Timeslip facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Timeslip
Genre	Science fiction
Developed by	Ruth Boswell James Boswell
Presented by	Peter Fairley
Starring	Cheryl Burfield Spencer Banks Denis Quilley Iris Russell Derek Benfield
Theme music composer	Edouard Michael
Opening theme	"Rite de la Terre"
Ending theme	"Rite de la Terre"
Country of origin	United Kingdom
Original language(s)	English
No. of series	1
No. of episodes	26
Production
Producer(s)	John Cooper
Camera setup	Multi-camera
Running time	c. 25 minutes per episode
Release
Original network	ITV (ATV)
Picture format	PAL 576i
Audio format	Monaural
Original release	28 September 1970 (1970-09-28) – 22 March 1971 (1971-03-22)

Timeslip is a British children's science fiction television show. It was made by ATV for the ITV network. The show was on TV between 1970 and 1971.

The story is about two kids, Simon Randall (Spencer Banks) and Liz Skinner (Cheryl Burfield). They find a strange place called the "Time Barrier." This barrier lets them travel through time. They can go to different times in the past and future. Simon is very smart and likes to study. Liz is sometimes a bit emotional. At first, they don't always get along. But as their adventures continue, they become very good friends.

A big idea in the show is how people use science and new technology. It looks at how trying to get more scientific knowledge can sometimes make people forget what's right. Another idea is about how much a person can change. This is shown when Liz and Simon meet older versions of themselves.

Exploring the Timeslip Story

Timeslip was first shown on Friday evenings. It usually started around 5:10-5:15 PM in the ATV region. Other ITV regions showed it on the following Monday.

Episodes and Writers

The show had four main stories, each with several episodes.

The opening titles for Timeslip were very famous. They used 3D letters that changed for each of the four stories. A moving light made shadows, like a sundial.

The Wrong End of Time

In the first story, Simon is on holiday with Liz's family in 1970. They are in a village called St Oswald. Liz's dad, Frank (Derek Benfield), used to work at a naval base there during World War II. He can't remember what happened to him there.

A man named Charles Traynor (Denis Quilley) is also in St Oswald. He was Frank's boss at the base. Traynor had told Frank to destroy some special equipment. He wants to know if Frank did it. This is because German soldiers took over the base for a short time in 1940. The German leader, Gottfried (Sandor Elès), is now a scientist. Traynor worries that the Germans might have gotten the secret research.

Liz and Simon find the Time Barrier near the old base. They travel back to 1940. They arrive on the day the Germans took over. They meet a younger Traynor and Liz's dad, Frank (John Alkin). Liz's mom can talk to Liz through her mind from 1970.

The Germans capture Liz and Simon at first. But they escape and help young Frank destroy the secret machine. It was a special laser weapon. They escape back through the Time Barrier. But instead of going back to 1970, they end up in a cold, icy place.

Before Liz and Simon went into the Time Barrier, another girl named Sarah went in. Liz and Simon meet her in 1940 and help her get back to her own time.

The Time of the Ice Box

The icy place is Antarctica in the year 1990. Liz and Simon are saved by people from a research base. It's called the International Institute for Biological Research, but everyone calls it the "Ice Box." Morgan C. Devereaux (John Barron) runs the base.

In 1970, Traynor is surprised to hear about Devereaux. He thought Devereaux had died in 1969. Liz is shocked to find her mom at the Ice Box. Then she meets her future self, a scientist named Beth (Mary Preston). Beth is very cold and doesn't show much emotion. Liz's dad, Frank, is also there. He has been frozen under the ice for ten years as part of an experiment. Liz is very upset when she finds this out.

The scientists at the Ice Box are doing tests on people. They are trying a drug called HA57 that helps people live longer. Many things go wrong, but Devereaux thinks the base computer is perfect. Liz and Simon learn that Devereaux is a clone. He is the first clone in the world. They find out the computer is making a new clone of Devereaux. This is to keep the secret formula for the long-life drug safe.

The Ice Box staff try to tell Devereaux the computer is broken. But he can't believe it. He gets very confused and runs out into the ice. The computer breaks down, and the base starts to freeze. The staff take a special anti-freeze medicine to try and survive. Liz and Simon leave. They find Devereaux's frozen body as they go through the Time Barrier.

The Year of the Burn Up

In "The Year of the Burn Up," the Time Barrier brings Simon and Liz back to 1970. Traynor tells them not to use the Time Barrier again. But they want to stop the future they saw at the Ice Box. They also want to know what Traynor is afraid of. So, they go into the Time Barrier again.

