Keeley enlists husband Matthew for Ashes role

Ashes to Ashes star Keeley Hawes has revealed her husband Matthew Macfadyen couldn't resist a role in the show after watching just one episode.

The 31-year-old actress, who plays DI Alex Drake in the 1980s Life on Mars spin-off, also told Grazia magazine her three children spent a lot of time on set with her while she was filming the BBC One show.

Keeley said: "Matthew watched episode one and just said, 'I'd love to be in this!' He plays a Brummie guy with a mullet - such a good look. And he has OCD. His character sits in a bath of baked beans for a year to raise money for children in Botswana. Then someone steals the money."

Speaking about her three children - Myles, eight, Maggie, three, and Ralph, one - she said: "They came on set quite a lot. It was like an Ashes To Ashes creche."