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* DifferentWorldDifferentMovies: J.B. Priestley, Creator/CSLewis, Creator/BertrandRussell and T.S. Eliot all wrote different books, for the most part, as Colin comments that there was scarcely a title that he recognised.

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* DifferentWorldDifferentMovies: J.B. Priestley, Creator/JBPriestley, Creator/CSLewis, Creator/BertrandRussell and T.S. Eliot all wrote different books, for the most part, as Colin comments that there was scarcely a title that he recognised.
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* AdaptationExpansion: In the story story, Colin describes both Ottilie and her counterpart Belinda at some length but the former makes only a very minor appearance in the story while the latter does not appear at all. In the film, Ottilie is a major character who appears in the vast majority of the parallel universe scenes whereas her counterpart, whose name is Tracy Fletcher, makes a significant appearance towards the end of the film. The film's screenwriter Terence Feely also gave Ottilie a previously undiagnosed fatal heart condition which gave Colin's search for her counterpart in his own universe a greater sense of urgency and a greater moral dimension than existed in the short story. It also served to make her even more unattainable and eliminated the problem of her once again being the victim of her husband's emotional abuse once the two Colins switched back, something which undermined the short story's happy ending.

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* AdaptationExpansion: In the story story, Colin describes both Ottilie and her counterpart Belinda at some length but the former makes only a very minor appearance in the story while the latter does not appear at all. In the film, Ottilie is a major character who appears in the vast majority of the parallel universe scenes whereas her counterpart, whose name is Tracy Fletcher, makes a significant appearance towards the end of the film. The film's screenwriter Terence Feely also gave Ottilie a previously undiagnosed fatal heart condition which gave Colin's search for her counterpart in his own universe a greater sense of urgency and a greater moral dimension than existed in the short story. It also served to make her even more unattainable and eliminated the problem of her once again being the victim of her husband's emotional abuse once the two Colins switched back, something which undermined the short story's happy ending.



* SettingUpdate: Set [[PresentDay around the time of broadcast]], with even the PointOfDivergence moved to long after the original story.

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* SettingUpdate: Set [[PresentDay around the time of broadcast]], with even the PointOfDivergence moved to too long after the original story.
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"Random Quest" is an AlternateHistory {{Romance}} {{Novelette}} written by Creator/JohnWyndham, first published in his 1961 collection ''Literature/ConsiderHerWays''.

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"Random Quest" is an AlternateHistory {{Romance}} {{Novelette}} written by Creator/JohnWyndham, first published in his 1961 collection ''Literature/ConsiderHerWays''.
''Literature/ConsiderHerWays and Others''.
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* SettingUpdate Set [[PresentDay around the time of release]], seventeen years after the setting of the original story.

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* SettingUpdate SettingUpdate: Set [[PresentDay around the time of release]], seventeen years after the setting of the original story.



* SettingUpdate Set [[PresentDay around the time of broadcast]], with even the PointOfDivergence moved to long after the original story.

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* SettingUpdate SettingUpdate: Set [[PresentDay around the time of broadcast]], with even the PointOfDivergence moved to long after the original story.
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** SettingUpdate Set [[PresentDay around the time of release]], seventeen years after the setting of the original story.

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** * SettingUpdate Set [[PresentDay around the time of release]], seventeen years after the setting of the original story.



** SettingUpdate Set [[PresentDay around the time of broadcast]], with even the PointOfDivergence moved to long after the original story.

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** * SettingUpdate Set [[PresentDay around the time of broadcast]], with even the PointOfDivergence moved to long after the original story.

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** SettingUpdate Set [[PresentDay around the time of release]], seventeen years after the setting of the original story.


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** SettingUpdate Set [[PresentDay around the time of broadcast]], with even the PointOfDivergence moved to long after the original story.
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Added DiffLines:

* CanonForeigner: Sir Henry Larnstein does not appear in the short story.

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It has been adapted for the screen three times: as an episode of the BBC science fiction anthology series ''Series/OutOfTheUnknown'' in 1969 (now a MissingEpisode), the 1971 film ''Film/QuestForLove'', and a 2006 BBC television film.

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It has been adapted for the screen three times: as an episode of the BBC Creator/{{BBC}} science fiction anthology series ''Series/OutOfTheUnknown'' in 1969 (now a MissingEpisode), the 1971 film ''Film/QuestForLove'', and a 2006 BBC television film.



* EquivalentExchange: The failed experiment causes Colin to switch places with his counterpart in the parallel universe.



* AdaptationNameChange: In the film, Colin's friend is named Tom Lewis. In the short story, his name is Martin Falls.

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* AdaptationNameChange: In the film, AdaptationNameChange:
**
Colin's friend is named Tom Lewis. In the short story, his name is Martin Falls.Falls.
** Ottilie's counterpart's name is Tracy Fletcher. In the short story, her name is Belinda Gale.
* AdaptedOut: Dr. Harshom is omitted from the film adaptation.


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* AdaptationNameChange:
** Ottilie's counterpart's name is Kate Gale as opposed to Belinda Gale.
** Dr. Harshom's son was named Matthew. In the short story, his name was Malcolm.

