Defying the laws of physics for decades (or was it only minutes?) meet some of our favourite time travellers from film and TV
Marty McFly, Back to the Future
A salutary reminder to us all to remain below 88 miles per hour at all times, the first Back to the Future film saw Marty McFly (Michael J Fox) accidentally travel from 1985 back to 1955, nearly mess everything up and then save Doc Brown and return them both to the eighties safely. We’re trying hard not to think about the fact that 1985, when the film was released, is now more than ten years further away from us than 1955 was when Marty made his first journey through time. It’s enough to make you feel very old indeed.
Phil Connors, Groundhog Day
Weatherman Connors (Bill Murray) finds himself waking up again and again (to ‘I Got You Babe’ by Sonny and Cher) on February 2nd, known as Groundhog Day. At first, he lives fast and loose, but slowly he realises that in repeating this day over and over he might be able to become a better person and improve the lives of others. Eventually, he gets the girl and time once again moves on.
Henry de Tamble, The Time Traveler’s Wife
De Tamble (Eric Bana) is a librarian with a genetic disorder that allows him to travel in time. Unfortunately, whenever he does so, he arrives in the new time stark naked. Awkward. Eventually, the love of his life, Clare, who met him as a child, learns to always be wherever he arrives with a bundle of clothes for him and many other bittersweet life lessons are learned along the way.
The Doctor, Dr Who
Travelling in time and space on our TVs since 1963, Dr Who is a Time Lord who fled his planet (Gallifrey) in a stolen time machine with a ‘chameleon circuit’ that allows it to take on the appearance of objects in whatever destination it appears. Sadly, it has malfunctioned and is stuck in the shape of a blue British police box… not at all obvious when one has landed in Giza as the pyramids are being constructed. William Hartnell played the first Doctor and he is currently played by Ncuti Gatwa (the 15th Doctor), with many more, we are sure, to come.
Dr Sam Beckett, Quantum Leap
Scott Bakula plays Dr Sam Beckett, who travels through time by ‘leaping’ into various people’s bodies in order to right the wrongs of history, hoping that each leap might be his leap home. Spoiler: he’s not going home any time soon,
DCI Sam Tyler, Life on Mars
After being hit by a car, Manchester police officer Sam Tyler (John Simm) wakes up in 1973. Unclear as to whether he has time travelled or is in fact dead or in a coma, Sam continues to work the same beat, one rank lower, solving crime while trying to work his way out of his time travelling predicament.
Claire Randall, Outlander
Representing for all the time travelling women out there, Claire Randall (Caitriona Balfe) is a combat nurse in 1945 who mysteriously travels back in time to 1743, meets and marries Jamie Fraser, a Highland warrior and becomes involved in the Jacobite rising. Part history, part fantasy, the series is based on the books by Diana Gabaldon and is not to be confused with the sci-fi film of the same name.
William S Preston Esq and Theodore Logan, Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure
Because every Time Traveller needs a best friend to keep them company, Bill and Ted (Alex Winter and Keanu Reeves) are whisked off by the mysterious Rufus in order to teach them a bit about history in 24 hours (before they fail their history paper and Ted is doomed to military academy). After rubbing shoulders with historical figures from Billy the Kid to Beethoven, the pair return, pass their history paper and ensure the success of their band, Wyld Stallyns, for the future good of the world. Bodacious!
Our time-travelling blog was inspired by our feature ‘Watching the Clocks’ in our March issue, which takes a look at famous public clocks and the people who keep them ticking. Don’t forget the clocks go forward (but just by an hour) on Sunday 29 March.
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