Flipside

Chris Cherry (producer) and Jeremy Paul (co-write AFFD) both had careers in UK TV and film. Jeremy has been heavily involved in the BBC's By The Sword Divided, Granada's Sherlock Holmes series, Lovejoy, Hetty Wainthropp and Midsomer Murders. You can read about Jeremy and his current project at www.signwillow.co.uk and at www.jeremypaul.org.uk.

Director and writer Alan Gibson was born 28 April 1938, in London, Ontario in Canada. He had an extensive TV and film career as a Director, mostly in horror, thrillers and SF from 1965 through to his death in 1987. Dominick Hide was his only writing credit. He died on 5th July 1987, in London, UK.

Visual Effects designer Peter Wragg cut his teeth on Thunderbirds Are Go, and went on to do effects for Threads and Red Dwarf.

Copies of Flipside on VHS come up pretty regularly on eBay, there is almost a copy or two available. They typically sell at around £30. I'll try and post actual sales prices below so that if you are trying to buy a copy you know what is a reasonable price to pay.

There must also be some way of getting an automatic post from eBay to this site to save you going to eBay to look. I'll investigate.

Dominick Hide Fan Sites

• Jon Farleys Site (The first FSODN fan site. Full cast list, great 3D renderings).

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Movie Sites covering Dominick Hide

• IMDB (includes links for all cast and crew, and reviews. Add one now!

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Related Sites

• Wedge Antilles FAQ (Star Wars character played by actor who played Alaric)
• Galactic Video (If you're in Oz these guys have got the video for rent)
• Headcrash (my fan site for a BBC Radio 3(!) SF play - absolutely superb)

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If you have a link to suggest please e-mail it to flipside@dominickhide.com.

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Whilst now sounding pretty dated - particularly the tracks from the sequel, the title theme "You Better Beleive it Babe" does a lot to set the mood for the play. Its wistful "are there somewhere islands" refrain reflecting Dominick's own thoughtfulness as he thinks about life on the flipside.

The music was composed by Rick Jones and David Pierce and played by the band Meal Ticket. Now apparently deleted they had one or two LPs out around 1980. I can remember tracking their stuff down in the mid 80s but couldn't see the Dominick Hide theme on it.

Meal Ticket consisted of Richard Jones (keyboards/vocals), Alan Coulter (drums), Rod Demick (bass), Willy Finlayson (guitar/keyboards/vocals), Keith Nelson (banjo), and Steve Simpson (guitar/violin/vocals). They released 3 albums in the seventies, the last, Takeaway (Logo 1008 ) in 1978. Kind of explains why the Dominick Hide theme wasn't on it!

Download the theme:

• MP3 (about 3MB) (taken from the end of FSODN)
• WAV (about 46MB) (edited together by John Green to include all the verses in one version of the song- thanks John!)

John has also transcribed the lyrics (thank again):

You Better Believe it Babe 
- Chuck Farley & Meal Ticket

Are there somewhere islands, over the horizon
Hidden by the morning mist, forever out of reach?

Are there somewhere islands, where the cocoa ripens
Wild canaries in the palms; a footprint on the beach?

Are there somewhere mountains, talked about in whispers
Himalayas; mountaineers never dared to climb?

Are there somewhere mountains where the tiger dances
Hillsides sweet with temple bells as half as old as time?

You better believe it babe; you better believe it babe
'cos in this madman's universe, well at least the dream's achieved.

You better believe it babe; you better believe it babe
'cos if you don't it makes things worse and who wants a dreamless sleep?
Who wants a dreamless sleep?

Are there somewhere oceans, rivers still run down to
Oceans deep and briny blue where the China Clippers soar?

Are there somewhere oceans, boys still run away to
Flying fishes jump for joy and the roaring forties roar?

Are there somewhere dreamers, drifting on the high road
Are there somewhere caravans approaching Samarqand?
 
Are there somewhere dragons, leprechauns and centaurs
Unicorns, Camelot and Never-never land?

You better believe it, babe; you better believe it, babe;
'cos in this madman's universe, well at least the dream's achieved.

You better believe it babe; you better believe it babe
'cos if you don't it makes things worse and who wants a dreamless sleep?
Who wants a dreamless sleep?

Are there somewhere heroes; knights in shining armour;
golden gallants come to life from faded tapestries?

Are there somewhere ladies, waiting in the moonlight;
ladies elegant and sad, by weeping willow trees?

Look in childrens' faces as they build their castles;
castles made of sand to hold the bold and restless sea.

Look beyond the mirror; see the distant shadows
But believe dreams appear as real as memories. 

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The other recurring music of the play is the Beatles. In 2130 the music is frequently seen being played by a holographic renaissance group. In one scene set in 1980 a guitarist in a restaurant is seen playing "Here Comes the Sun", and Dominick walks straight into him - thinking he's a hologram.

BBC Enterprises released the double video on 5th August 1991, but deleted it on 7th December 1993. A recent (Aug 2000) enquiry to the BBC yielded the statement that "Unfortunately, the twinpack of 'The Flipside of Dominic Hyde(sic)/Another Flip for Dominic' has been withdrawn from sale, and is no longer available for purchase in the UK."

It may still be possible to track the video down at memorabilia fairs, or through a search service such as BlackStar. ">eBay usually has second hand copies available at around £30.