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The story concerns a physicist named Colin Trafford who, as a result of a failed experiment, finds himself in an AlternateUniverse in which World War II never happened. He has switched bodies with his counterpart, a successful author and a thoroughly disreputable man who is neglectful and emotional abusive towards his beautiful wife Ottilie Harshom, flaunting his frequent adultery. Colin falls in love with Ottilie almost immediately. He does not tell her the truth about himself but he is nevertheless able to create a bond of trust between them. After he returns to his own universe just as suddenly as he arrived, Colin endeavours to find Ottilie's counterpart, something which proves very difficult.

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The story concerns a physicist named Colin Trafford who, as a result of a failed experiment, finds himself in an AlternateUniverse in which World War II UsefulNotes/WorldWarII never happened. He has switched bodies with his counterpart, a successful author and a thoroughly disreputable man who is neglectful and emotional abusive towards his beautiful wife Ottilie Harshom, flaunting his frequent adultery. Colin falls in love with Ottilie almost immediately. He does not tell her the truth about himself but he is nevertheless able to create a bond of trust between them. After he returns to his own universe just as suddenly as he arrived, Colin endeavours to find Ottilie's counterpart, something which proves very difficult.



* AlternateHistory:
** The parallel universe diverged from ours in late 1926 or early 1927. Colin is unable to identify the exact PointOfDivergence but he does determine that it had the effect of either preventing the Wall Street Crash or significantly lessening its impact. As a result, Hitler never rose to power and World War II never happened. From reading ''The Times'', Colin learns some of the consequences of this: India is still a British colony in 1954 and nuclear fission is nothing more than a theoretical possibility but the international scientific community considers the nuclear experiments being conducted in Germany to be reckless and wants the League of Nations (which was never dissolved in this universe) to intervene and assume control.
** Colin speculates on the existence of other parallel universes in which Alexander the Great was defeated by the Persians, Scipio was defeated by Hannibal and Julius Caesar did not cross the Rubicon.

to:

* AlternateHistory:
**
AlternateHistory: The parallel universe diverged from ours in late 1926 or early 1927. Colin is unable to identify the exact PointOfDivergence but he does determine that it had the effect of either preventing the Wall Street Crash or significantly lessening its impact. As a result, Hitler UsefulNotes/AdolfHitler never rose to power and World War II never happened. From reading ''The Times'', Colin learns some of the consequences of this: this:
**
India is still a British colony in 1954 and nuclear 1954. There are widespread demonstrations of civil disobedience in Delhi calling for the immediate release of Jawaharlal Nehru from prison.
** Nuclear
fission is nothing more than a theoretical possibility but the international scientific community considers the nuclear experiments being conducted in Germany to be reckless and wants the League of Nations (which was never dissolved in this universe) to intervene and assume control.
** Rab Butler is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1954. Butler never achieved the position in reality but was strongly considered for it on two occasions: after the resignation of Anthony Eden in 1957 (Harold Macmillan was chosen instead) and after the resignation of Macmillan in 1963 (Alec Douglas-Home was chosen instead).
** With no World War II, UsefulNotes/WinstonChurchill never became Prime Minister.
** The differing political situation in the parallel universe meant that Clement Attlee never became Prime Minister either. As Leader of the Opposition, he still advocates the nationalisations which the Labour government under his leadership carried out from 1945 to 1951 in Colin's universe.
** Colin speculates on the existence of other parallel universes in which Alexander the Great UsefulNotes/AlexanderTheGreat was defeated by the Persians, Scipio was defeated by Hannibal and Julius Caesar UsefulNotes/JuliusCaesar did not cross the Rubicon.



* DeadAlternateCounterpart: {{Inverted|Trope}} in several cases. Colin's wife Della Stevens, who died after a year of "satisfactory marriage" in 1951 in his universe, is still alive in the parallel universe in 1954. She does not recognise him. Ivor Novello is alive and well in the parallel universe. Dr. Harshom's daughter was killed in an air raid in London in 1941. Since World War II never took place, this wouldn't have happened but this point is never expressly made in the story. Of course, without the war, millions of others would have either died at a later date or would still be alive in 1954 as well. In a partial [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], one character is dead in both universes by 1954. Dr. Harshom's son Malcolm - who turns out to be Ottilie's father - was killed in a racing accident in 1927 in Colin's universe but lived until 1938, when he was killed in a plane crash, in the parallel universe. The only instance in the story of this trope being played straight is with respect to Noël Coward.

