The programme tells the story of DCI Sam Tyler of the Manchester Police (played by John Simm), after being hit by a car in 2006, he is in the year 1973. There, he works for Manchester Police CID as a DI under DCI Gene Hunt (played by Philip Glenister). Over the course of the series, Tyler faces various problems, most frequently regarding the differences between his modern approach to policing and the more old-fashioned way of his colleagues. It is unclear whether he is insane, in a coma, or if he really has travelled back in time.