Timeslip (1970–1971) User Reviews

The future, but now the past

[geffers · 9/10 · 9 June 2002]

There are four TimeSlip video sets, long out of pring, and the series is currently on DVD with a colour episode (how careless that the original colour tapes have been wiped).

The special effects are quite primitive - but it's the ideas that strike a chord when you watch the stories today. The second and third stories are set in the "future" - of 1970, which is now our past. 1990 must have seemed the distant future back then - long enough for many changes to have happened.

We see ideas that do concern us today - cloning, putting faith in computers, virtual reality, and global warming. Perhaps some borrowed elements, e.g. from The Prisoner - the boy as an adult has just a number in the third story.

It should be said that the series is not by any means perfect. It is slow in places, the acting sometimes is a bit creaky, and Liz and Simon's parents don't seem to quite be old enough when another 20 years is added on. The 1970 visualisation of a 1990 computer was always unlikely to be correctly guessed, after all pocket calculators were a few years off, and home computers in any form were easily eight years away.

The first story, set in World War II, has some genuinely inspired moments, and the story as a whole is never completely finished - I think there was always a possibility of them coming back for a fifth series.

Intelligently written, remarkable slice of 1970's television

[peter-faizey · 9/10 · 29 September 2008]

Timeslip is one of many science fiction series from the 1970's. However, crucially it is also one of the best, standing the test of time better than say the excruciatingly cheap but entertaining romp that was the Tomorrow People or the imaginative fantasy series The Ace of Wands. Created by Ruth Boswell and husband James Boswell, the series focused on crucial issues in an increasingly technological age and did so all under the banner of a serious children's television drama, which for its time was really quite something. Aimed as a rival to the BBC's Doctor Who, the Boswell's and excellent television writer Bruce Stewart produced something entirely different from what was available on British television at the time. Doomwatch - the gritty and often rather lacklustre series covering moral, social and environmental issues was the only programme that came close to Timeslip at this time, but Timeslip was overall much more successful. The premise of the story - a young girl finding a time barrier at an abandoned naval station - is truly intriguing, add in some atmospheric direction from a team of excellent directors, sparse but brilliantly executed location footage and some solid performances - special note goes to the flawless and concentrated performance of Denis Quilley as Commander Traynor and you have a remarkably entertaining and memorable series. The regulars, intrigued by local gossip about the young girl and drawn to the time barrier were an excellent choice as central characters - as children from 1970 could instantly relate to them. Simon, portrayed by the excellent child actor Spencer Banks is the brainy one, interested in science and maths, with an instinct for discovery he single-handedly figures out all the crucial plot points for the audience to absorb, whilst (rather unfortunately) the naive and whining Liz, played by the admirable Cheryl Burfield, whines a little longer. In this respect the serial has dated - but the concepts and ideas put forward, and its ability to predict many future issues put the series way ahead of its time. Timeslip is quite simply 26 episodes of virtually flawless television. Throw away the minor grumbles about the sexist interpretation of Liz and the opening stories slightly laboured execution and delve in. The Wrong End of Time is a fantastic instalment in which one of our central protagonists encounters her father in a 1940's naval station - coincidentally where the time barrier stands in 1970's England - and with the first appearance of Commander Traynor - a character so crucial to the overall story. The Time of the Ice Box gives viewers a terrible insight into future earth - and Liz's alter ego Beth. One of the strongest stories of all - The Year of the Burn Up gives us an equally bleak presentation of future earth - Buckinghamshire turned into an Amazonian jungle, with the issue of climate change being brought to the fore - and all this occurring as a possible projection (like the Ice Box) of the Earth in 1990. The final story - written by the excellent Victor Pemberton - effortlessly following on from Bruce Stewart - addresses the importance of individuality and the limits of genetic progress - with another appearance of the excellent John Barron as Devereaux and a marvellous final twist concerning the malevolent and untrustworthy Commander Traynor. And so after 26 episodes, the series ended. Could it have ran for another series? ........ Quite possibly - but what we have is truly special, consistently brilliant, consistently thought provoking and remarkably well made for its small budget, skillfully avoiding ambitious special effects and concentrating on character, mood and atmosphere. Timeslip is a slice of television gold - one of the best TV series of its time. So sit back relax, and watch the excellent DVD set of all 26 episodes. Beware though, you might want to adjust your lenses for episode 12! To repeat a hideous, but fitting cliché - they don't make them like this anymore!!!

