After successful screenings at many major festivals worldwide, the sci-fi comedy Time Travel is Dangerous hits UK cinemas on March 28th. Back while the movie was being shot (under the title The Unreason), STARBURST visited the set and spoke to some of the key creatives involved with the production.
The film follows a pair of vintage shop owners in Muswell Hill, Ruth and Megan (played by real-life vintage shop owners Ruth Syratt and Megan Stephenson), who try to find objects to sell wherever they can. While scavenging for stock one day, they discover what looks like an old souped-up Dodgem car. Taking it back to the store, they find it’s actually a time machine and use it to travel back in time to ‘procure’ items to sell in the modern day.
Partly filmed as a documentary, the film crosses several genres and is constantly entertaining. Way back in time, we quizzed director/co-writer Chris Reading and co-writer/producers Anna-Elizabeth and Hillary Shakespeare about the genesis of the movie. “It started live a few years ago as a Sci-Fi London 48-Hour Challenge,” Chris told us. “It was one of those things where you don’t know anything about it other than the title they give you and a couple of props to work with. I went to Ruth and Megan’s shop and had this idea. I knocked together something like a time machine from some junk we found. I know we found some transit van seats on the street. That was the time machine.” But what about the documentary aspect? Chris continues, “That’s how I knew how to shoot. I knew how to make it make sense in a documentary style. The realistic style sells all the ridiculous parts of the story.” And how did the Shakespeare sisters get involved? Anna tells us, “We already knew each other really well, and by the time we came on board, Chris already had a first draft of the script.” Hillary continues, “The short film with Ruth and Megan was really cool. Chris wanted to make it a feature, so we started working on the script with him. When we were working on it more and more, we started thinking about casting on it, and it snowballed into us producing it.”
The real essence of the film is the story of how the time machine came to be in the first place. Two inventor friends, Robert (Johnny Vegas) and Ralph (Brian Bovell) built the machine while they were working on an old TV science show The Future, Today. While testing the machine, they were stuck for a while in a horrific realm known as the Unreason, something that mentally scarred Robert and split their friendship. Johnny told us, “He sees that his friend has moved on, but he hasn’t. I suppose he’s never had closure, as the Americans would say. I think the time machine being rediscovered and them ruining the fabric of time and space gives him a sense of purpose, to try and fix it rather than rocking back and forth in the corner on his own.” Jokingly, in the way we’d expect from the comedian, “It’s quite a nice take on that cliché ‘if you mess with time, it’s going to kick you kick you in the bollocks’.”
Brian – a massive sci-fi fan who appeared in the prison arc of the superb Star Wars series Andor – has a little more history with the film, “I saw the short version in the 48-hour film challenge. I’d moved near the area of Muswell Hill, and I used to walk around and see what was going on. One day, I found a little shop down an alleyway, and they sold vintage clothes. I walked into this place and saw these two ladies, and we started chatting,” he tells us, “Every so often, I’d pop in there and say hi. Anyway, I was watching this 48-hour film challenge and then their short film came up, and I thought it was funny. It was brilliantly presented, but they weren’t at the screening. So the next weekend, I went to the shop and said, “Now, girls, what’s going on?” I’ve just seen your film, all the people were laughing. Where were you?” They were so nonchalant, “Oh, it was just a thing…” [laughs].” Brian’s friendship with the director when they met at the festival, and persistent interest in the film paid off, “You want to encourage people to express themselves if they’ve got that passion. Chris is a good director. He’s a grafter, and he’s got good ideas. Out of the blue, one time, he says, we’ve got the money!” And if Brian hadn’t been given a role in the movie? “I’d have been in the background of every shot. Always dressed as a different kid, just walking by.”
The film also includes many other famous faces – and voices – including Stephen Fry, Brian Blessed, Guy Henry, Jane Horrocks, Tom Lenk, Tony Way, Mark Heap, and Sophie Thompson. Sophie’s character, Valerie, also starred in the TV show with Ralph and Robert (who only appears on screen as an inquisitive robot, Botty). Playing the young Valerie is Laura Aikman, who was very honest about her role, “The sci-fi is a lot for my brain. Comedy is more my world. However, I’m doing quite a lot of science explaining in my scenes, so I’m just waiting to get it all wrong.” She laughs, “I did a year on Casualty when I was younger, so I got good at saying things out loud that I don’t understand.”
As we wrapped our day on the set, we asked the team where they’d choose to go if they had a time machine. Laura, without hesitation, said, “I’d go to the ‘60s. It seemed like a good time. Some good music and good fashion.” Chris suggested, “I’d go back to when the dinosaurs were about because I love dinosaurs… or maybe back to 1993 when Jurassic Park first came out [laughs]. Anna sees herself in the Tudor period since she likes the look until Hillary reminds her of the toilet situation. Hillary, meanwhile, plumps for the ‘90s. Brian has a more philosophical answer, “There was a lady I was supposed to meet at a station once, and I got there late. This was before we had mobile phones and could go, “Look, I’m on my Way, please wait”, but she was gone. The other one would be to see the pyramids being built. I want to know who did it and how they did it!” However, the last word must go to Johnny Vegas, who, in his own inimitable way, nails the answer. “I’d go back and do some really fucking surreal cave paintings. The most accurate self-portrait of me in a way that they can interpret that I invented the wheel because I’m needy and I want that kind of credit. I want to be the guy that says, “All civilisation, you want me a massive thank you.” I’d do cave paintings of classic movies. Imagine some guy going into a cave in Northern France or somewhere, and there were scenes from Casablanca.” When we suggested Star Wars, too, it sets Johnny off further, “Yeah! Oh god, me as a Jedi! I’d go back to 1977, and I’d beg George Lucas to include a chubby Jedi in Star Wars. One that can’t quite run fast, though his mind can. That’s why I’m amazed there’s no there’s not that many obese Jedi, because you don’t have to move from the couch [motioning his hand out to use the Force], kettle! Biscuits!”
TIME TRAVEL IS DANGEROUS is in cinemas from March 28th.
