Time Riders took one of science fiction’s oldest questions — what if you could travel through time? — and wrapped it in a distinctly British television sensibility. It mixed adventure with education, history with fantasy, and that uniquely early-nineties atmosphere where earnestness and oddness often went hand in hand.

Welcome to Very British Futures, the podcast where we digthrough Britain’s small screen visions of tomorrow. In thisinstallment we’re heading back to 1991, to a curious and largely forgotten corner of children’s television: Time Riders.Produced by Thames Television for ITV, it arrived at a moment when British-made telefantasy was largely being carried by children’s drama. And with the absence of Doctor Who, maybe there was room for a new temporal adventurer – Dr B B Miller? Played by Hadyn Gwynne, with TV newcomer Kenneth Hall as her young sidekick. Although this series was inspired more by Back to the Future than the old time lord.

Written by Jim Eldridge, and directed by Michael Winterbottom, years before he became an award-winning filmmaker.

But nearly thirty-five years later, Time Riders has become one of those intriguing television artefacts that sits justoutside the mainstream memory. For those who watched it, there are flashes of recognition — themes, moments, perhaps a particular feeling — while for others it’s almost vanished entirely into the fog of children’s television history.

So what exactly was Time Riders? How was it made? Whatwas it trying to do? And what does it tell us about the futuresBritish television was imagining at the beginning of the 1990s?

Joining me to explore all of that are three exciting guests:Rebecca Wray and Kevin Hiley from I Don’t Do SciFi podcastand brand new voice Tina Jones.

So set your coordinates, rev your Yamaha motorbike, and join us as we travel back to Time Riders — and to a very particularvision of Britain’s future, from the recent past.

Produced and hosted by Gareth Preston, with guests Kevin Hiley, Rebecca Wray and Tina Jones.

Music by Chatri Art

Artwork by Ken Moss

A Phantom Frame Production

I Don't Do SciFi - https://open.spotify.com/show/6vPllHxYmotp85gcFFxmJd

Jim Eldridge Home Page - https://www.jimeldridge.com/

Gareth Preston's blog - https://garethpreston.blog/

Ready to take a trip to Tracy Island? In the latest episode of Very British Futures, host Gareth Preston is firing up the atomic engines for a deep dive into the 1960s puppet masterpiece: Thunderbirds.

To help navigate the high-stakes world of International Rescue, Gareth is joined by a powerhouse trio of guests from the Official Talking Pictures TV podcast: Mel Byron, Scott Phipps, and Daniel Reifferscheid.

The gang isn't just looking at the flashy vehicles (though, let’sbe honest, we all want to pilot Thunderbird 2). They’re gettinginto the nuts and bolts of what made Gerry and Sylvia Anderson’s vision so enduring. Concentrating on three varied episodes: “Trapped in the Sky”, “Attack of Alligators”, and “Alias Mr Hackenbacker”. Since TPTV is the spiritual home of vintage telly, the guests bring their expert perspective on why Thunderbirds still looks "F.A.B." on modern screens.

Includes Dinky Toys, Busted and the most popular Blue Peter make ever.

It’s a warm, witty, and wonderfully nostalgic conversation.Whether you’re a lifelong fan who knows their Thunderbird 4 from their Thunderbird 5, or you just have a soft spot for Parker’s "Yus, M'Lady," this episode is a lovely tribute to acultural touchstone of British television.

Useful links

Very British Futures on Xhttps://x.com/FuturesVery

The home of Gerry Anderson shows https://gerryanderson.com/

The Official Talking Pictures TV podcasthttps://talkingpicturestvpodcast.libsyn.com/

More on Gilly’s Antiqueshttps://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/news/25842588.boltons-gillys-antiques-full-thousands-treasures/

Gilly’s Antiques on Ebayhttps://www.ebay.co.uk/usr/gillysantiques

Mel Byron’s home page https://www.melbyron.co.uk/

Welcome to Very British Futures, the podcast where we explore Britain’s past visions of tomorrow on the small screen — the futures that became part of pop culture, and the ones that somehow slipped through the cracks of television history.

We are launching a brand new season with an episode takes us back to 1977 and a groundbreaking docu-drama made when such programmes were relatively rare - Alternative 3.

Originally aired on ITV on the 20th of June that year and immediately caused confusion, alarm, and a fair bit of late-night debate in pubs and living rooms across the country. Was it a serious investigative documentary? A science fiction thriller in the vein of Quatermass? Or an elaborate hoax that proved more convincing than its makers intended?

Journalists on a science magazine show claimed to reveal a secret plan devised by world governments and scientific elites: a desperate response to a dying planet involving disappearing scientists, a secret space programme, and a supposed off-world escape route for the elite of humanity. It was bleak, conspiratorial, and delivered with astraight-faced authority that blurred the line between factualreporting and speculative fiction.

Nearly fifty years later, the programme still holds a strangeplace in British broadcasting history. It sits somewhere between Cold War paranoia, mischief, and the enduring fascination with hidden truths.

To help us untangle the story behind Alternative 3 — its production, its reception, and the long conspiracy-theoryafterlife it spawned — Gareth Preston is joined by actor, writer,broadcaster, and noted expert on the odd corners of British film and television, Toby Hadoke.

So settle in as we dig into a real one-off of British telefantasy.

Very British Futures is hosted and produced by Gareth Preston, with guest Toby Hadoke. Music by Chatri Art, and James Leatherbarrow. Artwork by Ken Moss. This is a Phantom Frame production.

Find out more about Toby Hadoke and his work -https://tobyhadoke.com/

Order his marvellous book on The Quatermass Experiment -https://tenacrefilms.bigcartel.com/product/the-quatermass-experiment-the-making-of-tv-s-first-sci-fi-classic

Toby Hadoke’s adaptation of Nigel Kneale’s The Road -https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0000y1d

IMDB page for Alternative 3https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075664/reference/

Visit our website at http://westlakefilms.uk/verybritishfutures/

Follow us on X at https://x.com/FuturesVery