After the mixed response to my previous sit com idea idea (an engineering satire set during the construction of the channel tunnel), or in case any of our French cousins are reading (une réponse mélangée pauvre!) I have come up with a new although equally complex and ambitious proposal.
The idea is to set the sit com in the future, some time between 3072 and 3077 I haven't decided yet. The simple premise is that the lead character 'Nathan' gains access to a time machine and accidentally transports himself and his pet dog 'Figs' to 1977, some 2,000 years earlier. However during the journey the time machine is badly damaged and they cannot return directly to 3077. The machine can only access years which are multiples of either 3 or 7 and they cannot advance more than 26 years at any one jump. Thus armed only with a badly damaged time machine, a calculator and their wits, Nathan and Figs set about their journey home.
The humour would come in with the various random scrapes Nathan and Figs get into e.g in 2067 they have to fight off a gang of adolescent thrush ridden vampires after Figs did a shit in their quasi-commune. There would also be an incident where Nathan and Figs find themselves stranded in Roman Britain. After witnessing the Romans build Britain's first ever Little Chef Restaurant at South Mimms, they manage to make good their escape.
On arrival in 2016 structural damage to their machine makes it imperative that they travel to 2027 although heavy fog means they have to land in 2029 thus putting the whole trip in jeopardy. After deliberation they decide to head to 2049 and after being embroiled in a solar eclipse and an ill fated jazz music festival they wind up in 2075.
Ultimately it would take a total of 978 time jumps or 'Bsels Umblazs' before they reach home again. Now here's the complicated part. On their return to 3077 they discover that whilst they have been travelling through time, unbeknownst to Nathan and Figs they have been making serious alterations to the course of history. After a near miss at the Jazz music festival Nathan and Figs (who by now has developed the ability to talk as well as basic levitation capabilities) discussed the need to avoid making any slight changes to their surroundings, as the effects could be disastrous. However in failing to do this they find themselves in 3077 where the world is now run by tiny atoms that have the strength of elephants and minds 2,000,000 times more powerful then humanoids can even comprehend let alone muster.
The second series would consist of Nathan and Figs intrepidly travelling back through time trying to reverse all their changes.
I know people will inevitably compare this to 'Goodnight Sweetheart' and there's no doubt its similarities are glaring at best. However I implore you to see through this. I think this could be an ideal vehicle for Michael Crawford to make his long awaited return to comedy. I've even thrown in a scene where he's on roller skates, clinging to the back of a moving London bus, as I know that was his forte.
