‘A LIFE NEVER LIVED’

Please feel free to comment on my review.

Flora Walsh and the Suffragettes with Simon, Liz, Charlotte, Neil and Jade

Tim Bradley’s ‘Timeslip: A Life Never Lived’ CD cover signed by Sarah Sutton

Tim Bradley with Sarah Sutton at ‘Happy Who Year at the Playhouse’, Epsom Playhouse, Epsom, January 2025

Tim Bradley with Sarah Sutton at ‘Happy Who Year at the Playhouse’, Epsom Playhouse, Epsom, January 2025

I’m very pleased that Big Finish were able to continue the rest of the ‘Timeslip’ audio series! 🙂

Back in 2020, I shared my reviews on the ‘Timeslip’ TV series and the first two Big Finish audio stories ‘The Age of the Death Lottery’ and ‘The War That Never Was’ on Christmas Day. At the time, we were all still in lockdown because of Covid-19. ‘Timeslip’ was a good distraction for me back in 2020.

As I understand it, the original intention was to continue with recording some new stories in the ‘Timeslip’ audio series in 2020, as the first two stories were recorded in 2019. Of course, that didn’t happen with the pandemic going on, thus the recording of the next two stories had to be delayed. 😐

I didn’t expect the delay to be as long as it was, since the next two ‘Timeslip’ audio stories ‘A Life Never Lived’ and ‘The Time of the Tipping Point’ were recorded in February 2023. The audio stories themselves were released in July and August of the year. Regardless, this was all worth waiting for. 🙂

I was pleased to hear the news in March 2023 that Big Finish were continuing the ‘Timeslip’ audio series with a couple of new stories. I looked forward to hearing the ‘Timeslip’ cast again, including Spencer Banks as Simon Randall, Cheryl Burfield as Liz Skinner and Sarah Sutton as Charlotte Trent. 🙂

Sarah Sutton especially is a highlight for me in these ‘Timeslip’ audios and it’s a pleasure to check them out with her appearing in them. As I said to Sarah in Sheffield in September 2023, I revisited the TV series and the first two Big Finish audio stories before checking out the two latest audio stories.

In many respects, it’s a treat to revisit the TV series and the Big Finish audios, especially when you haven’t seen the TV series or heard the audios in a long time. And it’s nice to revisit them compared to my first viewing/listening experiences when a lot of us had to stay at home for most of the time. 🙂

Spencer Banks and Cheryl Burfield in ‘A Life Never Lived’.

In the time between 2020 and 2023, I wrote to Big Finish requesting what had become of ‘Timeslip’ as well as ‘Star Cops’. My letter was published in an issue of Vortex magazine by Big Finish in January 2022. Nick Briggs replied and said there were plans ‘simmering’, but he couldn’t reveal anything then.

I also chatted with Sarah Sutton about ‘Timeslip’ in Newcastle in July 2022. At the time, she didn’t know anything about any new ‘Timeslip’ audios to be recorded and she assumed she wasn’t coming back. Thankfully, she did return as Charlotte Trent along with the rest of the regular ‘Timeslip’ cast. 🙂

I’m quite saddened that ‘A Life Never Lived’ and ‘The Time of the Tipping Point’ seem to be the final two stories of the ‘Timeslip’ audio series. I feel like the ‘Timeslip’ audio series could have carried on beyond four stories, especially since we have Neil and Jade as the two young regulars in the series. 😦

Then again, this does feel quite poetic. The ‘Timeslip’ TV series only had four stories under its belt, and they all felt like one continuous story. Why shouldn’t the same apply to the Big Finish audio series for ‘Timeslip’? There are four stories for that and they seem to continue one after the other.

Mind you, I have a criticism regarding the latest two entries in the ‘Timeslip’ audio series. Traditionally, a ‘Timeslip’ story would be six episodes – unless you’re ‘The Year of the Burn Up’, which is eight episodes. Yet, Big Finish decided to do something different with the last two stories. 😐

They decided to make ‘A Life Never Lived’ and ‘The Time of the Tipping Point’ as four-part stories instead of six. I don’t know why they decided to do that. Surely it would make sense to have all the audio stories in ‘Timeslip’ be six-part stories, thus matching the story lengths featured in the TV series.

Incidentally, this marks the first time that a four-part story has ever been done in the ‘Timeslip’ series. It was never done in the TV series and it’s astonishing that Big Finish managed to do it here in their audio series. Whether you consider this as a good or a bad thing to do in the series is up to you.

Sarah Sutton, Cheryl Burfield, Amanda Shodeko, Spencer Banks and Orlando Gibbs in ‘A Life Never Lived’.

By and large, the ‘Timeslip’ audio series is 20 episodes long whereas the TV series is 26 episodes long. Also, if these are meant to be the final two stories of the ‘Timeslip’ audio series, surely you would want them to be as epic as possible by making them six-parters to justify the series’ overall conclusion.