Problematic, but Seriously Memorable

[dolphinfish · 8/10 · 6 March 2022]

British sci-fi of the 1970s, particularly TV sci-fi, didn't have a lot of money for special effects, so there tended to be a lot of gurning actors and paper mache monsters. Think Dr Who, TOS. The better ones tended to go for psychological thrills, compulsive characterisations and interesting, indeed, frightening, ideas. This show was one of the best. Running for only one series in 1970, it covered four separate adventures, interlinked, and together comprising a complete story arc, something which, to my knowledge, was never attempted in sci-fi again until Babylon 5, years later. This is all the more astonishing when you consider that it was a children's show, and it was broadcast at a time when there was no such thing as streaming or binge watching on demand. If you wanted to see it, you'd better get yourself home from school in time to catch it and follow the plotline over half a year, once a week. Trusting an audience like that is unheard of today, even for adults. Maybe especially for adults.

Simon and his friend Liz are teenagers on holiday with Liz's family near an unused old naval base where Liz's father had served 30 years before, in 1940, during the Second World War, where they find a "time barrier" which allows them to disappear into different periods of past and future. The first adventure sends them back to 1940, where they meet the base commander, Traynor, whom they also meet in his 1970 incarnation. Traynor appears in various stages of youth and age across two the the three subsequent adventures, two of which take place in possible alternative futures in 1990, and one in 1965. Traynor seems to be the link in the arc, but as the series goes on, he appears to change into an increasingly sinister character. Or does he? Traynor is played by the late Denis Quilley, a fine actor whose presence elevates the quality of the show and gives it a gravitas beyond a children's series. Also worthy of mention is another old school English actor, John Barron, who appears in two of the four adventures, and may or may not be a pivotal player. Despite the dated visuals, the series was amazingly prescient, predicting a future where technocrats rule and science is elevated almost to the status of a religion, and the moral problems this is going to present. Add to all this one of the creepiest theme tunes ever recorded and anyone who sees this show will never forget it.

The problematic bit can be summed up under the adage, "it was the seventies". Anybody who remembers the decade will immediately understand. It's the classic exemplar of the past being a foreign country, and they certainly did things differently back then. The first thing our more puritanical times would find difficult is how the character of Liz is presented. Cheryl Burfield was 18 years old when she played the part, and quiet honestly, it shows. Even at the time, I suspect, there was some unease about this, as Liz was originally written as being 13, and later made up to 15 because there was no way the actress could be made to look that young. This will be at its most uncomfortable for modern sensibilities in the second adventure, "The Time of the Ice Box" with regard to Liz's relationship with the much older Larry. I think there would be a lot of column inches in the newspapers if this were made today. This issue becomes even more apparent in the third adventure, "The Year of the Burn", when the wonkish Simon becomes the object of starry-eyed adoration for the character of Vera, who is played by an actress who looks about 10 years older than the then 16 year old Spencer Banks. Remember, this was a children's show. Like I said, it was the seventies. If you're the sort of person who worries about pronouns, you may have difficulties with this show. Nevertheless, it's still one of the finest sci-fi productions ever to come out of England, seventies sensibilities notwithstanding, and if you're a sci-fi nerd, this is one that should definitely be in your collection, if only to allow you to say that you've watched it. Classic.

Out Of Time, Not Out Of Mind

[alanbriscoe · 9 August 2002]

An absolutely marvellous show, and certainly not just for kids. It details the adventures of Liz and Simon, two teenage children who discover that they can pass through an invisible time barrier into past and future ages. Along the way they are involved in remarkable events, illustrating all sorts of scientific issues, and even meet past and future versions of themselves and their families.