There have recently been some DVD copies on eBay, but these appear to be pirate transfers.

The details of the video are:

BBC Enterprises Ltd 1991
Catalogue Number: BBCV 4640
Barcode: 5 014503 464028
Running Time: 176min approx
Produced by: Chris Cherry
Directed by: Alan Gibson
Certificate: PG

Throughout the plays we get an insight into what life is like in 2300.

Life Span

Environment

Holocaust

In 1999 there was a world war, the "Holocaust". London was obviously badly hit as Dominick tells his friends to be out of the city by then.

Computers

Technology

Commring - a ring sized communications device, both for person to person and person to computer calls. Dominic uses it to talk to SOO (qv) to check on what is happening at his house.

A wall of the living room is taken up by a multi=purpose screen that works as a 2D video screen for phone conversations and as a 3D projector for entertainment use.

SOO is the household computer. It can talk to the occupants, and over comms links. It can scan objects in the house and appears to acts as a complete house manager come secretary.

Language

Clothing

Wide brimmed hats because of the UV

Life style

Morals

Sex, no "cheating"

Houses

We are only really given a good look at Dominick's house. It is very "2001" ish, modernist and minimalist. Dominick remarks on the clutter in Jane's house, and also comments on how sterile - physically, emotionally and biologically his life is.

Caleb's office/house is similarly modernist, if richer in colour and decoration.

Transport

Apart from the saucers the only transport shown is their equivalent of the London Undergound, some form of suitably quiet and plush mass transit system.

Time Travel

The time-travel mechanism is never explained. One curious point is that elapsed time in 1980 equals elapse time in 2130 - so if Dominick spends 24 hrs in 1980, 24 hrs pass in 2130.

Words and terms from Dominick Hide

Corro	Short for correlator (qv)
Correlator	Dominick's occupation. Someone who collects data on the past.
Double Return	A trip back from the past to Dominick's present.
Flip	A journey back in time to "the flipside"
Flipside	A previous period in time
Reprogrammed	Having a new partner assigned by the computer
Return	A trip back to the past
SOO	The domestic computer which monitors a house

Dominick Hide (Peter Firth)

Dominick Hide is a "Corro", a correlator, whose job is to hover over 1980s London in a time machine (shaped like a classic flying saucer) and try and re-compile the London Bus timetable from observations - the written records having been destroyed in some "holocaust" in 1999.

Dominick however also has a personal interest in the past. His Great Aunt Mavis has been telling him about his Great Great Grandfather, also called Dominick Hide, who was living in "Port Beal", London around that time.

Jane (Caroline Langrishe)

Jane owns a small fashion shop in Portobello Road. She is just recovering from a messy love affair.

Ava (Pippa Guard)

Ava is Dominick's partner. Partners in 2130 appear to be found by a form of computer matching. At one point Dominick asks Ava if she is unhappy and wishes to be "re-programmed". Ava works for "Tom Cook" as a time-tour guide, taking people back in time to witness important events from the past. She is very wary of Dominick's trips back.

Caleb Line (Patrick Magee)

Caleb is Dominick's boss. Appearing as very much the "elder statesman" figure, Caleb is a source of fear for Dominick - Dominick is overjoyed when he learns that Caleb was on his annual vacation to ??? when Dominick is 2 days overdue.

Alaric (Trevor Ray)

Alaric is Dominick's support engineer and friend. Alaric stays in the control area whenever Dominick goes to the flipside. Alaric has had a succession of female partners, and continues to do so through the plays, ultimately finding happiness when matched with another man.

Great Aunt Mavis (Sylvia Coleridge)

Born in 2015, Great Aunt Mavis has only dim memories of her Grandfather, Dominic's GreatGreat Grandfather. Slightly batty, she still has a keen ear which picks up on Dominic's use of the word "actually", and is delighted when Dominic brings her back a rose - that bloomed 35 years before she was born.

Pyrus Bonnington (Ron Berglas) - Another Flip for Dominick

Pyrus is a new recruit to Caleb's operation, and holds Dominick as a personal hero - the story of Dominicks visit to 1980s London now being the stuff of legend. Pyrus decides to emulate Dominick and return to London to experience the 1980s for himself.

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The Cast

A full cast and crew list is available at either Jon Farleys site or at IMDB. See our links page for details.

Others

Denis Lawson, who went on to play Rebel Squadron pilot Wedge Antilles in the Star Wars movies played Felic, one of Jane's friends.

Michael Carter, who played Bib Fortuna in Return of the Jedi played "1st Youth" - I assume one of the kids who Dominck meets outside the pub and who tell him about Portobello Road and give him the A to Z. Bib Fortuna was Jaba the Hutts major domo, the block with the latex worm wrapped around his head.

The Wedge Antilles FAQ (see Links) also reports that Jeremy "Boba Fett" Bulloch was in FSODN but he does not appear on the cast list of either the viedo of IMDB.

Jean Trend, who plays ?? friend Helda, turned up in Chisrs Morris' Jam series only this year. She was also in the TV classic Doomwatch.

Timothy Davies, who played Jim Bone, was in the TV version of The Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy. He played Fook/Phougg.

Kaleb to Dominick - "Your great grandfather was born in 1981 in the Portobello sector of London. Or would be, .... and now will be".

Dominick to Ava - "You smelt the rose".