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* DeadAlternateCounterpart: DeadAlternateCounterpart:
** Creator/NoelCoward died in August 1953 and ''The Lady Loves'', the last of his many musical plays, is being staged in the Laughton Theatre in London in January 1954 in his memory. His daughter Amanda Coward plays the lead role. In Colin's universe, Coward, who was still alive when the story was written and lived until 1973, never had any children. Neither the play nor the theatre existed in Colin's universe either.
**
{{Inverted|Trope}} in several cases. cases:
***
Colin's wife Della Stevens, who died after a year of "satisfactory marriage" in 1951 in his universe, is still alive in the parallel universe in 1954. She does not recognise him.
***
Ivor Novello is alive and well directed the production of Noël Coward's final play ''The Lady Loves'' in the parallel universe. universe 1954. In reality, Novello died in 1951.
***
Dr. Harshom's daughter was killed in an air raid in London in 1941. Since World War II never took place, this wouldn't have happened but this point is never expressly made in the story. Of course, without the war, millions of others would have either died at a later date or would still be alive in 1954 as well. In a partial [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], one character is dead in both universes by 1954.
***
Dr. Harshom's son Malcolm - who turns out to be Ottilie's father - is dead in both universes by 1954 but lived longer in the parallel universe. He was killed in a racing accident in 1927 in Colin's universe but lived until 1938, when he was killed in a plane crash, in the parallel universe. The only instance in universe.
* DifferentWorldDifferentMovies: J.B. Priestley, Creator/CSLewis, Creator/BertrandRussell and T.S. Eliot all wrote different books, for
the story of this trope being played straight is with respect to Noël Coward. most part, as Colin comments that there was scarcely a title that he recognised.



* InSpiteOfANail: Throughout his search for Ottilie in his own universe, Colin is convinced that she will be essentially the same person as he met in the parallel universe in spite of the fact that he and his counterpart were very different people. After finding her counterpart Belinda (who had an entirely different upbringing and consequently life experience than Ottilie), he is adamant that the two of them are soulmates. He even intimates that Dr. Harshom that if Belinda had been married, he would have broken up her marriage to be with her.

to:

* InSpiteOfANail: Throughout his search for Ottilie in his own universe, Colin is convinced that she will be essentially the same person as he met in the parallel universe in spite of the fact that he and his counterpart were very different people. After finding her counterpart Belinda (who had an entirely different upbringing and consequently life experience than Ottilie), he is adamant that the two of them are soulmates.soul mates. He even intimates that Dr. Harshom that if Belinda had been married, he would have broken up her marriage to be with her.



* RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman:
** Rab Butler is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1954. Butler never achieved the position in reality but was strongly considered for it on two occasions: after the resignation of Anthony Eden in 1957 (Harold Macmillan was chosen instead) and after the resignation of Macmillan in 1963 (Alec Douglas-Home was chosen instead).
** There are widespread demonstrations of civil disobedience in Delhi calling for the immediate release of Jawaharlal Nehru from prison.
** With no World War II, Winston Churchill never became Prime Minister.
** The differing political situation in the parallel universe meant that Clement Attlee never became Prime Minister either. As Leader of the Opposition, he still advocates the nationalisations which the Labour government under his leadership carried out from 1945 to 1951 in Colin's universe.
** Noël Coward died in August 1953 and ''The Lady Loves'', the last of his many musical plays, is being staged in the Laughton Theatre in London in January 1954 in his memory. His daughter Amanda Coward plays the lead role. In Colin's universe, Coward, who was still alive when the story was written and lived until 1973, never had any children. Neither the play nor the theatre existed in Colin's universe either.
** Ivor Novello directed the aforementioned production of ''The Lady Loves'' in 1954. In reality, Novello died in 1951.
** J.B. Priestley, C.S. Lewis, Bertrand Russell and T.S. Eliot were likewise writers in the parallel universe but they all wrote different books, for the most part, as Colin comments that there was scarcely a title that he recognised.



* AlternateHistory: As in the short story, World War II never happened in the parallel universe. However, the two universes diverged in 1938 rather than 1926/7. The exact nature and cause of the divergence is not specified. Again as was the case with the short story, the League of Nations still exists and nuclear fission is still no more than a theoretical possibility. Other differences include the Vietnam War having never happened either, no one having managed to reach the summit of Mount Everest by 1971 (a book entitled ''Everest: The Unconquered'' was published in that year), the first human spaceflight having not yet taken place, heart transplants being unknown to medical science, televisions being more primitive, abortion still being illegal throughout the UK, ''The News Chronicle'' (which merged with ''The Daily Mail'' in 1960) still being published in 1971 and the building of blocks of flats being banned in Pimlico (which did not suffer the same devastation during the Blitz in Colin's universe without World War II).

to:

* AlternateHistory: As in the short story, World War II never happened in the parallel universe. However, the two universes diverged in 1938 rather than 1926/7. The exact nature and cause of the divergence is not specified. Again as was the case with the short story, the League of Nations still exists and nuclear fission is still no more than a theoretical possibility. Other differences include the include:
** The
Vietnam War having never happened either, no either.
** No
one having has managed to reach the summit of Mount Everest by 1971 (a 1971. A book entitled ''Everest: The Unconquered'' was published in that year), the year.
** The
first human spaceflight having has not yet taken place, heart place.
** Heart
transplants being are unknown to medical science, televisions being science.
** Televisions are
more primitive, abortion primitive.
** Abortion is
still being illegal throughout the UK, UK.
**
''The News Chronicle'' (which merged with ''The Daily Mail'' in 1960) still is being published in 1971 and the 1971.
** The
building of blocks of flats being banned in Pimlico (which did not suffer the same devastation during the Blitz in Colin's universe without World War II).



