Tim Price, also known as The Clown, is the main antagonist of the first series of the fantasy police procedural drama Ashes to Ashes.
He is portrayed by Andrew Clover.
Biography[]
In life, Tim Price was a lawyer who was married to Caroline and they both had a daughter named Alex. Tim and Caroline became high-profile figures in the legal world. In 1981 they were killed in a car bomb, leaving a young Alex orphaned. She would later grow up to be a police officer.
After being shot and injured, Alex was sent back to 1981. She met her mother Caroline, and hoped to prevent her parents from being killed which would send her back to modern day 2008. It is revealed that Caroline had cheated on Tim with their friend and associate Evan White, Alex's godfather. They break up the affair, unaware that Tim is aware.
On Friday, 9 October 1981, he is visited by DCI Alex Drake (whom he is unaware is his daughter) who attempts to warn him of his upcoming death and tries to get him to seek protection. Tim dismisses her, claiming that he is always receiving death threats.
The following morning Tim borrows Evan White's blue Ford escort in order to drive Caroline and Alex to the railroad station. Young Alex exits the car to fetch a balloon, whilst an older Alex attempts to get to the car on time to prevent it exploding, although is blocked by a lorry. She witnesses the killing of Tim and Caroline when the car explodes, and Tim briefly morphs into a clown that has been stalking Alex through her time in 1981. Gene Hunt comforts a young Alex and guides her away from the scene.
It is revealed that Tim had planted the bomb having learned of the affair and planned to kill himself, Caroline and Alex. Gene orders the police to destroy the tape so child Alex wouldn't learn of her father's murder-suicide.
The Clown[]
The Clown is an enigmatic and unsettling figure that appears through series 1, which acts as a personification of death in Gene Hunt's world. He appears to Alex several times. When Shaz is injured after being accidentally stabbed, The Clown attempts to claim her, but Alex manages to revive Shaz before she passes on. The Clown is revealed to be Alex's father in the series 1 finale, as he transforms into the Clown before the car explodes.