The Flipside of Dominick Hide
Encyclopedia
The Flipside of Dominick Hide is a British television
play first transmitted by the BBC
on 9 December 1980 as part of the Play for Today
series.
Peter Firth
stars in the title role as a time traveller from Earth's future who illegally visits the London
of 1980 to search for an 'ancestor' and finds a world very different from the one he left behind.
ler whose job is to observe transport systems on the 'flipside' - the era before the Time Barrier was broken. Dominick's 'Circuit' (the period in time and space he must observe) is London 1980, where he believes he may have an ancestor - his great-great-grandfather, also named Dominick Hide. Breaking the rules, Dominick lands on the flipside to search for his great-great-grandfather.
London of 1980 is a very different place to London 2130, and Dominick is completely unprepared for the amazing culture shock of Portobello Road
. He has no money, and almost no idea how to behave. He concocts a story about finding a 'distant relative', and to avoid suspicion, calls himself Gilbey, after a brand of Gin
. While he is on the flipside, he relies entirely on the kindness of strangers, including the owner of a clothes shop, Jane Winters.
After an unsuccessful visit to the flipside, Dominick returns to 2130 determined to try again. Dominick tells his wife, Ava, that he plans to visit the flipside. She is upset and confused, and asks him not to go.
Despite the risks involved, and the promise of trouble from his superior, Caleb Line, Dominick visits the flipside again. While he is there, and against all sense, Dominick begins a relationship with Jane.
Still Dominick has not found his great-great-grandfather, but now his visits seem to be more concerned with seeing Jane than with finding the elusive 1980 Dominick. They spend a weekend together at a guesthouse in Herne Bay
where his flying saucer has been taken. As a result, Jane becomes pregnant. When Dominick learns this, he goes to Caleb Line to admit his guilt, whatever the consequences.
Caleb reveals that this he was aware, all the time, of what Dominick was doing. He sanctioned it because Dominick Hide is the victim of a "genetic time-slip" - he is, in fact, his own ancestor. The child Jane is carrying will be Dominick's great-grandfather.
Caleb tells Dominick that further landings on the flipside will not be permitted, officially, implying that he trusts Dominick enough to turn a blind eye to further landings. However, having narrowly avoided causing a fatal accident on a previous landing, Dominick realises the danger involved, and decides to visit the flipside just once more, where he provides for Jane and his son by fetching them the following week's newspaper, from which Jane can use the soccer results to win the football pools
. He explains that this will be the last time he can visit the flipside and says a sad farewell to his great-great-grandmother. Jane watches Dominick take off in his flying saucer, convinced at last that his story is true. The closing credits show Dominick and Ava walking and laughing in the surf at Herne Bay with their own baby.
, and performed by his band, Meal Ticket
.
to tie in with a series of programmes about time
.
The two dramas were released as a double VHS video pack in 1990 and on region 2 DVD
in 2005.
British television
Public television broadcasting started in the United Kingdom in 1936, and now has a collection of free and subscription services over a variety of distribution media, through which there are over 480 channelsTaking the base Sky EPG TV Channels. A breakdown is impossible due to a) the number of...
play first transmitted by the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
on 9 December 1980 as part of the Play for Today
Play for Today
Play for Today is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC1 from 1970 to 1984. During the run, more than three hundred programmes, featuring original television plays, and adaptations of stage plays and novels, were transmitted...
series.
Peter Firth
Peter Firth
Peter Firth is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Sir Harry Pearce in the BBC show Spooks, of which he is the only actor to have starred in every episode of the show's 10 series lifespan...
stars in the title role as a time traveller from Earth's future who illegally visits the London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
of 1980 to search for an 'ancestor' and finds a world very different from the one he left behind.
Plot summary
In 2130 earth has attained a clean, safe and anaesthetised future. Dominick is a time travelTime travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
ler whose job is to observe transport systems on the 'flipside' - the era before the Time Barrier was broken. Dominick's 'Circuit' (the period in time and space he must observe) is London 1980, where he believes he may have an ancestor - his great-great-grandfather, also named Dominick Hide. Breaking the rules, Dominick lands on the flipside to search for his great-great-grandfather.
London of 1980 is a very different place to London 2130, and Dominick is completely unprepared for the amazing culture shock of Portobello Road
Portobello Road
Portobello Road is a street in the Notting Hill district of The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea in west London, England. It runs almost the length of Notting Hill from south to north, roughly parallel with Ladbroke Grove. On Saturdays it is home to Portobello Road Market, one of London's...
. He has no money, and almost no idea how to behave. He concocts a story about finding a 'distant relative', and to avoid suspicion, calls himself Gilbey, after a brand of Gin
Gin
Gin is a spirit which derives its predominant flavour from juniper berries . Although several different styles of gin have existed since its origins, it is broadly differentiated into two basic legal categories...
. While he is on the flipside, he relies entirely on the kindness of strangers, including the owner of a clothes shop, Jane Winters.
After an unsuccessful visit to the flipside, Dominick returns to 2130 determined to try again. Dominick tells his wife, Ava, that he plans to visit the flipside. She is upset and confused, and asks him not to go.
Despite the risks involved, and the promise of trouble from his superior, Caleb Line, Dominick visits the flipside again. While he is there, and against all sense, Dominick begins a relationship with Jane.
Still Dominick has not found his great-great-grandfather, but now his visits seem to be more concerned with seeing Jane than with finding the elusive 1980 Dominick. They spend a weekend together at a guesthouse in Herne Bay
Herne Bay, Kent
Herne Bay is a seaside town in Kent, South East England, with a population of 35,188. On the south coast of the Thames Estuary, it is north of Canterbury and east of Whitstable. It neighbours the ancient villages of Herne and Reculver and is part of the City of Canterbury local government district...
where his flying saucer has been taken. As a result, Jane becomes pregnant. When Dominick learns this, he goes to Caleb Line to admit his guilt, whatever the consequences.
