Doctor Who 694 serial episodes (1963-89) 30m & 60m
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Worth every bit of its lofty cult status, the Doctor is a Time Lord who periodically regenerates every time a new actor takes over the role - the most popular being Tom Baker (1974-81). Time and space are explored in the TARDIS, which is much more spacious inside than its outward appearance would suggest. Well scripted. New series from the 2000s listed separately.
Edwardian adventurer is frozen by his arch-enemy and shows up 64 years later in the Swinging Sixties. He hooks up with a really groovy chick and an eccentric butler - whereupon he continues his roguishly adventurous lifestyle. The series premise underwent a revival of sorts with the hugely successful Austin Powers films.
Planet of the Apes 14 episodes (1974) 60m
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After a host of successful feature films, a series seemed somewhat excessive - even a little nonsensical. Roddy McDowell reprised his role as the compassionate ape who befriends two time-tripping astronauts in a primate-dominated future. The group stayed on the run for 14 episodes until the series was mercifully canned.
Sapphire and Steel 34 serial episodes (1979-82) 30m
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Completely bizarre, absolutely no scientific foundation and immensely enjoyable. The title characters (played by Joanna Lumley and David McCallum) are dimension-hopping temporal agents whose job it is to plug leaks between the past, present and future - which is apparently what causes most supernatural phenomena.
Quantum Leap 95 episodes (1989-94) 60m*
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Sam Beckett (Scott Bakula) wanders through various near-past locations facing an array of moral dilemmas while occupying other people's bodies. Somewhat confusingly, Beckett appears as himself to the camera, but the characters around him see only the body he occupies & can't see his hologram sidekick at all. Good-natured fun.
Time Trax 44 episodes (1993-94) 60m
A cop armed with a time machine zapper gun and a holographic computer disguised as a MasterCard travels back two centuries to the present to track down criminals who have escaped from his time. Nobel prize winning mad scientist Dr Mordecai Sahmbi and lesser fugitives use knowledge of the future to make the job difficult.
Sliders 88 episodes (1995-2000) 60m
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Young genius Quinn Mallory inadvertently opens a time portal, which for the rest of the series takes him and his three companions to a host of parallel Earths. Production costs were kept to manageable levels by sticking to contemporary scenarios, thus avoiding the necessity for too many elaborate historical or futuristic sets.
The adventures of a "chrononaut" Frank Parker - a government agent who is frequently sent up to seven days back in time to fix things when they have gone haywire. Parker travels courtesy of an invention that was created using alien technology from the Roswell crash. Well-made series with a strong cult following, lasting just long enough to score some reruns.
