 He is best known for playing DC Chris Skelton in the BBC time-travel police dramas, "Life on Mars" and "Ashes to Ashes", the former set in 1973, and the latter set between 1981 and 1983.Lancaster is a former member of the Macclesfield-based theatre groups SCAMPS Youth Company, Paragon Youth Theatre and Macclesfield Amateur Dramatic Society.Until 23 August 2008 he starred in the York Theatre Royal's production of Mike Kenny's adaptation of "The Railway Children" alongside Colin Tarrant and Sarah Quintrell at the National Railway Museum.