Maybe I’m presuming too much and perhaps this isn’t the actual end of the ‘Timeslip’ series after all. Perhaps more audio stories will be made long after this review has been published. It might not have characters like Simon, Liz and Charlotte appearing in it, but it could continue with Neil and Jade and in a different direction.

Mind you, I’m not sure how well-received the ‘Timeslip’ audios were when released in May and June 2020. I’m basing this from what I’ve read in forum posts, but I gather the sales for the ‘Timeslip’ audios weren’t that great compared to ‘Doctor Who’s sales. It’s a shame in the grand scheme of things. 😦

Perhaps Big Finish were trying to do something different with the last two ‘Timeslip’ audio stories to make them more appealing to say… maybe ‘Doctor Who’ fans… by making them four-parters instead of six? This is a speculative theory on my part. Anyone is free to correct me on these certain details. 🙂

Anyway, that’s enough on what I think happened in terms of the recording and the production process of the two final ‘Timeslip’ audios. Let’s talk about what the stories are actually like, as we begin with the third ‘Timeslip’ audio story called ‘A Life Never Lived’, a four-parter by Roland Moore.

Last time we left our heroes, Simon, Liz, Neil and Jade were trapped in the alternative 1953. Charlotte also escaped via helicopter when her cover in utilising the ‘time barrier’ was blown. Simon, Liz, Neil and Jade are doing their best to cope with being in the alternative 1953 and avoid being captured by soldiers.

In the story, Simon, Liz, Neil and Jade check up on whether the ‘time barrier’ will open or not. They end up checking St. Oswald, where the abandoned naval base – which appeared as the entry point for the ‘time barrier’ in the TV series – is. I’m pleased we get to return to St. Oswald in this Big Finish audio story.

When Neil and Jade check up on the ‘time barrier’ in St. Oswald, they spot Charlotte coming towards them and she finds them. Simon and Liz eventually show up. Naturally, Simon, Liz, Neil and Jade are distrusting of Charlotte, but she claims that she wishes to ‘turn a new leaf’ and amend her old ways.

Soon, American soldiers arrive and attempt to capture the ‘Timeslip’ team. It’s at that moment the ‘time barrier’ opens and our five heroes slip through. They end up in the year 1914. And this is their actual past. Not an alternative version of events. This is the real 1914 which they and we know well. 😐

Anything could happen should our heroes tamper with established events. So, they have to be careful. But it isn’t as easy as one might think it is, as Liz decides to attend the meeting of a Suffragette named Flora Walsh. It turns out Flora is Liz’s great-grandmother. Liz wants to spend just one day with her. 😮

It’s also established Flora is supposed to die on the day that Liz meets her. It gets tense when things seem to be against Flora, especially in her Suffragette campaign against parliamentary members like Sir Crispin Crawl. The ‘Timeslip’ team struggle to avoid making changes within established history. 😐

Roland Moore is a writer I’ve come across before in Big Finish, as he’s written episodes for the ‘Star Cops’ audio series. He’s also penned some ‘Doctor Who’ stories and has script-edited several audiobooks like ‘Terror of the Master’, ‘Watchers’ and ‘Prisoners of London’, which I have enjoyed. 🙂

Once again, Helen Goldwyn returns to direct the ‘Timeslip’ audios, including ‘A Life Never Lived’. It’s lovely how enthusiastic Helen is about making these ‘Timeslip’ audio stories as a director, especially when working with the cast line-up that includes Spencer Banks, Cheryl Burfield, Sarah Sutton, etc. 🙂

If I may go off on a tangent here. In my review for ‘The War That Never Was’, there were criticisms laid against the covers for the first two ‘Timeslip’ audio stories, which were designed by Ryan Aplin. For the covers of the last two ‘Timeslip’ audio stories, they’re designed by Rafe Wallbank for a change. 😐

Not meaning to disrespect Rafe Wallbank and his efforts, but I’m not very keen about the covers for ‘A Life Never Lived’ and ‘The Time of the Tipping Point’. Say what you will about ‘The Age of the Death Lottery’ and ‘The War That Never Was’ covers, at least they’re colourful and very identifiable.

For me, the covers for ‘A Life Never Lived’ and ‘The Time of the Tipping Point’ are… well, quite frankly, rather boring. I mean, it’s grey backgrounds with the characters, including Simon and Liz, at the forefront. You could be forgiven for mistaking the last two story covers are similar to each other.

I’m glad Sarah Sutton is on the covers for the last two ‘Timeslip’ audio stories, but her images are rather small compared to how she looks on the covers for the first two ‘Timeslip’ audios. At least identify the last two stories with different colours and have the character portraits of similar sizes. 😐

You could have the third story with a blue background and the fourth story with gold or yellow background. I know Simon and Liz need to be at the forefront since they are the two main regulars, but surely Charlotte, Neil and Jade deserve more attention compared to what Simon and Liz are given. 😦

Spencer Banks and Cheryl Burfield in ‘A Life Never Lived’.

