'The Year of the Burn Up' (8 Parts) by Bruce Stewart (Parts 1-7) and Victor Pemberton (Part 8)

After Liz and Simon return to the present, Simon is summoned to Whitehall by Traynor. Although the commander is still interested in the longevity drug that Simon saw in The Ice Box, he warns the boy to stay out of the future; however, this only serves to pique Simon’s interest. Liz realises that she misses Simon, and decides to join him; together they once more travel through the time barrier, this time arriving in an alternate version of 1990, in an England that is a lush, tropical jungle. Here the two children once more encounter Beth, but this alternate version is a much friendlier person because she did not take the intelligence enhancement treatment, and she is the leader of a commune of ‘misfits’ who live a primitive but simple life in the jungle. This version of 1990 is ruled by the Technocrats, a scientifically-advanced elite that has no interest in anyone of a lesser intelligence, and who are carrying out a Masterplan that will re-shape the world into a more ordered state. Unfortunately, these experiments are causing vast global-warming, and the Earth is rapidly drying up. Simon soon encounters a Technocrat known only as ‘2957’ – in truth Simon’s future self; together, the two of them travel to the future version of Whitehall, where they learn that sabotage is disrupting the Masterplan. With time running out Simon tries desperately to discover the identity of the saboteur, and he soon finds that it is none other than another future version of Commander Traynor. This alternate Traynor was the originator of the Technocrat Masterplan - and his scheme is about to cause the destruction of the entire planet in a blanket of fire…


Cheryl Burfield (Liz Skinner), Spencer Banks (Simon Randall), Iris Russell (Jean Skinner), Derek Benfield (Frank Skinner), Denis Quilley (Commander Traynor), Mary Preston (Beth Skinner), David Graham (2957), Teresa Scoble (Miss Stebbins / Alpha 16), Merdal Jordine (Vera), Brian Pettifer (Paul), Ian Fairbairn (Alpha), Leslie Scoble (Alpha 17), Patrick Durkin (Delta 22), Stuart Henry (Technician)

Directed by Peter Jeffries (Parts 1-7), and Ron Francis (Part 8)
Produced by John Cooper

TX:
Part 1 - 21st December 1970 @ 5.15 pm - 5.50 pm
Part 2 - 28th December 1970 @ 5.10 pm - 5.40 pm
Part 3 - 4th January 1971 @ 5.10 pm - 5.45 pm
Part 4 - 11th January 1971 @ 5.10 pm - 5.45 pm
Part 5 - 18th January 1971 @ 5.10 pm - 5.45 pm
Part 6 - 25th January 1971 @ 5.10 pm - 5.45 pm
Part 7 - 1st February 1971 @ 5.10 pm - 5.45 pm
Part 8 - 8th February 1971 @ 5.10 pm - 5.45 pm

Notes:
*Featuring Liz Skinner and Simon Randall

*It is not known if parts 7-8 were made in colour or black-and-white; all episodes now exist as 16mm black-and-white telerecordings