The Cambridge Spy (TV story)

The Cambridge Spy was the sixteenth episode of Series 1 of K9 and featured the first time-travel adventure of the show.

Synopsis
A freak accident engages the Space-Time Manipulator and Jorjie is taken back in time to November 1963. K9 and Starkey follow to rescue her and become embroiled in a spy-ring and a race against time to save Darius from never having existed. Gryffen enlists June's help to bring Jorjie back to their time and save Darius.

Plot
At the mansion, as Gryffen works on the Space-Time Manipulator Starkey is beaten at Chess by K9. Jorjie is looking at files from when the mansion was a police station. Among the papers, Jorjie finds that In 1963 there was a Russian spy ring in the district and the old station was the centre of investigations.

Gryffen is excited that the STM is working. The STM sends out a ball of green energy which flies across the mansion and hits Jorjie, making her vanish. Starkey, Darius and K9 tell Gryffen in the Chess room what happened to Jorjie, he tells them how he was working on the Quantum equaliser and it was going so well but there was a power surge. K9 tells Starkey that the Quantum equaliser maintains the balance between Space and Time. Jorjie has been sent to a different time, the same place but at a different time. Darius finds a newspaper dated 1963 with the headline and picture of a cat burglar arrested. He spots Jorjie in the background and shows the team.

In 1963, a constable finds a confused Jorjie and asks if he can help, Jorjie pokes him, discovering he's real. A boy called William Pike who looks exactly like Darius helps Jorjie telling the constable that he's her brother. The Constable takes them both away. Back in 2050, Starkey decides to go after her and K9 decides to join Starkey. Darius and Gryffen will stay in 2050 to manage the STM, warning the others that if the portal closes they will be trapped in 1963.

In 1963, Jorjie figures out that William isn't Darius, but he does not understand the situation. The Constable finds a folder in a car but is interrupted by the arrival of K9 and Starkey. He takes their communicator, but they escape.The Constable then finds another man with a communicator, puts him in Jorjie's cell and tells Bill to come with him for interrogation. The man introduces himself to Jorjie as Miles Barrington Smythe. In 2050, Gryffen and Darius go through old newspapers to find Jorjie. Instead, Starkey spots a story about his grandfather, accused of being part of a Russian spy-ring and being convicted for treason.

In 1963, while the Constable takes a look at the communicator, a manwho looks like Thorne arrives. The constable and the man, whom the constable as Agent Barker from MI6 meet Bill in an interrogation room. As the constable leaves, Bill and Agent Barker square off. In 2050 Gryffen ascertains that the past has been changed and Darius shouldn't exist. Dariusfades away just before June arrives, asking to see Jorjie. Starkey and K9 lurk near the Station, trying to work out a rescue for Jorjie.

Starkey contacts Gryffen who reveals what happened to June, he tells him he and K9 are nearly ready. June can't believe he let it happen but Gryffen says it was just a coincidential anomaly and he'll get them back. Starkey tells Gryffen he's found Jorjie and will be ready to transport her in 10 minutes. Gryffen tells him theres a problem, they have to save Bill or Darius will cease to exist. They sneak through the Police sttion and Starkey snatches the communicator. They then arrive at Jorjie's cell, Starkey asks if she has seen Bill. She says he's being held in the interrogation room. K9 blasts open the door, Miles shows the way to the interrogation room. In 2050, Gryffen tells June they have to give the portal all the power they can with the same way it powered up before, lightning. The electrical surge will run directly to the STM if someone holds the antenna out the window. Due to Gryffen's Agoraphobia, it has to be June. Gryffen assures her the antenna dish will protect her and he gives her some gloves. In 1963 the gang sneak through but they see the Constable typing a letter. Starkey asks K9 to provide a distraction, he then plays a Car Crash sound effect. Miles alerts the Constable to a crash, the Constable recognises him as the man he arrested and chases after him.

In the Interrogation room, Barker questions Bill as to why Russian documents ended up in his cab, he tells him he doesn't know and that he's not a spy. He says he has his rights and he wants his lawyer, Barker tells him spies has no rights. K9, Jorjie and Starkey arrive to save him, Barker threatens to have them all arrested along with Bill they note his resemblence to Thorne. K9 blasts the wall, Barker gives in and allows them to dissapear. Gryffen finds they are succeeding as Darius starts to return. Starkey and Jorjie contact Gryffen telling him they are ready to go, but they can't recieve him. June gets outside the window ready for the antenna to recieve the strike, Darius starts to fade again. As Starkey tries to contact Gryffen, Miles arrives. The lightning strikes the antenna, powering up the STM. Starkey tells Bill to escape, he refuses to disgrace the family and stays to prove his innocence. As Barker insists he's guilty and will be going to prison, Darius fades away.

