What is a Time Bubble? You can’t see it, of course, but it might help you visualise it to think of a balloon… Supposing some little patch of information – some little patch of history – gets slowed down, and instead of flashing backwards and forwards it floats, gently, as if in a bubble… Supposing you could get into that bubble – that bubble of history – and travel with it. Then you could move forwards and backwards in time at will…

Timeslip  is a British children’s science fiction television series made by ATV for the ITV network and broadcast between 1970 and 1971 – lasting twenty-six episodes.

PLOT

The series centres on two children, Simon Randall (Spencer Banks) and Liz Skinner (Cheryl Burfield) who discover the existence of a strange anomaly, known as the “Time Barrier”, that enables them to travel in time to different historical periods in alternate pasts and futures. The two children have contrasting personalities; whereas Simon is studious, Liz is something of a tomboy, and this often leads to conflict between the two. However, as the series progresses, their antagonism matures into a deep bond of friendship.

THE STORYLINES

The twenty-six episodes can be split up into four main storylines:

1. The Wrong End of Time
2. The Time of the Ice Box
3. The Year of the Burn Up
4. The Day of The Clone

THE MESSAGE

The main message of the series is concerned with the way mankind uses – and abuses – science and technology. It explores how the pursuit of scientific knowledge and advancement can lead to the depersonalisation of individuals and the abandonment of moral principles. A secondary theme – explored in the instances where Liz and Simon encounter potential future versions of themselves – concerns the extent to which an individual can change according to the situations encountered in his or her life.