of his choosing might seem strangely and satisfyingly familiar to some. And it’s unlikely the writers could have created the show without reading Iain Banks’s classic The Bridge. But what makes LoM so watchable is not its cross-generational appeal (retro-hip smacked about the mutton-chops by the fogey-factor) its Sweeney-level plotting, unsympathetic supporting cast or cosy 1970s backdrops. That’s all just a backdrop for the music. Those Lindisfarne, Wizzard and Bowie hits are in a different league of product placement from the kind that’s been forced on us since the dog-end of the 20th Century. The selling-point is nostalgia, in a way the makers of interminable ads for DVDs of sixties and seventies TV shows failed to comprehend, by placing them in context — even if it’s a wholly artificial one. Band fan sites have picked up on that. So how long before digital TV, products such as Apple TV and programme makers start collaborating to offer us instant downloads of onscreen music? I’ve bought at least three tracks after being reminded of them by their exposure in LoM. Then there are the knock-on effects of being hurled back into the 1970s for an hour weekly — my black leather jacket and sideburns start to seem cool all over again, even though that kid off the test card keeps telling me I’m a clown.