* DeadAlternateCounterpart: {{Inverted|Trope}} in two cases:
** UsefulNotes/JohnFKennedy is still alive in 1971 and has recently been appointed Secretary-General of the League of Nations.
** Creator/LeslieHoward, whose plane was shot down during World War II in 1943 in Colin's universe, is still alive and still acting in 1971.



* RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman:
** John F. Kennedy is still alive in 1971 and has recently been appointed Secretary-General of the League of Nations.
** Leslie Howard, whose plane was shot down during World War II in 1943 in Colin's universe, is still alive and still acting in 1971.

to:

* RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman:
** John F. Kennedy is still alive in 1971 and has recently been appointed Secretary-General of the League of Nations.
** Leslie Howard, whose plane was shot down during World War II in 1943 in Colin's universe, is still alive and still acting in 1971.



** Tony Blair is a relatively low level Cabinet minister, having recently been appointed Drought Secretary. In Colin's universe, Blair succeeded Smith as Labour leader in 1994.

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** Tony Blair UsefulNotes/TonyBlair is a relatively low level Cabinet minister, having recently been appointed Drought Secretary. In Colin's universe, Blair succeeded Smith as Labour leader in 1994.
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** In this version, the PointOfDivergence between the two universes comes much later as the Berlin Wall did not fall on November 9, 1989 due to the fact that there was no ''glasnost'' and ''perestroika'', which implies that Mikhail Gorbachev never became the leader of the Soviet Union. As a result, the Cold War continued to intensify until the United States and the Soviet Union's power dwindled and both were eclipsed by the People's Republic of China.

to:

** In this version, the PointOfDivergence between the two universes comes much later as the Berlin Wall did not fall on November 9, 1989 due to the fact that because there was no ''glasnost'' and ''perestroika'', which implies that Mikhail Gorbachev never became the leader of the Soviet Union. As a result, the Cold War continued to intensify until the United States and the Soviet Union's power dwindled and both were eclipsed by the People's Republic of China.
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* AdaptationNameChange: In the film, Colin's friend is named Tom Lewis. In the short story, his name is Martin Fells.

to:

* AdaptationNameChange: In the film, Colin's friend is named Tom Lewis. In the short story, his name is Martin Fells.Falls.
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** The Western world is experiencing a severe fertility crisis which is expected to worsen over the course of the next ten years. Consequently, the United Nations Security Council has lifted its ban on human cloning and the first viable human clone has been already been born to a couple in San Francisco.

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** The Western world is experiencing a severe fertility crisis which is expected to worsen over the course of the next ten years. Consequently, the United Nations Security Council has lifted its ban on human cloning and the first viable human clone has been already been born to a couple in San Francisco.

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* AdaptationNameChange: In the film, Colin's friend is named Tom Lewis. In the short story, his name is Martin Fells.



* AlternateHistory: As in the short story, World War II never happened in the parallel universe. However, the two universes diverged in 1938 rather than 1926/7. The exact nature and cause of the divergence is not specified. Again as was the case with the short story, the League of Nations still exists and nuclear fission is still no more than a theoretical possibility. Other differences include the Vietnam War having never happened either, no one having managed to reach the summit of Mount Everest by 1971 (a book entitled "Everest: The Unconquered" was published in that year), the first human spaceflight having not yet taken place, heart transplants being unknown to medical science, televisions being more primitive, abortion still being illegal throughout the UK, the News Chronicle (which merged with the Daily Mail in 1960) still being published in 1971 and the building of blocks of flats being banned in Pimlico (which did not suffer the same devastation during the Blitz in Colin's universe without World War II).
* AlternateSelf: In Colin's universe, his friend Tom Lewis is a BBC science correspondent (and former war correspondent) who lost his right arm while covering the Vietnam War. In the parallel universe, Tom is the film critic for ''The Times'' who still has both arms since, as mentioned earlier, the Vietnam War never took place.

to:

* AlternateHistory: As in the short story, World War II never happened in the parallel universe. However, the two universes diverged in 1938 rather than 1926/7. The exact nature and cause of the divergence is not specified. Again as was the case with the short story, the League of Nations still exists and nuclear fission is still no more than a theoretical possibility. Other differences include the Vietnam War having never happened either, no one having managed to reach the summit of Mount Everest by 1971 (a book entitled "Everest: ''Everest: The Unconquered" Unconquered'' was published in that year), the first human spaceflight having not yet taken place, heart transplants being unknown to medical science, televisions being more primitive, abortion still being illegal throughout the UK, the ''The News Chronicle Chronicle'' (which merged with the ''The Daily Mail Mail'' in 1960) still being published in 1971 and the building of blocks of flats being banned in Pimlico (which did not suffer the same devastation during the Blitz in Colin's universe without World War II).
* AlternateSelf: In Colin's universe, his friend Tom Lewis is a BBC science correspondent (and former war correspondent) who lost his right arm while covering the Vietnam War. In the parallel universe, Tom is the film critic for ''The Times'' who still has both arms since, as mentioned earlier, since the Vietnam War never took place.

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"Random Quest" is an AlternateHistory {{Romance}} ShortStory written by Creator/JohnWyndham, first published in his 1961 collection ''Literature/ConsiderHerWays''.