On the surface, it had a lot of things going against it - low budget, primitive special effects and (as a result of technical problems) transmitted in black and white. These factors have probably killed its chances of being re-broadcast but its video release in 1993 allowed a new generation to appreciate it and see how it easily transcended the low production values.

Why is it so good? The biggest factor is utterly superb writing. Throughout stories were written with tremendous care, ensuring continuity. The viewer is always eager for more. The scientific themes covered such as time travel, global warming, the dangers of technology, cloning and unsafe drug experimentation are done with great accuracy - unlike a lot of science fiction - but never become dull or pontificating. The show also explores issues of authority, ambition, surveillance, elitism, betrayal and ethics - no sugar-coated kids' entertainment. Thirty years after the show was made these issues are even more relevant.

However the best quality of the writing is the dialogue, which is often tremendously funny but never risks tipping the show into comedy or making light of the drama involved. The humour is that of ordinary interaction and relationships. One reason why this is possible is the real depth of the characterisations.

Over 26 episodes there is a real opportunity to flesh out the characters. Simon is a rather geeky, bespectacled young man, obsessed with science but aware of its proper uses, and never quite sure how to deal with Liz. Liz is truly unpredictable, emotional, sometimes careless but quite feisty. She also doesn't quite know what she feels about Simon. A possible future is revealed in one story where they meet their future selves and it transpires that they were once engaged before being found to be "incompatible" by a computer test. Their future guises are tremendously entertaining - especially Liz who in one story is a cold-hearted authoritarian scientist and in another a remarkably warm, positive and charming leader of a group of outcast children.

The other characters are very well-drawn. Liz's father, Frank, is aggressive and impulsive. Her mother, Jean, is protective but much more astute. More significant is the enigmatic and often sinister figure of Commander Trainor, a government scientist who is all too eager to manipulate Liz and Simon and about whom we discover some disturbing secrets. Morgan C. Devereaux features in two stories as a brilliant but utterly unprincipled scientist who risks mayhem on those around him in his pursuit of "progress". Each story also has a range of fine ancillary characters - none better than the disturbing clones seen in "The Year Of the Burn-Up" who no have the edge on their human creators due to their devotion to "service" and "authority". Their intrigues against their supposed masters are marvellous viewing.

All the main cast give skilled acting displays - Cheryl Burfield as Liz, Spencer Banks (Simon), Derek Benfield (Frank)and Iris Russell (Jean). Particularly noteworthy are the displays of Denis Quilley as Trainor, John Barron as the odd Devereaux, Mary Preston as the future forms of Liz and David Graham as the future Simon. However it is hard to find fault with any of the guest cast as well.

The show is interesting in other ways. Liz dresses and sometimes acts well below her teenage years, even calling her parents "Mummy" and "Daddy" and wearing pig-tails. Characters regularly use the word "queer" when they mean "strange". The visions of the world in 1990 are rather more apocalyptic and much more scientifically advanced than actually happened, but the risks they point to are still present.

Anybody with an interest in thought-provoking, intelligent but witty entertainment would appreciate this show. A bit of hunting in the second-hand video stores may be the prelude to a lot of satisfied viewing...

Terror On The Other Side Of The Time Barrier

[ShadeGrenade · 10/10 · 28 July 2009]

1970 was a good year for children's sci-fi; Jon Pertwee donned frilly shirt and cloak to become the third 'Dr.Who', while over on the other channel Michael Mackenzie battled evil as the enigmatic magician 'Tarot' in 'Ace Of Wands'. Also around was this well-remembered series from A.T.V.

The premise of 'Timeslip' was this; a pair of young people - Liz Skinner ( Cheryl Burfield ) and Simon Randall ( Spencer Banks ) - discover the existence of a hole in time near the deserted naval base of St.Oswald. Passing through, they are spirited at first to World War Two, then to a scientific base at the South Pole in the year 1990, followed by a parallel universe where global warming has turned England into a sub-tropical paradise, and finally to the 1960's. Each time they meet future versions either of themselves or people they know, such as Commander Traynor ( Denis Quilley ). Their one link with 1970 is Mrs.Skinner ( Iris Russell ) who shares a telepathic bond with her daughter Liz.

