Timeslip

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.