Timeslip is a British science fiction series that aired on ITV during 1970-1971. The series centered on two children Simon Randal (Spencer Banks) and Liz Skinner (Cheryl Burfield) who find a invisible barrier allowing them to “slip” into the past or a possible future.
The first serial “The Wrong End of Time”
The first of the serials introduced the concept of the series when three children fall through the “barrier” and find themselves in 1940 Britain during the start of the war where they encounter German infiltrators. The story fleshes out the characters of Liz and Simon and makes them likable and interesting. It is nice following their relationship grow during the course of the series after their dynamic here at the start of this story. We are also introduced to Colonel Trainer in this story. He is a character that you are unsure of during the story, is he good or evil? Geoffrey Hoyle is the advisor to the production and you can see his influence throughout the series. 9 out of 10.
The second serial “The Ice Box” finds the kids in a future world where Liz finds a version of her mother and herself in a frozen world. This story is where the heavy science fiction elements come into the show. We find such new concepts of cloning and environmental degradation as plot points. 7 out of 10.
The third story is “The Burning” where Liz and Simon find themselves in a world that is slowly dying from what we would term Global Warming. Here we see older versions of both Simon and Liz. Cheryl Burfield looks especially good in the sweltering jungle background. 8 out of 10.
The science fiction elements are in the forefront in the final story “The Day of the Clone.” A visit back to 1965 and the culmination of the cloning plotlines come to fruition. At the end of the story the time barrier is closed to be re-opened in the continuation of the series by Big Finish which takes place 45 years after the original narrative.
