1970 was a good year for children's sci-fi; Jon Pertwee donned frilly shirt and cloak to become the third 'Dr.Who', while over on the other channel Michael Mackenzie battled evil as the enigmatic magician 'Tarot' in 'Ace Of Wands'. Also around was this well-remembered series from A.T.V.<br /><br />The premise of 'Timeslip' was this; a pair of young people - Liz Skinner ( Cheryl Burfield ) and Simon Randall ( Spencer Banks ) - discover the existence of a hole in time near the deserted naval base of St.Oswald. Passing through, they are spirited at first to World War Two, then to a scientific base at the South Pole in the year 1990, followed by a parallel universe where global warming has turned England into a sub-tropical paradise, and finally to the 1960's. Each time they meet future versions either of themselves or people they know, such as Commander Traynor ( Denis Quilley ). Their one link with 1970 is Mrs.Skinner ( Iris Russell ) who shares a telepathic bond with her daughter Liz.<br /><br />The show was intelligently scripted, firstly by Bruce Stewart, then Victor Pemberton ( author of the 'Dr.Who' classic 'Fury From The Deep' ). It was refreshingly unpatronising towards its audience, amazingly predicting the coming of cloning, climate change, and virtual reality. The abuse of science was a major theme, embodied by the sinister Professor Morgan C.Devereaux ( John Barron ), who had created a drug - HA57 - designed to prolong human existence.<br /><br />Memorable moments include Simon and Liz's first encounter with the time barrier ( which makes an eerie buzzing sound ), the naval base overrun by Nazis out to steal a top secret laser, Liz finding her dead father preserved in ice, Dr.Edith Joynton ( Peggy-Thorpe-Bates ) aging to death in mere minutes, the room where people are held in suspended animation while dressed in Elisabethan clothes, the aged Traynor emerging from a secret room to sabotage The Master Plan, and the sight of planets in the night sky ( later copied by the 'Dr.Who' episode 'The Stolen Earth' ). The final episode saw a major revelation about Traynor that shocked viewers. <br /><br />All of which may make 'Timeslip' sound a bit on the heavy side. It had its lighter moments too, such as Simon's embarrassment on discovering that his future self was engaged at one time to Liz. But the tone was powerfully grim for most of the time.<br /><br />'Timesip' had no need of special effects of the sort you find in modern productions. It had something better - ideas. Credit must go not only to the writers but Ruth Boswell, whose brainchild this was.<br /><br />Burfield and Banks gave charming performances, while the late Denis Quilley exuded menace as 'Traynor'. Special mention must be made of the late John Barron ( better known as 'C.J.' from 'The Fall & Rise Of Reginald Perrin' ) whose 'Devereaux' terrified a generation of children ( myself included ). <br /><br />It proved popular enough to run for an extended 26-part season and, although no further series were made, a comic-strip in the newly-launched 'Look-In' magazine provided fans with further adventures of the intrepid youngsters.<br /><br />In spite of being made in colour, all but one of the episodes exists now in monochrome. Thankfully, the entire series is on D.V.D. Some reviewers who should know better ( such as Brian J.Robb of 'Dreamwatch' ) grumbled that it was 'boring'. While the 'Year Of The Burn-Up' drags a bit towards the end, I do not share that view.<br /><br />'Babylon Five' and 'Battlestar Galactica' won praise for their use of 'story arcs'. Why not give 'Timeslip' a go and see for yourself that it is hardly a recent innovation?