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"Random Quest" is an AlternateHistory {{Romance}} ShortStory {{Novelette}} written by Creator/JohnWyndham, first published in his 1961 collection ''Literature/ConsiderHerWays''.



!!The short story provides examples of:

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!!The short story !!This work provides examples of:

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!!This work provides examples of:

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!!This work !!The short story provides examples of:

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"Random Quest" is an AlternateHistory {{Romance}} {{Novelette}} written by Creator/JohnWyndham, first published in his 1961 collection ''Literature/ConsiderHerWays''.

to:

"Random Quest" is an AlternateHistory {{Romance}} {{Novelette}} ShortStory written by Creator/JohnWyndham, first published in his 1961 collection ''Literature/ConsiderHerWays''.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
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* GoodHairEvilHair: The alternate Colin has a more elaborate version of the moustache that the Colin of our universe shaved off years earlier. Interestingly, this example of an alternate universe counterpart having facial hair predates the appearance of the {{Mirror Universe}} Spock's goatee in the ''{{Series/Star Trek The Original Series}}'' episode "[[{{Recap/StarTrekS2E4MirrorMirror}} Mirror, Mirror]]" by six years.

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* GoodHairEvilHair: The alternate Colin has a more elaborate version of the moustache that the Colin of our universe shaved off years earlier. Interestingly, this example of an alternate universe counterpart having facial hair predates the appearance of the {{Mirror Universe}} Spock's goatee in the ''{{Series/Star Trek The Original Series}}'' ''Series/StarTrekTheOriginalSeries'' episode "[[{{Recap/StarTrekS2E4MirrorMirror}} Mirror, Mirror]]" by six years.
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* FrameStory: Colin visits Dr. Harshom trying to find out anything that he can about Ottilie and tells him the story of his visit to the parallel universe.

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* FrameStory: FramingDevice: Colin visits Dr. Harshom trying to find out anything that he can about Ottilie and tells him the story of his visit to the parallel universe.



* FrameStory: Unlike the 1971 version, the 2006 version included the short story's framework involving Dr. Harshom. Unlike the short story, however, Colin met Dr. Harshom's counterpart in the parallel universe.

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* FrameStory: FramingDevice: Unlike the 1971 version, the 2006 version included the short story's framework involving Dr. Harshom. Unlike the short story, however, Colin met Dr. Harshom's counterpart in the parallel universe.
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''Random Quest'' is an AlternateHistory {{Romance}} {{Novelette}} written by Creator/JohnWyndham, first published in his 1961 collection ''Literature/ConsiderHerWays''.

to:

''Random Quest'' "Random Quest" is an AlternateHistory {{Romance}} {{Novelette}} written by Creator/JohnWyndham, first published in his 1961 collection ''Literature/ConsiderHerWays''.
Is there an issue? Send a MessageReason:
None


It has been adapted for the screen three times; an episode of the BBC science fiction anthology series ''Series/OutOfTheUnknown'' in 1969 (now a MissingEpisode), the 1971 film ''Film/QuestForLove'', and as a 2006 BBC television film.

to:

It has been adapted for the screen three times; times: as an episode of the BBC science fiction anthology series ''Series/OutOfTheUnknown'' in 1969 (now a MissingEpisode), the 1971 film ''Film/QuestForLove'', and as a 2006 BBC television film.

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adding Red Links for future pages, correcting media link to Novelette


''Random Quest'' is an AlternateHistory {{Romance}} short story written by Creator/JohnWyndham which was first published in his 1961 collection ''Consider Her Ways''.

to:

''Random Quest'' is an AlternateHistory {{Romance}} short story {{Novelette}} written by Creator/JohnWyndham which was Creator/JohnWyndham, first published in his 1961 collection ''Consider Her Ways''.
''Literature/ConsiderHerWays''.



It has been adapted for the screen three times, twice under its original title: as an episode of the BBC science fiction anthology series ''Out of the Unknown'' in 1969 (now a MissingEpisode), as the 1971 film ''Quest for Love'' and as a 2006 BBC television film. Generally speaking, the 2006 adaptation hued closer to the short story than the 1971 adaptation.

to:

It has been adapted for the screen three times, twice under its original title: as times; an episode of the BBC science fiction anthology series ''Out of the Unknown'' ''Series/OutOfTheUnknown'' in 1969 (now a MissingEpisode), as the 1971 film ''Quest for Love'' ''Film/QuestForLove'', and as a 2006 BBC television film. Generally speaking, the 2006 adaptation hued closer to the short story than the 1971 adaptation.



