Behind the quirky world of “Time Travel is Dangerous”

Interview by Alex Wilk

The British sci-fi buddy comedy Time Travel is Dangerous opened the 4th Extra sci-fi festival Verona on 15 March 2025. Recently released in UK cinemas, we had the opportunity to interview the film’s director Chris Reading, together with screenwriters Anna and Hillary Shakespeare (aka the Shakespeare Sisters). They shared with us some behind-the-scenes insights into this small independent production, a film that is winning over audiences with its distinctive blend of humour and delightfully eccentric space-time paradoxes.

Chris Reading: I met Ruth and Megan when they worked in the art department on a commercial. I immediately thought they were funny, and their shop was a centre of the community in Muswell Hill, which becomes a character in the film too. 

Why did you ask them to act rather than hiring actors to interpret them? Were they keen to do so? Were there any challenges to this unconventional choice?

CR: This project was always a mock doc at its heart, and I think the authenticity brought by Ruth and Megan’s real-life friendship helps the believability of the more fantastical elements of the story. 

Anna Shakespeare: There are some challenges that come with people “playing themselves” as the lines become blurry between reality and fiction. In the writing you need to fictionalise the characters to create the tension and conflict you need from a scene so we often did need to depart from Ruth and Megan’s real-life personalities. 

⁠The wider location of Muswell Hill is also an important backdrop to the narrative. What attracted to you this particular zone as the location for the film?

AS: We were attracted by the “small town” nature of Muswell Hill. It is, of course, in London, but it has a kind of old-timey feel to it. A lot of the community know each other (and pulled together to help on the film), and it has the kind of contained world where it somehow seemed equally believable and ridiculous that all these antics would go down there! 

 

 

⁠“Time Travel is Dangerous” is often described as capturing quintessential British life and humour. What does British humour mean to you and which other films or programmes is this film indebted to?

CR: We took a lot of inspiration from comedies like The Office, This Country and Spinal Tap. The work of Terry Gilliam was also a great inspiration for the dark comedy of the underworld “The Unreason”, especially the never-ending game. We wanted to make a feel-good film, which would travel outside of the UK, and I think we’ve achieved that.

⁠Another unique feature is the direct reference to the interviewers and the video cameras on set. Why did you decide to take this “mockumentary” style approach?

Hillary Shakespeare: Given we were working with real people / real life characters Ruth and Megan we started the whole thing by asking them real questions about their shop. A lot of what they say (about their business model, their friendship – Time Machine aside) is true. We wanted to ground the film’s more fantastical elements in reality. And we also thought the “jankiness” of the machines, everything not quite working, and the mockumentary style helped set the scene for the more crazy elements. 

The film is currently in UK cinemas and previously you were touring the festival circuit. Can you tell us about your experience of promoting and now releasing the film? 

AS: It has been great showing the film to audiences around the UK and at festivals all over the world. Most of the comedy has travelled extremely well, and we have received fantastic audience feedback and reviews.

We’ve also been playing in Muswell Hill for a few weeks now and we get so many messages from people from there who love to see their area as a character on the big screen! All the geography checks out as well, which is fun.

 

 

Chris, this is not your first piece of science fiction work. In 2019, you wrote and directed the short film A L I E N: CONTAINMENT. Can you tell us the backstory of how you came to make that?

CR: The 40th anniversary shorts were produced by an agency in the US that I work with regularly. It was a really fun experience working with this established IP, and a real treat to create something in the ALIEN universe.  

What attracts you to the sci-fi genre for storytelling? Which other films or books are your key sci-fi references?

CR: My favourite sci-fi is Star Trek, because I love the feel-good stories and themes they include. We have packed so many scifi references in TTID, some I’ve even forgotten are there. 

⁠Do you have any advice for aspiring directors or screenwriters?

CR: I think it’s important to make as much content as possible and not be afraid if it isn’t perfect. Practice makes perfect. Also, finding really creative and talented collaborators is key. 

AS: Also, that if you get into a feature with those collaborators, it is like a marriage and the film is your “baby”! So to pick those people carefully, try making a smaller-form project together first, so you know you work well together. Me, Hillary and Chris have been working together for five years now (and Hillary and I have been making films together since we were kids!)

Do any of you have any future projects lined up?

CR: I am concentrating on TTID at the moment, but am also developing some new comedy projects, also in the sci-fi genre. 

 

 

AS: Hillary and I shot a comedy of age comedy last summer called “The Upside of Unrequited”. It’s about two sisters who are growing apart as they start their first relationships and how they deal with that (not particularly maturely!).

HS: It’s based on the book by Becky Albertalli, but also definitely has elements of our own experiences in there. We’re in post-production on it now. 

And what about Ruth and Megan?

CR: They still run the shop and are looking forward to the film bringing new visitors to Muswell Hill. 

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>Time Travel is Dangerous Instagram
>Chris Reading’s website
>Shakespeare Sisters’ website

 

 

 

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