Classic sci-fi series Timeslip is being revived by Big Finish, 50 years on from its TV debut

Launched in 1970, the original Timeslip ran for 26 episodes and was devised as a potential rival to the BBC's Doctor Who. The show followed two children, Simon Randall (Spencer Banks) and Liz Skinner (Cheryl Burfield), as they journeyed through a ‘time barrier’ that took them to the past and future.

Banks and Burfield will reprise their original roles for the two new plays, joined by Amanda Shodeko and Orlando Gibbs as two new characters.

A synopsis for the revival reads: "Decades after their childhood experiences passing through a mysterious ‘time barrier’ that could transmit people into the past and the future, two adults - Simon and Liz - encounter two youths from the 1980s, Neil and Jade... and realise the barrier is open again."

Producer of Timeslip, David Richardson, said: “I was seven years old when Timeslip was broadcast in 1970. It was a series far ahead of its time - about the dangers of technology in the wrong hands, of cloning and global warming. 50 years later, it feels like a show about our world today.

“I’m delighted to welcome back the original cast from the TV series. Both Spencer and Cheryl have beautifully slipped back into their roles – if you’ll pardon the pun – and it genuinely feels like the years have just melted away. With a sparkling new young cast, including the brilliant Amanda Shodeko and Orlando Gibbs as new protagonists Jade Okafor and Neil Riley, once again it seems we are ready to explore the dangers our future might hold.”

Timeslip: The Age of the Death Lottery by Andrew Smith will be released in May 2020, with Timeslip: The War that Never Was by Marc Platt following in June.

Both releases are available for pre-order now at £19.99 each as a collector’s edition CD box set or £16.99 each on download from the Big Finish website.