!!The short story provides examples of:

to:

!!The short story !!This work provides examples of:



** Tony Blair is a relatively low level Cabinet minister, having recently been appointed Drought Secretary. In Colin's universe, Blair succeeded Smith as Labour leader in 1994.

to:

** Tony Blair is a relatively low level Cabinet minister, having recently been appointed Drought Secretary. In Colin's universe, Blair succeeded Smith as Labour leader in 1994.1994.
----
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It has been adapted for the screen three times, twice under its original title: as an episode of the BBC science fiction anthology series ''Out of the Unknown'' in 1969 (now a MissingEpisode), as the 1971 film ''Quest for Love'' and as a 2006 BBC television film. Generally speaking, the 2006 adaptation hued closer to the short story than in the 1971 adaptation.

to:

It has been adapted for the screen three times, twice under its original title: as an episode of the BBC science fiction anthology series ''Out of the Unknown'' in 1969 (now a MissingEpisode), as the 1971 film ''Quest for Love'' and as a 2006 BBC television film. Generally speaking, the 2006 adaptation hued closer to the short story than in the 1971 adaptation.
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* DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest: This trope is applied in much the same way as in the short story. After much searching, Colin discovers Ottilie's counterpart, whose name is Kate Ottilie Gale. In Colin's universe, Matthew Harshom, Dr. Harshom's son and Ottilie's father, was killed in Belfast in 1974, something which didn't happen in the parallel universe. Again, Dr. Harshom never discovered that late his son's girlfriend was pregnant.

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* DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest: This trope is applied in much the same way as in the short story. After much searching, Colin discovers Ottilie's counterpart, whose name is Kate Ottilie Gale. In Colin's universe, Matthew Harshom, Dr. Harshom's son and Ottilie's father, was killed in Belfast in 1974, something which didn't happen in the parallel universe. Again, Dr. Harshom never discovered that his late his son's girlfriend was pregnant.

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* DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest: Unlike the short story, Ottilie dies in the film so there is no possibility of she and Colin being able to resume their relationship even if he managed to find a way to return to the parallel universe. As such, there is less of a sense that Colin is "settling" for Ottilie's counterpart in the film than there is in the short story. Colin manages to get Tracy to the hospital for treatment before it is too late. Tracy has a somewhat similar background to Belinda Gale in the short story as she was raised by adoptive parents after her biological parents were killed in an air raid shortly after she was born in 1945. Again unlike the short story, the film ends before Colin and Tracy are married but it is heavily implied that they will become a couple: in the final scene, he visits her in hospital with a bunch of flowers and introduces himself.

to:

* DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest: Unlike the short story, Ottilie dies in the film so there is no possibility of she and Colin being able to resume their relationship even if he managed to find a way to return to the parallel universe. As such, there is less of a sense that Colin is "settling" for Ottilie's counterpart in the film than there is in the short story. Colin manages to get Tracy to the hospital for treatment before it is too late. Tracy has a somewhat similar background to Belinda Gale in the short story as she was raised by adoptive parents after her biological parents were killed in an air raid shortly after she was born in 1945. Colin manages to get Tracy to the hospital for treatment before it is too late. Again unlike the short story, the film ends before Colin and Tracy are married but it is heavily implied that they will become a couple: in the final scene, he visits her in hospital with a bunch of flowers and introduces himself.

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* TheAlcoholic: The alternate Colin.



* AlternateSelf: In Colin's universe, his friend Tom Lewis is a science correspondent (and former war correspondent) who lost his right arm while covering the Vietnam War. In the parallel universe, Tom is a theatre critic who still has both arms since, as mentioned earlier, the Vietnam War never took place.

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* AlternateSelf: In Colin's universe, his friend Tom Lewis is a BBC science correspondent (and former war correspondent) who lost his right arm while covering the Vietnam War. In the parallel universe, Tom is a theatre the film critic for ''The Times'' who still has both arms since, as mentioned earlier, the Vietnam War never took place.



** John F. Kennedy is still alive in 1971 and has recently been elected Secretary-General of the League of Nations.

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** John F. Kennedy is still alive in 1971 and has recently been elected appointed Secretary-General of the League of Nations.
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''Random Quest'' is an AlternateHistory {{Romance}} short story written by Creator/JohnWyndham which was first published in his 1961 collection ''Consider Her Ways''.

The story concerns a physicist named Colin Trafford who, as a result of a failed experiment, finds himself in an AlternateUniverse in which World War II never happened. He has switched bodies with his counterpart, a successful author and a thoroughly disreputable man who is neglectful and emotional abusive towards his beautiful wife Ottilie Harshom, flaunting his frequent adultery. Colin falls in love with Ottilie almost immediately. He does not tell her the truth about himself but he is nevertheless able to create a bond of trust between them. After he returns to his own universe just as suddenly as he arrived, Colin endeavours to find Ottilie's counterpart, something which proves very difficult.

It has been adapted for the screen three times, twice under its original title: as an episode of the BBC science fiction anthology series ''Out of the Unknown'' in 1969 (now a MissingEpisode), as the 1971 film ''Quest for Love'' and as a 2006 BBC television film. Generally speaking, the 2006 adaptation hued closer to the short story than in the 1971 adaptation.