Caleb reveals that this he was aware, all the time, of what Dominick was doing. He sanctioned it because Dominick Hide is the victim of a "genetic time-slip" - he is, in fact, his own ancestor. The child Jane is carrying will be Dominick's great-grandfather.
Caleb tells Dominick that further landings on the flipside will not be permitted, officially, implying that he trusts Dominick enough to turn a blind eye to further landings. However, having narrowly avoided causing a fatal accident on a previous landing, Dominick realises the danger involved, and decides to visit the flipside just once more, where he provides for Jane and his son by fetching them the following week's newspaper, from which Jane can use the soccer results to win the football pools
Football pools
A football pool, often collectively referred to as "the pools", is a betting pool based on predicting the outcome of top-level association football matches set to take place in the coming week. The pools are typically cheap to enter, with the potential to win huge money. Entries were traditionally...
. He explains that this will be the last time he can visit the flipside and says a sad farewell to his great-great-grandmother. Jane watches Dominick take off in his flying saucer, convinced at last that his story is true. The closing credits show Dominick and Ava walking and laughing in the surf at Herne Bay with their own baby.
Cast
- Peter FirthPeter FirthPeter Firth is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Sir Harry Pearce in the BBC show Spooks, of which he is the only actor to have starred in every episode of the show's 10 series lifespan...
(Dominick Hide) - Caroline LangrisheCaroline LangrisheCaroline Langrishe is an English actress.In 1976, Langrishe appeared in the BBC production of The Glittering Prizes. In 1977 she played the role of Kitty in a BBC adaptation of Anna Karenina. Her first big part was in the 1978 British adaption of Les Misérables...
(Jane) - Pippa GuardPippa GuardPhilippa Ann Guard is a British actress.Guard was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and belongs to a well-known theatrical family, whose members include her uncle Philip Guard, cousins Christopher Guard and Dominic Guard, and younger brother Alex Guard. Her father was an engineer who moved the family to...
(Ava) - Patrick MageePatrick Magee (actor)Patrick Magee was a Northern Irish actor best known for his collaborations with Samuel Beckett and Harold Pinter, as well as his appearances in horror films and in Stanley Kubrick's films A Clockwork Orange and Barry Lyndon.-Early life:He was born Patrick McGee in Armagh, County Armagh, Northern...
(Caleb Line) - Trevor RayTrevor RayTrevor Ray is a British actor who has appeared in many TV-series..Ray penned the final version of the first episode of the Doctor Who serial The Ambassadors of Death, though he was not credited on the episode...
(Alaric) - Sylvia ColeridgeSylvia ColeridgeSylvia Coleridge was a British stage, radio and television actress.-Career:Her acting credits include: Out of the Unknown, The Avengers, Paul Temple, The Lotus Eaters, Ace of Wands, The Tomorrow People, Z Cars, Public Eye, Sutherland's Law, Dixon of Dock Green, The Onedin Line, Doctor Who Sylvia...
(Great Aunt Mavis) - Jean Trend (Helda)
- Timothy Davies (Jim Bone)
- Denis LawsonDenis LawsonDenis Stamper Lawson is a Scottish actor and director. He is known for his roles as John Jarndyce in the BBC's adaptation of Bleak House and as Gordon Urquhart in the film Local Hero, but is best known for playing the part of Wedge Antilles in the original Star Wars trilogy.-Early life:Lawson was...
(Felix) - Bernadette Shortt (Midge)
- Tony MelodyTony MelodyAnthony John "Tony" Melody was an English television actor who appeared in a number of long running comedies and soap operas. He was a prolific character actor with over 100 television roles.-Early life:...
(Harry) - Bill Gavin (Brian)
- David Griffin (Karl)
- Karl HowmanKarl HowmanKarl Howman is an English actor and also a British voice-over artist.He is well known but notable to many television viewers for his work as Jacko in the mid-1980's and early-90's BBC TV sitcom Esmonde and Larbey's Brush Strokes and as the title character in the series Mulberry .However Howman first...
(Geoffrey) - Jenny Donnison (Carole)
Music
The play's theme, "You'd Better Believe It, Babe" was written by Richard JonesRick Jones (television presenter)
Rick Jones was a presenter of BBC children's television programmes during the 1970s.-Biography:A Canadian by birth, Jones began his TV career as a co-presenter of Play School, a daily programme for pre-school age children, in which he played guitar and sang...
, and performed by his band, Meal Ticket
Meal Ticket
Meal Ticket were a country rock band that played the London pub circuit in the 1970s. Rick Jones, a Canadian ex-patriot and known for television appearances on Play School and Fingerbobs, wrote many of their songs...
.
Another Flip for Dominick
The play was so popular that a sequel, Another Flip For Dominick, followed in 1982. The original play was repeated the week before the sequel aired. Neither play was shown again on British television until 26 February 2006, when The Flipside of Dominick Hide was broadcast on BBC FourBBC Four
BBC Four is a British television network operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation and available to digital television viewers on Freeview, IPTV, satellite and cable....
to tie in with a series of programmes about time
Time
Time is a part of the measuring system used to sequence events, to compare the durations of events and the intervals between them, and to quantify rates of change such as the motions of objects....
.
The two dramas were released as a double VHS video pack in 1990 and on region 2 DVD
DVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in 2005.
External links
- TV Cream review of Flipside and Another Flip.