Talking about the cast for a bit, Spencer Banks is very good as Simon Randall in this story. I like how he keeps everyone together, even if he, Liz, Neil and Jade have grudges against Charlotte. He’s determined to be on the lookout for the ‘time barrier’ and he has concerns for Liz in this audio story.

It’s interesting how he and Liz interact each other, since he knows that what Liz is doing is wrong concerning her spending some time with her great-grandmother. Yet Simon doesn’t stop her from wanting to see Flora Walsh and he considers every option on what to do with Flora and her future. 🙂

Simon spends a lot of time with Neil in this audio story, especially when they seek jobs whilst staying in 1914 for a bit. Incidentally, our heroes are in January 1914 and the First World War happens in July 1914. Simon and his friends must be very careful on what they say and do whilst staying in 1914.

Cheryl Burfield is equally very good as Liz Skinner in this audio story. It’s amazing that Cheryl Burfield hasn’t done that much acting since doing the ‘Timeslip’ TV series compared to Spencer Banks, and yet, she seems to have slipped well into the role of Liz Skinner so flawlessly when hearing this story. 🙂

In many respects, ‘A Life Never Lived’ is Liz’s story, especially when we uncover her family history when meeting her great-grandmother Flora Walsh. I like the conversations Liz has with Flora, even when they’re getting on well with each other and when they fall out with each other in ‘Episode Three’ of this story.

It’s intriguing to compare Liz in the Big Finish audios compared to seeing her as a teenager in the TV series. In the Big Finish audios, she’s a lot wiser and less emotional compared to when she was young. I like how this story showcases the challenges Liz has in meeting with her great-grandmother.

Sarah Sutton, Orlando Gibbs and Amanda Shodeko in ‘A Life Never Lived’.

Sarah Sutton is always a highlight for me in these ‘Timeslip’ audios, including ‘A Life Never Lived’. I like how Charlotte Trent isn’t the villain in this audio story. It does seem like she genuinely wants to make amends for what she did in the previous stories. How long that will last for is for another time.

Although, when she tries to prove herself to Simon, Liz, Neil and Jade, Charlotte can often ‘bulldoze’ in her actions when trying to get Liz and Flora free from prison by meeting with Sir Crispin Grawl. This is when she trades with Sir Crispin by giving him information on the next Suffragette meeting. 🙂

I liked it when Charlotte and Jade try to persuade Sir Crispin to give Flora money as compensation for her damaged house. Charlotte blackmails Sir Crispin by using a recorder on the mobile phone she has from the alternative 1953. It’s good to come across these layers to Charlotte’s character in these audios.

Orlando Gibbs returns as Neil Riley in this ‘Timeslip’ audio story. Neil remains the good-natured person among the ‘Timeslip’ team, although not much is addressed in terms of the trauma he had in the previous story, especially when he and Charlotte are five years older than Simon, Liz and Jade. 😐

Neil’s big moment in the story is when he saves Flora Walsh from being burned alive in a house on fire. I actually went “Oh Neil!” once I heard the end of ‘Episode Two’, especially when Flora is supposed to die in that house. I like the interaction Neil has with Simon when they work for Leo Baxter.

Amanda Shodeko also returns as Jade Okafor in this ‘Timeslip’ audio story. I like how it’s touched upon that Jade is a history student and she knows what will happen in 1914 with them arriving before the First World War. Her reactions to Liz meeting her great-grandmother are very fascinating.

Jade clearly distrusts Charlotte and doesn’t seem willing to forgive her for what she did in the previous stories. She rebukes Charlotte for exchanging information to Sir Crispin in order to set Liz and Flora free. I like that she joined Charlotte when they blackmail Sir Crispin to give money to Flora.

Hugh Ross, Rachel Fenwick and Luke R. Francis in ‘A Life Never Lived’.

Hugh Ross guest stars as the villainous member of parliament called Sir Crispin Crawl, who’s very against Flora Walsh and her Suffragette movement. Hugh Ross has done plenty of Big Finish audios over the years and is well-known for playing Sir Toby Kinsella in the ‘Counter-Measures’ spin-off audio series.

I’ve also seen him in an episode of ‘Monarch of the Glen’ and I’ve met him once at the ‘Timey Wimey 1’ convention in Brighton in November 2014. I enjoyed Hugh Ross’ performance in this ‘Timeslip’ audio story and how his character of Sir Crispin is unravelled in being a really horrible person.