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!!The short story provides examples of:
* AlternateHistory:
** The parallel universe diverged from ours in late 1926 or early 1927. Colin is unable to identify the exact PointOfDivergence but he does determine that it had the effect of either preventing the Wall Street Crash or significantly lessening its impact. As a result, Hitler never rose to power and World War II never happened. From reading ''The Times'', Colin learns some of the consequences of this: India is still a British colony in 1954 and nuclear fission is nothing more than a theoretical possibility but the international scientific community considers the nuclear experiments being conducted in Germany to be reckless and wants the League of Nations (which was never dissolved in this universe) to intervene and assume control.
** Colin speculates on the existence of other parallel universes in which Alexander the Great was defeated by the Persians, Scipio was defeated by Hannibal and Julius Caesar did not cross the Rubicon.
* AlternateSelf: As well as the mostly unpleasant discoveries that he makes about his own counterpart, he also meets the counterpart of his old Cambridge friend and classmate Martin Falls, whom he hasn't seen in two years. In the parallel universe, Colin and Martin have maintained a closer friendship and had last seen each other only three days earlier. Colin gets the shock of his life when he sees the alternate Martin has a full set of fingers on his left hand as the Martin of his universe lost both the little finger and the third finger while fighting near the Rhine in 1945.
* DeadAlternateCounterpart: {{Inverted|Trope}} in several cases. Colin's wife Della Stevens, who died after a year of "satisfactory marriage" in 1951 in his universe, is still alive in the parallel universe in 1954. She does not recognise him. Ivor Novello is alive and well in the parallel universe. Dr. Harshom's daughter was killed in an air raid in London in 1941. Since World War II never took place, this wouldn't have happened but this point is never expressly made in the story. Of course, without the war, millions of others would have either died at a later date or would still be alive in 1954 as well. In a partial [[SubvertedTrope subversion]], one character is dead in both universes by 1954. Dr. Harshom's son Malcolm - who turns out to be Ottilie's father - was killed in a racing accident in 1927 in Colin's universe but lived until 1938, when he was killed in a plane crash, in the parallel universe. The only instance in the story of this trope being played straight is with respect to Noël Coward.
* DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest: After returning to his own universe, Colin eventually tracks down Ottilie's counterpart. In his universe, Dr. Harshom's son Malcolm had a girlfriend who, unbeknownst to him, was pregnant when he was killed in 1927. She married a Canadian man named Reggie Gale who raised her daughter Belinda (Ottilie's counterpart) as his own. When Colin found Belinda, she was living in a flat in Ottawa with her mother. Reggie, a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force, was killed in a mission over Berlin during the war. Colin marries Belinda within several months and brings her back to England to meet her grandfather Dr. Harshom.
* FrameStory: Colin visits Dr. Harshom trying to find out anything that he can about Ottilie and tells him the story of his visit to the parallel universe.
* GoodHairEvilHair: The alternate Colin has a more elaborate version of the moustache that the Colin of our universe shaved off years earlier. Interestingly, this example of an alternate universe counterpart having facial hair predates the appearance of the {{Mirror Universe}} Spock's goatee in the ''{{Series/Star Trek The Original Series}}'' episode "[[{{Recap/StarTrekS2E4MirrorMirror}} Mirror, Mirror]]" by six years.
* InSpiteOfANail: Throughout his search for Ottilie in his own universe, Colin is convinced that she will be essentially the same person as he met in the parallel universe in spite of the fact that he and his counterpart were very different people. After finding her counterpart Belinda (who had an entirely different upbringing and consequently life experience than Ottilie), he is adamant that the two of them are soulmates. He even intimates that Dr. Harshom that if Belinda had been married, he would have broken up her marriage to be with her.
* ManipulativeBastard: The alternate Colin.
* OtherMeAnnoysMe: Given that they have switched places, Colin never meets his counterpart but he soon comes to hate everything about him. First and foremost, there is his treatment of Ottilie. He also dislikes the propensity for brutality that his counterpart displays in his writing.
* RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman:
** Rab Butler is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 1954. Butler never achieved the position in reality but was strongly considered for it on two occasions: after the resignation of Anthony Eden in 1957 (Harold Macmillan was chosen instead) and after the resignation of Macmillan in 1963 (Alec Douglas-Home was chosen instead).
** There are widespread demonstrations of civil disobedience in Delhi calling for the immediate release of Jawaharlal Nehru from prison.
** With no World War II, Winston Churchill never became Prime Minister.
** The differing political situation in the parallel universe meant that Clement Attlee never became Prime Minister either. As Leader of the Opposition, he still advocates the nationalisations which the Labour government under his leadership carried out from 1945 to 1951 in Colin's universe.
** Noël Coward died in August 1953 and ''The Lady Loves'', the last of his many musical plays, is being staged in the Laughton Theatre in London in January 1954 in his memory. His daughter Amanda Coward plays the lead role. In Colin's universe, Coward, who was still alive when the story was written and lived until 1973, never had any children. Neither the play nor the theatre existed in Colin's universe either.
** Ivor Novello directed the aforementioned production of ''The Lady Loves'' in 1954. In reality, Novello died in 1951.
** J.B. Priestley, C.S. Lewis, Bertrand Russell and T.S. Eliot were likewise writers in the parallel universe but they all wrote different books, for the most part, as Colin comments that there was scarcely a title that he recognised.
* YourUniverseOrMine: Colin falls in love with Ottilie in the parallel universe.

