Last Train to Christmas

A successful nightclub manager whose celebrity life creates distance from friends and family. On Christmas Eve 1985 he travels toward Nottingham with Sue and discovers a time-traveling power: moving into the next carriage leaps ten years forward, while stepping back shifts ten years earlier. His attempts to fix past mistakes lead to increasingly desperate and often tragic outcomes across the decades.

Tony’s fiancée, whose patience with the fame-driven life is tested by his constant temporal upheavals. She experiences alternate timelines where their relationship is strained or redirected, ultimately seeking a life she feels she deserves. Sue acts as a grounding presence whose choices ripple through Tony’s shifting realities.

Tony’s younger brother, who bears the burden of Tony’s absence and the family’s fractured history. Across timelines, Roger becomes embittered by abandonment, facing legal trouble, alcoholism, and a troubled arc that culminates in a bleak fate. He embodies the personal cost of Tony’s time-traveling quests.

Auntie Vi is the emotionally fragile relative who hints at the family’s hidden past and serves as a catalyst for major revelations. In the 1955 timeline she is connected to Roger’s origins, and her presence in the train’s memories influences Tony’s decisions. Her depression and insights propel the narrative toward reveals about lineage.

Tony’s wife in the present timeline, who stands apart from his fame and the time-hopping chaos. Their estrangement underscores the personal cost of Tony’s lifestyle. Linda's perspective reflects the consequences of a life lived in the public eye and the distances it can create.

Tony’s mother, a stabilizing figure who anchors family dynamics across timelines. In the 1945 sequence, she embodies maternal care and resilience as Tony’s past unfolds. Her influence helps shape Tony’s early attitudes toward family and responsibility.

Tony’s father, a pivotal presence in the family’s history who appears in multiple ages. His interactions with Roger and Tony illuminate the roots of the family’s secrets and the origins of their strained relationships. He represents the traditional framework Tony often battles against.