They end up in 1990 again, but it's a different future. This time, England is covered in hot, wet rainforest. Liz meets her future self, Beth (Mary Preston), again. This Beth is a hippie-like person. She lives in a simple village with others who don't like the high-tech world.

Simon also meets his future self. He is Controller 2957 (David Graham). He is in charge of a "Master Plan" to change the Earth. Traynor made this plan in 1970. But 2957 has taken over from Traynor. Traynor is still alive in 1990 and wants revenge.

Traynor breaks the computer that controls the Master Plan. This makes the Earth's climate go crazy. Temperatures get very hot, and the environment is badly damaged. Beth helps Liz and Simon go back through the Time Barrier. Beth, the other villagers, and 2957 (who now sees his mistakes) go to some caves. There is water there, and they hope to survive.

The Day of the Clone

The last story, "The Day of the Clone," brings together ideas from all the other stories. Liz tries to go back to 1990 to help Beth. But Traynor kidnaps her. Simon looks for Liz and finds her at R1. This is a secret research place run by Traynor.

The children learn that Morgan C. Devereaux started R1. He wanted to research the long-life drug, HA57. Liz and Simon escape R1. Traynor chases them. They go through the Time Barrier and end up in 1965. They realize Devereaux would have been alive then.

They go back to R1. They learn that R1 is also researching cloning. Devereaux thinks that people need to have their minds changed for cloning to work. But Traynor, who works for the government, doesn't agree. He thinks Devereaux is brainwashing people. When Traynor threatens to close R1, Devereaux traps him and replaces him with a clone.

Simon realizes that Devereaux is the cause of all the bad futures they've seen. He also realizes that the Traynor they knew was a clone all along. The Time Barrier made a clone of Devereaux in the Ice Box. It hoped the children would bring the HA57 formula back to the Traynor clone in 1970. The Traynor clone is also a projection from the Time Barrier. Its job was to make Devereaux's bad future happen.

Liz and Simon return to 1970. They find the real Traynor. He has been locked in a secret room at R1 since 1965. The children and the real Traynor meet the clone Traynor at the Time Barrier. Traynor tells the clone that he isn't real. As the clone gets close to the Barrier, an invisible force pulls him in, and he disappears. Liz and Simon go back to their families. The real Traynor is left alone.

Meet the Cast and Crew

Main Actors

• Cheryl Burfield played Liz Skinner. She started as a child model. For her audition, she dressed like a tomboy, which fit the character. Liz was supposed to be 13, but Cheryl was 18, so Liz's age was changed to 15.
• Spencer Banks played Simon Randall. This was his first big TV role. He was 15 but looked younger, so his character's age didn't need to change. Spencer later starred in other children's shows like Tightrope (1972) and The Georgian House (1976).
• In 2015, Spencer Banks and Cheryl Burfield played characters named Rev. Simon Randall and Liz Randall in a movie called The Amityville Playhouse.
• Denis Quilley played Charles Traynor. He became a very important actor in the National Theatre.
• Iris Russell played Jean Skinner, Liz's mom. She was known for her role in Emergency - Ward 10.
• Derek Benfield played Frank Skinner, Liz's dad. He also acted in shows like The Brothers and Hetty Wainthropp Investigates. He was also a successful writer of plays.
• David Graham played Controller 2957 (future Simon Randall). He was famous for doing voices in shows like Thunderbirds (he voiced Parker and Brains!). He also appeared in Doctor Who.

Behind the Scenes

• Ruth Boswell helped create Timeslip. She later adapted a book into the children's TV show Escape into Night (1972). She also produced the first season of The Tomorrow People.

How the Show is Saved

Timeslip was first recorded in colour. But episodes 23 and 24 were recorded in black and white. This was because of a "colour strike" by TV workers. Today, only the last episode of "The Time of the Ice Box" is still in its original colour. The other episodes are saved as black and white recordings.

It's thought that the original colour tapes were erased and used again by another TV company in the 1980s. At that time, old shows were not seen as valuable. Other people say the tapes were too damaged to keep.

Timeslip in Other Forms

Comic Strip

A comic strip version of Timeslip was printed in Look-In, a magazine for young people. The comic showed new adventures for Liz and Simon. The drawings were done by Mike Noble. Look-In also had interviews with Spencer Banks and Cheryl Burfield.

Books and Audio

A book version of the first two stories, "The Wrong End of Time" and "The Time of the Ice Box," was written by James Boswell. It came out in 1970 when the show was on TV.

In 2020, Big Finish Productions made new Timeslip stories. These were full-cast audio plays. Spencer Banks and Cheryl Burfield, the original actors, came back to play their roles! The first set of audio stories came out in May 2020, for the show's 50th anniversary. The second set followed in June 2020.