!!The 1971 film provides examples of:
* AdaptationExpansion: In the story story, Colin describes both Ottilie and her counterpart Belinda at some length but the former makes only a very minor appearance in the story while the latter does not appear at all. In the film, Ottilie is a major character who appears in the vast majority of the parallel universe scenes whereas her counterpart, whose name is Tracy Fletcher, makes a significant appearance towards the end of the film. The film's screenwriter Terence Feely also gave Ottilie a previously undiagnosed fatal heart condition which gave Colin's search for her counterpart in his own universe a greater sense of urgency and a greater moral dimension than existed in the short story. It also served to make her even more unattainable and eliminated the problem of her once again being the victim of her husband's emotional abuse once the two Colins switched back, something which undermined the short story's happy ending.
* AlternateHistory: As in the short story, World War II never happened in the parallel universe. However, the two universes diverged in 1938 rather than 1926/7. The exact nature and cause of the divergence is not specified. Again as was the case with the short story, the League of Nations still exists and nuclear fission is still no more than a theoretical possibility. Other differences include the Vietnam War having never happened either, no one having managed to reach the summit of Mount Everest by 1971 (a book entitled "Everest: The Unconquered" was published in that year), the first human spaceflight having not yet taken place, heart transplants being unknown to medical science, televisions being more primitive, abortion still being illegal throughout the UK, the News Chronicle (which merged with the Daily Mail in 1960) still being published in 1971 and the building of blocks of flats being banned in Pimlico (which did not suffer the same devastation during the Blitz in Colin's universe without World War II).
* AlternateSelf: In Colin's universe, his friend Tom Lewis is a science correspondent (and former war correspondent) who lost his right arm while covering the Vietnam War. In the parallel universe, Tom is a theatre critic who still has both arms since, as mentioned earlier, the Vietnam War never took place.
* DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest: Unlike the short story, Ottilie dies in the film so there is no possibility of she and Colin being able to resume their relationship even if he managed to find a way to return to the parallel universe. As such, there is less of a sense that Colin is "settling" for Ottilie's counterpart in the film than there is in the short story. Colin manages to get Tracy to the hospital for treatment before it is too late. Tracy has a somewhat similar background to Belinda Gale in the short story as she was raised by adoptive parents after her biological parents were killed in an air raid shortly after she was born in 1945. Again unlike the short story, the film ends before Colin and Tracy are married but it is heavily implied that they will become a couple: in the final scene, he visits her in hospital with a bunch of flowers and introduces himself.
* RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman:
** John F. Kennedy is still alive in 1971 and has recently been elected Secretary-General of the League of Nations.
** Leslie Howard, whose plane was shot down during World War II in 1943 in Colin's universe, is still alive and still acting in 1971.

!!The 2006 BBC television film provides examples of:
* AlternateHistory:
**In this version, the PointOfDivergence between the two universes comes much later as the Berlin Wall did not fall on November 9, 1989 due to the fact that there was no ''glasnost'' and ''perestroika'', which implies that Mikhail Gorbachev never became the leader of the Soviet Union. As a result, the Cold War continued to intensify until the United States and the Soviet Union's power dwindled and both were eclipsed by the People's Republic of China.
** In 2005, Japan discovered significant oil deposits in the South Pacific and its threatening behaviour towards the Philippines and Indonesia over the course of the last 18 months has placed it on the verge of war with the US.
** The UK is suffering a severe drought with reservoirs throughout Southeast England and Wales being dry for months. This leads to the declaration of a state of emergency.
** The Western world is experiencing a severe fertility crisis which is expected to worsen over the course of the next ten years. Consequently, the United Nations Security Council has lifted its ban on human cloning and the first viable human clone has been already been born to a couple in San Francisco.
** In contrast to the 1971 film, the space programme in the parallel universe is more advanced than in Colin's universe. There has already been a manned mission to Mars. In 2005, in a joint operation between NASA and the Chinese National Space Administration called the Juno mission, an unmanned Jupiter polar explorer was launched from Cape Canaveral. It took fifteen months to reach Jupiter.
* DoppelgangerReplacementLoveInterest: This trope is applied in much the same way as in the short story. After much searching, Colin discovers Ottilie's counterpart, whose name is Kate Ottilie Gale. In Colin's universe, Matthew Harshom, Dr. Harshom's son and Ottilie's father, was killed in Belfast in 1974, something which didn't happen in the parallel universe. Again, Dr. Harshom never discovered that late his son's girlfriend was pregnant.
* FrameStory: Unlike the 1971 version, the 2006 version included the short story's framework involving Dr. Harshom. Unlike the short story, however, Colin met Dr. Harshom's counterpart in the parallel universe.
* RichardNixonTheUsedCarSalesman:
** Condoleezza Rice is the US President in 2006. StockFootage of Rice, who was then the Secretary of State, was used to represent President Rice speaking to the UN.
** John Smith is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom in 2006. In Colin's universe, Smith served as Leader of the Labour Party and Leader of the Opposition from 1992 until his death in 1994. Prior to his death, it was widely expected that he would become the next Prime Minister.
** Tony Blair is a relatively low level Cabinet minister, having recently been appointed Drought Secretary. In Colin's universe, Blair succeeded Smith as Labour leader in 1994.

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