NELSON actor John Simm is back on TV screens on Tuesday as reluctant time-travelling detective Sam Tyler.

The much-anticipated second series of BBC1 show Life on Mars, which stars Simm as a Detective Inspector who woke up after being run over by a car to find himself stuck in 1973, will reveal how he ended up going back in time.

The role has been the former Edge End High School pupil's highest-profile to date.

He has made regular TV appearances in The Lakes, Clocking Off and one-off drama Sex Traffic.

He has also appeared in Brit films including Human Traffic and 24 Hour Party People, where he played New Order frontman Bernard Sumner alongside Steve Coogan as 80s music mogul Tony Wilson.

The new series will start on BBC1 on Tuesday at 9pm.