The show was intelligently scripted, firstly by Bruce Stewart, then Victor Pemberton ( author of the 'Dr.Who' classic 'Fury From The Deep' ). It was refreshingly unpatronising towards its audience, amazingly predicting the coming of cloning, climate change, and virtual reality. The abuse of science was a major theme, embodied by the sinister Professor Morgan C.Devereaux ( John Barron ), who had created a drug - HA57 - designed to prolong human existence.

Memorable moments include Simon and Liz's first encounter with the time barrier ( which makes an eerie buzzing sound ), the naval base overrun by Nazis out to steal a top secret laser, Liz finding her dead father preserved in ice, Dr.Edith Joynton ( Peggy-Thorpe-Bates ) aging to death in mere minutes, the room where people are held in suspended animation while dressed in Elisabethan clothes, the aged Traynor emerging from a secret room to sabotage The Master Plan, and the sight of planets in the night sky ( later copied by the 'Dr.Who' episode 'The Stolen Earth' ). The final episode saw a major revelation about Traynor that shocked viewers.

All of which may make 'Timeslip' sound a bit on the heavy side. It had its lighter moments too, such as Simon's embarrassment on discovering that his future self was engaged at one time to Liz. But the tone was powerfully grim for most of the time.

'Timesip' had no need of special effects of the sort you find in modern productions. It had something better - ideas. Credit must go not only to the writers but Ruth Boswell, whose brainchild this was.

Burfield and Banks gave charming performances, while the late Denis Quilley exuded menace as 'Traynor'. Special mention must be made of the late John Barron ( better known as 'C.J.' from 'The Fall & Rise Of Reginald Perrin' ) whose 'Devereaux' terrified a generation of children ( myself included ).

It proved popular enough to run for an extended 26-part season and, although no further series were made, a comic-strip in the newly-launched 'Look-In' magazine provided fans with further adventures of the intrepid youngsters.

In spite of being made in colour, all but one of the episodes exists now in monochrome. Thankfully, the entire series is on D.V.D. Some reviewers who should know better ( such as Brian J.Robb of 'Dreamwatch' ) grumbled that it was 'boring'. While the 'Year Of The Burn-Up' drags a bit towards the end, I do not share that view.

'Babylon Five' and 'Battlestar Galactica' won praise for their use of 'story arcs'. Why not give 'Timeslip' a go and see for yourself that it is hardly a recent innovation?

Have you ever had the feeling you've been here before?

[Bernie4444 · 8/10 · 28 April 2024]

Simon Randall (Spencer Banks) and Liz Skinner (Cheryl Burfield) are teenage friends who slipped into a time hole to find themselves trapped in various periods of the 20th century, where they encounter all sorts of strange environments.

Another traveler, Commander Charles Traynor (Denis Quilley) also played Caliban in "The Tempest" with John Gielgud

They are not always alone and are also connected telepathically. Similar to projects like "The Time Tunnel" (1966), but has more of that ancient British TV such as the first shows of "Doctor Who" (1963) with William Hartnell.

This program is broken into many small parts which can be annoying and must have been annoying if you had to wait between the parts on the original presentation. Now we have the opportunity to binge 26 episodes. No fare looking ahead as it does wrap up well.

Intelligent Science Fiction

[patrickgregory-04678 · 6/10 · 2 February 2021]

One of the first Sci-Fi dramas to be aimed predominantly at teenagers and young adults, Timeslip holds it's place in television history. The series is well thought out and uses a variation on the Einstein-Rosen Bridge concept of wormholes in time, the first television series to do so. The stories, spread over four encompassed acts, became must see viewing in the afterschool timeslot, and at one point was the most watched children's TV series on British television. The characters were well played out, on the whole, for it's time period but also, again with the era in mind, portrayed the male characters as mostly headstrong and in charge, with the female lead (Cheryl Burford), as a rather more annoying person, often in need of rescue and support, at times emotionally and physically weak. What made this series standout more than other similarly targeted productions was not the pseudo science, though okay in it's own way, nor the premise of the storyline, but rather, after all the children had been through to find their way back to their own time, the producers decided to kill them off, in a desolate frozen wasteland, in the final 10 seconds before the finales closing credits. Much to the dismay of many of the series followers.

