In 2007, Hawes was cast as Alex Drake in Ashes to Ashes, the spin-off from the hit BBC series Life on Mars. It told the story of a female police officer in Service with London's Metropolitan Police, who, after being shot in 2008, inexplicably regains consciousness in 1981, having assimilated Sam Tyler's fantasies after being imprisoned in a coma. The series, broadcast in 2008, follows her fighting to wake up from the world of 1981 so she can get back to the present day and save her daughter. She was awarded the Best UK Television Actress Award in 2008 by the Glamour Awards for her role. In September 2009, Hawes filmed the final series. The finale aired in May and gained over seven million viewers.