The 1985 hour-long special Time Travel: Fact, Fiction and Fantasy was hosted by Michael J. Fox, star of the then forthcoming movie Back to the Future.

Besides being a promotion for Back to the Future, the special is a clever look at the history of time travel. The Time Machine by H. G. Wells, first published in 1895, is credited with having started the genre, and clips from the 1960 film appear. Besides Back to the Future and The Time Machine, clips from many other films featuring time travel are shown, including A Christmas Carol. Charles Dickens is not credited with inventing the time travel genre although A Christmas Carol came out many years before The Time Machine.

One of the great highlights of the program is showcasing the props from the 1960 film, both the desktop model and the full sized machine, in which Michael J. Fox occupies the place of Rod Taylor in the movie.

Steven Spielberg and a number of others connected with Back to the Future appear. Science Fiction writers Ray Bradbury and Robert Silverberg discuss time travel.

This delightful program continues to be entertaining. Recommended for all ages.