Interesting Predictive Programmer

[lroth-3 · 5/10 · 13 July 2022]

ATV's 1970 TV series TIMESLIP was, for me, worth the effort. However, I probably won't be revisiting it again soon if ever. It has the interesting elements and common writing/production flaws that permeate UK science fiction shows of the time. One must take into consideration the sparse camera work and bad staging that comes with union enforced labor hours and low budget work ethic to compensate for lack of resources.

TIMESLIP has Time Travel, Immortality, Computer Domination over Society, Cloning, Mind Control, Environmental Degradation and ESP. That is probably a reason for its failure in that it tries to cover too many intriguing phenomena without serving any of them well. Teenagers Liz Skinner and Simon Randall discover a "Time Barrier" which transports them respectively to a Naval base in 1940, an Antarctic research facility in 1990, back to their own English village in 1990, albeit one that has changed into a jungle due to environmental damage, and finally to 1965 to the genesis of the antagonistic catalyst that propels the story.

THE WRONG END OF TIME introduces Liz and Simon, Liz's parents and the mysterious Commander Traynor played by Denis Quilley with Cheshire Cat-like presence. This adventure establishes the Time Barrier, located in a hole in the fence that surrounds an old, abandoned WWII base. The 1970 village where Liz and her parents live is just down the road, so the base draws bored kids to play there. Simon, a boy who is visiting the Skinners for the summer, is a brainy book reader while Liz is the happy-go-lucky "emoter" of the pair. The writers overuse this difference as a device to create dramatic conflict between them. Unfortunately, it detracts when we'd rather see them acting truthfully about their situation.

They "sense" the pulsations of the time barrier and "slip" through it into 1940, when the base was an active, secret research lab. Coincidentally, they arrive at the same time the base is being invaded by a German U-Boat Captain and his team on a commando mission to steal the lab's secret project. The project has something to do with RADAR experiments. Also coincidentally, the German Captain Gottfried (Sandor Eles) happens to have been in the same physics class at Cambridge as Commander Traynor, who also, coincidentally, happens to be the base commandant in 1940. It's implied but never discussed, that the experimental equipment may be responsible (ala The Philadelphia Experiment) for creating the time barrier. Liz and Simon, though not together, manage to respectively get back to 1970 to report what's happening. Traynor makes each of them go back to 1940 to find out if Gottfried found the plans for the project, implying Traynor is more than just a retired military officer. There's also a subplot with Liz's mom having telepathic empathy with Liz and is able to sometimes monitor what's going with them in 1940. There's also a subplot about Liz's father Frank coincidentally serving on the base at the time and getting his memory wiped by the aforementioned experimental equipment; And, there's also a subplot involving the local village publican (played by wonderful character actor Royston Tickner, who played Capt. Leckie in the excellent series Danger UXB) as the Nazi spy who signaled the U-Boat crew and who's still pulling drafts at the pub in 1970! Unfortunately, none of this is ever satisfactorily resolved. We never find out what the radar experiments were. Mom's ESP only works sporadically and with just enough salience to keep the character in the story. Dad's memory loss remains a mystery and the spy, though discovered, gets away without any kind of retribution. In the end, Liz and Simon duck through the time barrier and end up in Antarctica!