The Portal becomes very unstable. Jorjie tells Bill he knows he's innocent, he tells her he has to prove his innocence. Barker says that the evidence proves otherwise, Jorjie argues that it doesn't prove anything. Barker says that Bill is guilty until proven innocent. K9 decides to prove him innocent by taking a look through the document, he detects the language as Russian and that there is a coded message. Based on a basic mathematical equation, the details of a spy network located in this area just like in the newspaper. Barker insists this only proves Bill is guilty and tries to leave but is stopped by another blast from K9. He detects this message is to a spy, instructing him to use his government employee card to access information and as Bill is not a government employee, he is innocent. K9 tries to find who the name of the spy is but detects the document is going to explode and warns every one to get down. The Document explodes, Starkey is contacted by Gryffen who tells him he has less then a minute. They say goodbye to Bill and K9 gives out somemore 60's slang as the team get back to their own time.

In 2050, Darius comes back to existance and the others come through the STM. Everyone is glad to be all back together and they all laugh. Later, K9 scans World situation and ascertains that no significant changes to the timeline has occured. Jorjie is dissapointed, Gryffen explains that "tempting as it may be to change the world by changing the past, it creates far too many problems". Starkey then says that "We're stuck with changing it from here". In 1963, Barker meets with Miles (who is a Russian spy) to discuss their close escape, Barker complains that Miles took his time setting the self-destruct and that "the mechanical-dog" almost revealed him. Miles tells him he was interested to see it's capabilities, Barker hopes the next time he passes material on to him he'll take better care of it. Miles argues that he needed to hide it quickly and the Cab was convinient, Barker hands him a copy of the Document. Miles appreciates this and hopes that one day Britain will have a society like communist Russia. They both leave the street.

Cast

 * K9 Mark 2 - John Leeson
 * Starkey - Keegan Joyce
 * Jorjie Turner - Philippa Coulthard
 * Darius Pike - Daniel Webber
 * Professor Alistair Gryffen - Robert Moloney
 * June Turner - Robyn Moore
 * William Pike - Daniel Webber
 * Barker - Jared Robinsen
 * Constable - Daniel Murphy
 * Miles Barrington Smythe - Corey Robinson

Production crew

 * Writer - Jason Bourque
 * Director - Mark DeFriest
 * Producers - Penny Wall, Richard Stewart, Simon Barnes
 * Executive producers - Jim Howell, Grant Bradley, Steve Robbins
 * Associate producers - Bob Baker, Paul Tams
 * Supervising producer - Dale Bradley
 * Co-Executive producer - Mark Blythe
 * With special thanks - Sam Tromans
 * Line producer - Pam Collis
 * VFX Director - David Napier
 * Series Production Designer - Jon Dowding
 * Episodic Designer - Adam Head
 * New K9 Design by - Paul Tams, Alex Kubalsky
 * Series Director of Photography - Ben Nott
 * Episodic Director of Photography - Tony O'Loughlan
 * Music by - Christopher Elves
 * K9 theme music by - Michael Lira
 * Editor - Russell Maggs
 * Casting - Faith Martin and associates
 * Episodic casting - Lisa Maloney
 * Drama/Dialogue coach - Peter Kent
 * Story Producer - Greg Walters
 * Script Adaption - Michaeley O'Brien
 * Production Accountant - Pru Donovan
 * 1st Assistant Director - Peter McLennan
 * Script Supervisor - Sue Ketchington
 * Costume Designer - Joanne Thompson
 * Makeup Designer - Sharon Robbins
 * Puppeteer - David Pawsey
 * Location Manager - Charles Boyle
 * Sound Recordist - Ian Grant
 * B Camera Operator - Dan Maxwell
 * Gaffer - Steve Monk
 * Key Grip - Billy Harmer
 * Special thanks to - Space Furniture, Shredox, J. Barbour & Sons Ltd, Heath Williams at Firefly Lighting, Videopro
 * Safety Supervisor/Stunt Coordinator - Danny Baldwin
 * Transport Manager - Alister Ward
 * Unit Manager - Graeme Suhr
 * Post Production Facility - Cutting Edge Australia
 * Head of Post Production - John Lee
 * Sound Design - Warren Pearson

Story notes

 * Despite the fact Thorne was re-introduced in the previous episode, he does not appear. Instead his Great-Grandfather does.
 * This episode aired on the same day as the Doctor Who episode, Amy's Choice.

Ratings
to be added

Myths
to be added

Filming locations
to be added

Production errors
to be added

Continuity

 * Jorjie is sent to November, 1963. The same month the first episode of Doctor Who was both broadcast and set. (DW: An Unearthly Child)
 * VR goggles first appeared in K9TV: Regeneration.
 * When William Pike's future is distrupted, Darius is almost erased and starts to fade away. This isn't the first time interferrance in the timeline in 1963 had caused something like this. Amy Pond almost faded away after the Daleks exterminated Humanity. (VG: City of the Daleks)
 * Barker betraying his nation foreshadows his great-grandson Thorne's betrayal of Humanity to the Korven. (K9TV: The Eclipse of the Korven)
 * This story takes place shortly after the events of DW: An Unearthly Child and contemporaneously with those of DW: Remembrance of the Daleks.

Home video releases
This episode is featured in the Series One complete boxset.