Rachel Fenwick guest stars as Flora Walsh, Charlotte’s great-grandmother. It was fascinating to hear how Flora is developed as a character when running her Suffragette movement. Initially, she likes Liz, but falls out with her when she thinks she’s spying on her and is disbelieving that Liz is from the future. 😐

I like how this story showcases the life Flora could have had if she didn’t end up dying in a burning house. It’s also fascinating when she shares with Liz how much her family, including her daughter, and the Suffragette movement means to her, wanting to ensure women have equal rights to men. 🙂

Luke R. Francis guest stars as Leo Baxter, who’s essentially a rent-man that knocks on people’s doors and demands for rent to be given by local householders. Simon and Neil are given a job by Leo, and it’s intriguing how it’s unveiled that Leo has feelings for Flora Walsh, despite him demanding rent off her.

There’s a point in the story where Leo is ordered by Sir Crispin to have Flora Walsh killed after he was blackmailed by Charlotte and Jade to give compensation to her. It’s clear that Leo doesn’t want to carry out Sir Crispin’s orders and I like how he doesn’t go through with it when he tells Flora about it.

There are also other roles played by members of the cast in this ‘Timeslip’ audio story. As well as Neil Riley, Orlando Gibbs plays a butler. As well as Sir Crispin Grawl, Hugh Ross plays an American captain. And as well as Leo Baxter, Luke R. Francis plays a character called Parkes in this audio story.

Director Helen Goldwyn, Hugh Ross, Sarah Sutton, Cheryl Burfield, Spencer Banks, Rachel Fenwick, Luke R. Francis, Amanda Shodeko and Orlando Gibbs in ‘A Life Never Lived’.

It’s nice how ‘A Life Never Lived’ tackled a historical topic in the Suffragettes and their movement, which I studied in GCSE History a long time ago and have seen in the 2015 film ‘Suffragette’. I’m pleased Sarah Sutton enjoyed recording this audio story, as it’s one that she’s able to understand and follow.

Incidentally, ‘A Life Never Lived’ is like the second proper historical story in the ‘Timeslip’ series as the first one was actually ‘The Wrong End of Time’ in the TV series. The other stories compared to those two so far have featured alternative realities, whether they’re set in the past or in the future.

Throughout the ‘Timeslip’ audios especially, it’s suggested by Simon that the ‘time barrier’ is sentient. So, does that mean that the ‘time barrier’ is alien or was created by someone on Earth? Whether this is something to be answered in ‘The Time of the Tipping Point’ remains to be determined here.

Simon, Liz, Charlotte, Neil and Jade manage to escape 1914 once the ‘time barrier’ is open. Liz also brings Flora with them to preserve her family history. I was quite surprised by that, as I didn’t know what would happen to Flora by the story’s end and whether she would die in the year 1914 or not. 😐

Understandably, Flora is upset about being robbed from her family life in 1914, especially when they end up in the year 2016, which is unfamiliar to her. She also misses her daughter, who’s being looked after by her sister. Liz sympathises, despite her maintaining and preserving her family history.

Whilst Flora is overwhelmed, Simon and Liz do their best to make her comfortable in 2016, as they have her stay in a cottage, which belongs to Liz, I believe. Unfortunately, Flora attempts to find a way to return to 1914 as she seeks for the ‘time barrier’, despite being told of her family history by Liz. 😦

The story concludes with the ‘time barrier’ being opened for our heroes in the hope of returning to their own time. Hopefully not to 2020, as we know how that year ended up. 😀 Maybe in the next story, our heroes will find themselves in the year 2023 instead. It’s possible. We’ll have to find that out next tme.

Charlotte has already gone through, and Neil and Jade go in after her. Satisfied that her family history has been retained despite Flora going off to find the ‘time barrier’ herself, Liz agrees to join Simon and they go through to join the others. I wonder what will happen next for our ‘Timeslip’ heroes.

‘A Life Never Was’ has been an excellent audio story to listen to in the ‘Timeslip’ audio series. I greatly enjoyed the performances of the cast, including Spencer Banks, Cheryl Burfield, Sarah Sutton, Orlando Gibbs, Amanda Shodeko and Hugh Ross, and I really like the story and the historical setting.

Whilst I’m disappointed ‘A Life Never Lived’ isn’t a six-parter instead of a four-parter to keep with tradition in the ‘Timeslip’ series overall, Roland Moore’s writing kept me engaged throughout, as I wanted to know what became of the characters. I’m greatly looking forward to what will happen next. 🙂

The CD extras are as follows. At the end of Discs 1 and 2, there are behind-the-scenes interviews with the cast and crew, including Spencer Banks, Cheryl Burfield, Sarah Sutton, Orlando Gibbs, Amanda Shodeko, Hugh Ross, writer Roland Moore, director Helen Goldwyn, etc.

As of January 2025, I’ve had my CD cover of ‘A Life Never Lived’ signed by the lovely Sarah Sutton at ‘Happy Who Year at the Playhouse’ in January 2025.

‘A Life Never Lived’ rating – 9/10