The next adventure is THE TIME OF THE ICE BOX. Liz and Simon land in the year 1990 at yet another research facility. At this frozen laboratory, they discover that a hand picked team is busy working on a Longevity Formula designed to extend human life. Coincidentally, Liz's mom Jean (Iris Russell) works there, but looks just like she does in 1970, due the Longevity experiments no doubt. Coincidentally, Liz's future self, twenty years older, also works there! Wouldn't that create a Time Paradox?!? Liz's older self seems to have forgotten all about her time travels with Simon and when prompted to remember, merely puts it off by saying something like, "Oh, that time barrier thing. Best to have left that behind!" Liz isn't too pleased with the way her future self turns out in 20 years. Beth is ambition driven, toadies up to the project director and derides her co-workers. Simon and Liz again go back to 1970 and inform Traynor what's going on. Traynor admonishes Simon to go back to the Ice Box and get the Longevity formula! The "Ice Box" as the scientists call their facility, is run by The Director, Dr. Morgan Devereaux (played by the marvelous John Barron), a strict leader whose authority is unquestioned until one of the research doctors and coincidentally, a test subject, dies from the treatment, aging many years in a few minutes! Then it turns out that the complex is controlled by a sophisticated computer which has a human interface that only Devereaux is allowed to connect to. Coincidentally, Devereaux turns out to be a Clone! And a bad one at that, who is deteriorating! Chaos ensues. The faulty clone who invented the faulty longevity treatment and controls the facility computer control goes haywire and the whole place starts to shut down and freeze up. (BTW, for those who know John Barron's comic turn as the company president C. J. in The Rise and Fall of Reginald Perrin, with his clipped, rapid fire delivery, will get a big kick out of watching him self destruct in Timeslip.) Also, there's a subplot involving Liz's dad being kept in cryogenic suspension (basically, in a block of ice, ala The Thing From Another World) that never goes anywhere. As the Ice Box shuts down, Liz and Simon go through the time barrier and wind up in... THE YEAR OF THE BURN UP, also takes place in 1990 but in an alternate timeline and geographically back near their village. Here, society has split into two groups, those who live in the techno city state and those who are unregistered (called 'misfits'), living "off the grid", in primitive huts. This story unabashedly lifts from Aldous Huxley's Brave New World, even calling some of its class strata Alphas and Deltas (Clones again!) Liz and Simon emerge in a hot jungle this time. They come across a misfit village and artists retreat run by Beth, Liz's future self again! This time Beth is much nicer, living as a sculptor and village leader. Simon also meets his future self, now called 2957, a director in the Technocracy. This character is hilariously played by David Graham who in 1970 is the doppelganger of Alexis Denisof's Wesley Wyndam-Pryce from Buffy/Angel! A grand plan calling for the rearrangement of the Earth and humanity has become an all controlling Ministry, building a sea wall across the Atlantic and diverting seawaters and rivers while herding the populace into mega cities! Something goes wrong of course and the planet begins to heat up, turning Britain into a jungle. Climate damage goes critical and the heat starts killing off all the flora. There's also a subplot with Beth and 2957 as star-crossed lovers. Finally, Commander Traynor turns up as an old man, the progenitor of the entire Technocracy, whom 2957 betrayed and deposed. Traynor went underground, a ghost in the machine, sabotaging the project causing the environmental meltdown. Liz and Simon escape through the time barrier.

The final chapter is THE DAY OF THE CLONE. Back in 1970, they are reunited with Liz's parents, whose father admonishes them for using the time barrier against his wishes. Even Traynor forbids Simon to use the time barrier anymore. He does, however, invite Simon to come to work for him in the new ministry that's just been created, a project "calling for the rearrangement of the Earth and humanity!" (Great Reset, anyone?) Simon declines the offer. Then things get weird. Traynor kidnaps Liz and takes her to a scientific research facility! Simon rescues her and they go back through the time barrier to... 1965! Morgan Devereaux is the head of the facility then and the visiting Traynor, whom it turns out is really a nice guy, is gassed, cloned and replaced by Devereaux, explaining why Traynor is so duplicitous throughout the entire series! Somehow, Liz and Simon use the time barrier and manage to make it all right again, even if little of it makes sense.

While the poor dialogue and plot holes kneecap Timeslip, it nevertheless is compelling to watch, at least from a 2022 retroactive POV in that it foreshadows many of the exact same themes which are running through our current societal ills. Predictive Programming is a retro label that can be applied to almost any sci-fi project because so many of the themes, usually having to do with technological advances, are prevalent today. They got the power of the computer correct, but no one saw the internet coming. Cloning equals stem cell research. Global warming in 1970 has certainly manifested itself if not in actual disaster mode then at least as a media threat. The main flaw is the time barrier itself. It doesn't seem to have any rules other than as a convenience for transporting Liz and Simon into their various adventures. How does it know to move them from 1940 England to 1990 Antarctica in the one adventure? Why do Liz and Simon fail to ask the most pressing and obvious questions to their future selves about their pasts? All of the adult characters treat the time barrier's existence like a nuisance rather than a life, changing encounter with an unexplained, phenomena. And in its final act, the time barrier acts as a character itself with its own solution for the evil Traynor clone.

