Crime Traveller 

Detective Jeff Slade teams up with scientist Holly Turner, whose late father has created a time machine that can travel back several hours. Together they solve mysteries using the device.

Creator:

Anthony Horowitz

Stars:

Michael French, Chloë Annett, Sue Johnston

Cast

Series cast summary:
Michael French	...	Detective Jeff Slade 8 episodes, 1997
Chloë Annett	...	Science Officer Holly Turner 8 episodes, 1997
Sue Johnston	...	Detective Chief Inspector Kate Grisham 8 episodes, 1997
Paul Trussell	...	Detective Morris 8 episodes, 1997
Richard Dempsey	...	Graduate Trainee Nicky Robson 8 episodes, 1997
Bob Goody	...	Danny, the caretaker 7 episodes, 1997
Jack Chissick	...	Frank 5 episodes, 1997

Storyline

Detective Jeff Slade and his beautiful colleague Holly are armed with something very special in the ongoing fight against crime their very own time machine. Invented by Holly's father, Professor Frederick Turner, the time machine may be a bizarre mixture of D.I.Y. technology, but it works, just, sending the charming, maverick detective Slade on a dangerous roller-coaster ride through both the present and the past. Intriguing complex puzzles are solved with the aid of their unreliable collection of nuts and bolts and flashing lights, but they must always obey the rules of quantum physics, or risk being lost forever.

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Plot Keywords:

time machine | time travel | missing father | policeman | english | 

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Genres:

Crime | Drama | Mystery | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

1 March 1997 (UK)

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company Credits

Production Co:

Carnival Film & Television,British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

50 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was produced alongside season one of Jonathan Creek; the BBC decided to run with Creek as they felt it's main premise had more scope than Crime Traveller's. The feeling was that due to the limited abilities of the time machine within the narrative, every story possibility had been covered during the eight episodes of the series. Not all fans agreed with this however, some believed that extending the length of time the protagonists could travel back, (or even forward as a new take on the series), could have made for a respectable season two.

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Connections

Featured in Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule: Episode #2.3 (2018)

User Reviews

Not A BLAKE`S 7 Follow Up

In 1996 it was revealed in the press that actor Michael French ( Then a well known face due to his role in EASTENDERS ) would be starring in a BLAKe`s 7 follow up . It had been rumoured for years there was going to be a follow up show to Terry Nation`s classic space opera and looked forward to seeing if the BBC could recapture the magic of the original series . Unfortunately the BBC released a press statement saying the French star vehicle wasn`t anything to do with BLAKE`S 7 but was a totally original SF drama called CRIME TRAVELLER

I would have preferred a B7 spin off because CRIME TRAVELLER is a totally lightweight show , and it`s more of a crime series written to appeal for the whole family rather than to a sci-fi audience . Remember in the classic Terry Nation show the eponymous hero was framed for child molesting ? , well there`s no such type of dramatic shocks here as the main character uses time travel to solve crimes in much the way as Jonathan Creek uses his knowledge of magic to solve mysterious deaths , though to be honest TIME TRAVELLER lacks the intelligence of the latter .

In fact it`s difficult to think of this show as sci-fi . There is a good point brought up that if you go back in time and buy a lottery ticket for a future winning draw the numbers will fade away when you return to the present and that`s the only real nod to the concept of the Blinovitch limitation effect , elsewhere the show just follows the formula of a lightweight crime series and it`s no surprise it just lasted one season

And has anyone else noticed how every " star " from EASTENDERS has always ended up in a crime show after leaving the BBC soap opera ? We`ve seen Tamzin what`s her name star in REDCAP , Martin Kemp star in an ITV series about two detectives who are brothers , that bald geezer starring in the show about a crime fighting SAS unit , and Mark Fowler now changing his name to Gabriel Kent and joining THE BILL along with several other actors . The lack of ideas on British television is indeed criminal