In children’s ITV scifi drama series Timeslip, two teenagers, Liz Skinner (Cheryl Burfield) and Simon Randall (Spencer Banks) discover a “time barrier” which leads to them having adventures if different time zones. The duo found themselves both in the near future (1990) and the past (their first time through the barrier finds them in 1940.
Timeslip is one of the most fondly remembered series of all from the golden age of children’s TV and tackled some pretty big science ideas over the course of its episodes, luckily it had one of the UK’s top science experts, Geoffrey Hoyle, as it’s scientific advisor.
A technicians strike at the time of filming meant that parts 2-5 of Year of the Burn Up were made in black and white and sadly these days the whole series only remains in black and white. However at least they do still survive unlike so many other shows of the era.
Cast: SPENCER BANKS as Simon Randall; CHERYL BURFIELD as Liz Skinner; DEREK BENFIELD as Frank Skinner; IRIS RUSSELL as Jean Skinner; DENIS QUILLEY as Commander Traynor
Creator and Script Editor: Ruth Boswell / Designer: Michael Eve / Producer: John Cooper / Scientific Advisor: Geoffrey Hoyle
UK / ITV Network – ATV / 26×30 minute episodes / Broadcast 2 October 1970- 26 March 1971