DVD Released

[drewz · 17 July 2004]

The DVD of the entire series was released by Carlton Visual Entertainment Ltd on Monday 19th July 2004. Spread over four discs, the release features all 26 episodes including the sole surviving colour episode (not included on the original VHS release.) Both the colour episode and the black and white film recordings of the show have been totally re-mastered and cleaned up and, as such, feature much better picture resolution and sound than the poorly sourced VHS versions.

Also included in the package is an essay on the background to the show, the merchandise and brief biographies of the show's regulars together with a map of St.Oswald's and an exclusive gallery featuring never before published photos.

surprisingly good

[gnb · 15 March 2005]

Mention British, science fiction and the 1970s in the same sentence and images of cardboard sets, tin foil monsters and the worst acting in the history of the business may well spring to mind. However, despite never being on a par with the slick, soap-opera style sci-fi serials from the States, the fact that homegrown sci-fi is often cheap and tatty is surely one of its appealing factors.

However, when looking at the 1970 ATV serial Timeslip, such criticisms, however quaint, are simply not applicable. Solidly acted, well crafted and smartly directed, this whopping great serial, split into 4 distinct stories, is a television treat.

First screened in 1970 and then repeated once the following year, Timeslip has maintained a loyal fan base despite its lack of exposure on television.

The series takes an intelligent look at the concept of time travel and the implications of meeting future/past selves. We travel back to a WWII naval station, forward to a Arctic research centre, the heat is turned up in a sweltering tropical jungle before closing the serial in a mixture of 60s and 70s Earth.

Epic in terms of its length and its concepts, Timselip benefits greatly from a stunning performance by Denis Quilley as Commander Traynor and a remarkably astute turn by Spencer Banks as Simon. Perhaps a drawback of the programme is the incessantly winy and extremely sexist presentation of Liz, played with little flair by Cheryl Burfield.

After a limited video release in the mid 90s, it is nice to see this wonderful series released on DVD. Although the original series was transmitted in colour, only black and white tele-recordings were maintained in the ATV archives. However, as a special treat, the final episode of The Time of the Ice Box is presented in its original colour format. Somewhat jarring after 11 episodes of grainy black and white, it makes the serial seem somewhat gaudy and bright and maybe this episode might have been best left as a special feature on the disk but all in all, it doesn't detract too much from this intelligent, well thought out serial.

Remembering Timeslip

[humphrey-2 · 21 July 1999]

I was six when Timeslip was shown, but it has really stayed with me. I am surprised that no-one has published anything about it on the WWW, and yes, I have indeed been sad enough to search for it. Hell, there is even a Double Deckers page, so why not Timeslip!

Some things I remember are:

*some episodes were in colour, and others in black and white. Might this be why it has not been reshown?

*that the scary blary ATV sig tune blended perfectly into the theme music: da-da-da-da-DAAAAAA.....

*the way Liz and Simon would feel along the gap in the wire netting to find the Time Barrier.

*thinking how freaky it was when Liz met herself in the future (probably 1988 or something), but that she was called Beth.

*I used to have the novelisation, and there was also the comic strip version in Look-in (someone needs to do a Look-In website, by the way).

Does anyone know if Timeslip is available on video? I have never found it and would love to see it again.

Incredible

[richard.fuller1 · 26 December 2005]

That Doctor Who was originally a children's show always puzzled me, even after I had watched the existing episodes. Nothing about the show said 'children' the way American shows do.

Americans always talk down to children, a la Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.

There is nothing educational for children after preschool in America.

So American children missed out on intelligent programming like Timeslip. Quantum Leap is nowhere near as enlightening, scientifically or historically, as is Timeslip.

The way the four stories interweave is mesmerizing to watch.

On American TV, we were given the missing eldest child, Chuck Cunningham, who vanished on "Happy Days" after about a good half-dozen appearances. This is what caused us to think in America.

I bought Timeslip for myself for Christmas and was astounded that it didn't generate some interest after the furor of Doctor Who during the 1980s in America.

All we got in the states at this time was Blake's Seven, as tho it would be similar. No one cared for Blake's Seven.

There is no real way to describe Timeslip without giving it away. It touched on cloning and global warming while America was more concerned with environmental issues at this time. Don't cut down trees. Recycle.

26 fantastic episodes. As I listened to Simon and Liz, I thought of Adric and Nyssa from Peter Davison's tenure on Doctor Who. Of all four of these youths, Simon was definitely the most believable as far as intelligence goes.

I don't understand how the series was allowed to end. Had this been in America and it been this popular as I take it it was over thirty years ago now, it would definitely have returned.

Perhaps it was for the best that it didn't, as the children would have continued to grow up and from watching children in Hollywood TV shows, this can be disastrous to the effect of the show.

Timeslip is available on DVD. Anyone who is a fan of sci fi such as this should definitely check it out.

A very big ten out of ten.

A Sci-Fi Classic

[ericredfearn · 10 February 2001]

This was actually released on Video quite a few years ago, and I bought the first three series, but somehow missed out on the fourth. This is a classic children's sci-fi drama which gripped tea time viewers during 1970. Comical in parts, and quite dramatic in others, particularly the cliff hangers which left you waiting for the next episode. Those who love Cult TV would have really enjoyed this. Perhaps now is the time for a re-release, perhaps on DVD.

An enjoyable romp thus far...

[dubnut · 4 June 2000]

Personally, I've only had the opportunity to find the first complete story, "The Wrong End of Time." I found it quite enjoyable, seeing past the 'children's show' facade and enjoying it as I would a Pat Troughton Doctor Who adventure. Timeslip is a completely different concept of time travel as compared to most programmes/movies, and with an even lower budget than Tomorrow People, the creators have thus far managed to instill a minor obsession in me to find the remaining stories.

If you are looking for vintage British SF without the gloss, then by all means find a copy of this wonderful show. Fans of classic Doctor Who will be very impressed, I think.

The only drawback to the story is the child acting, although it improves a great deal as the story progresses. Also, there is a mild amount of padding, but that is to be expected in a serialized programme. The theme song is VERY reminiscent of another, extremely popular british SF series, as well.

The Colour episode of Timeslip

[drewz · 3 October 2002]

Although all the 26 episodes of Timeslip that were released on video in the UK in the early nineties were black and white telerecordings (kinescopes), one episode is known to exist in colour. This is the final part (6) of the second story, The Time of the Ice Box. A two minute clip in colour was on the Watershed video compilation "The Best Children's TV of the Decade: the 70's" which was released around 1990. The clip included the title sequence...

It's got something

[Adrian Sweeney · 26 July 2018]

Kids have adventures back and forth in time. The show had flaws in some ways. In spite of the fact a respectable name is credited as scientific advisor, and a legitimate Scientist Man prefaces several episodes assuring us it's all plausible and trying to explain how it might work, I never did quite get the hang of the rules, and several times it's suggested that they're in effect only hallucinating, which would lower the stakes if true but is surely contradicted by other things. The overall story arc is fairly clearly being made up as they go, and without the slickness with which some modern shows do this, and the ending breezily retcons an early part in a way that made no sense to me.

But it's very entertaining and just has a certain something about it, perhaps just the charisma of the leads, in particular the kids and Dennis Quilley as the machiavellian Traynor, and some very good scripts, and it fully deserves its enduring cult status. The parts revolving around the children encountering their future selves and not much liking how they've turned out are especially great. There are some good twists and cliffhangers, images that stay with you and much food for thought, and it gets eerily apocalyptic at one point in a way I've rarely come across. Among other highlights is a turn by CJ out of Reginald Perrin as a genuinely chilling and intimidating mad scientist that has to be seen to be believed.