Author Archives: Roger Pocock

About Roger Pocock

Co-writer on junkyard.blog. Author of windowsintohistory.wordpress.com. Editor of frontiersmenhistorian.info

The Avengers: The Secrets Broker

Posted on January 11, 2023 by Roger Pocock

The Avengers tends to be at its best when each episode focusses on one good idea. In a self-contained 50 minute story there is not a huge amount of room for complexity, and when a writer tries to pack in … Continue reading →

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Unusual Doctor Who Photo #7: Skeleton Man

Posted on January 9, 2023 by Roger Pocock

Poor Sandy from The Rescue, Vicki’s harmless pet, who met a cruel fate.  But did you know that Sandy’s life was tougher than we ever imagined.  Look at this shocking photographic evidence of a skeletal man about to hit Sandy … Continue reading →

Posted in Doctor Who, Random Chatter | Tagged , | 2 Comments

Columbo: Murder Under Glass

Posted on January 8, 2023 by Roger Pocock

The DVD set I have of Season Seven of Columbo oddly mixes up the episode order. For most seasons that wouldn’t really matter, but Murder Under Glass is an interesting one to watch in its original context. Last time, we … Continue reading →

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Helpless

Posted on January 7, 2023 by Roger Pocock

This episode opens a whole can of worms about the Watcher’s Council, but let’s leave those worms wriggling for a moment and start, as we often do, with the relationship dynamics. Giles betrays Buffy, and it’s by far the worst … Continue reading →

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The Twilight Zone: Static

Posted on January 6, 2023 by Roger Pocock

I heard you on my wireless back in ’52, lying awake intent at tuning in on you. If I was young, it didn’t stop you coming through… Video killed the radio star. Video killed the radio star… Human beings have … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Reviews, Science Fiction, Television, The Twilight Zone | Tagged | 2 Comments

The Avengers: Mandrake

Posted on January 4, 2023 by Roger Pocock

Several sources on the internet report that Honor Blackman accidentally kicked wrestler Scott Sexton in the head during one take of a scene in a graveyard during the filming of this episode, knocking him out. As is often the case, … Continue reading →

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Unusual Doctor Who Photo #6: The Bored Dalek

Posted on January 2, 2023 by Roger Pocock

The set of Doctor Who must be an incredibly exciting place, especially when the Daleks are around, right?  Well, maybe not all the time.  Take a look at this photo from the filming of The Dalek Invasion of Earth: That’s … Continue reading →

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Columbo: Try and Catch Me

Posted on January 1, 2023 by Roger Pocock

If somebody asked me what are the defining qualities of Columbo, the reasons why I think this is the greatest crime series ever made, near the top of my list would have to be the respect Columbo shows for his … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, Television | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Gingerbread

Posted on December 31, 2022 by Roger Pocock

We are halfway through the third season of Buffy, and the relationship dramas that have been explored during the first half of the season are now resolved, leaving just a few loose ends to be tied up. One of those … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Reviews, Television | Tagged , | 3 Comments

The Twilight Zone: Mr. Dingle, the Strong

Posted on December 30, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Despite not being very good at it, or perhaps using the wrong forum for it, Rod Serling insists on writing comedy for The Twilight Zone.   Yet again we’re left with that sense that, had we had a few more minutes, … Continue reading →

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The Avengers: The Wringer

Posted on December 28, 2022 by Roger Pocock

We know little of the organisation Steed works for, and his bosses have only made very occasional appearances. This is Paul Whitsun-Jones’s second appearance as Charles, and this time we gain a deeper insight into him and his organisation than … Continue reading →

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Pantomime and the Six-Foot Christmas Cracker

Posted on December 26, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Pantomime is a largely a peculiarly British tradition.  If you are a Doctor Who fan you will probably be familiar with them, thanks to their links with the show in the 1980s.  As part of his casting announcement, Colin Baker … Continue reading →

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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Episode Six

Posted on December 25, 2022 by Roger Pocock

“The witch knows the deep magic but there is a magic deeper still, which she has never known, for her knowledge goes back only to the dawn of time. In the stillness, in the dark before time ever began, there … Continue reading →

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Amends

Posted on December 24, 2022 by Roger Pocock

For some people, Christmas might be a time for making amends for mistakes in the past, and perhaps making things right with friends or family. It’s a time for healing, not recriminations. Lots of that happens in this episode of … Continue reading →

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The Twilight Zone: The Odyssey of Flight 33

Posted on December 23, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Now this is more like it.  Rod Serling has been hitting us with a number of characters of questionable merit, and ironically it ties in with a discussion I’ve just been having with friends.  In a discussion of Resident Alien … Continue reading →

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The Avengers: The Little Wonders

Posted on December 21, 2022 by Roger Pocock

I always thought the highly effective use of cliffhangers was something peculiar to Doctor Who, with few other series doing anything remotely similar. After all, most contemporary series were a collection of individual episodes rather than one serialised story, for … Continue reading →

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The Wish

Posted on December 19, 2022 by Roger Pocock

There is a long tradition of parallel universe episodes in science-fiction, and The Wish immediately reminded me of the mirror universe episodes of Star Trek and Doctor Who’s Inferno. They are nearly always a huge amount of fun, because they … Continue reading →

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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Episode Five

Posted on December 18, 2022 by Roger Pocock

At the end of the last episode we caught a glimpse of Aslan for the first time, but this week he is very much the focus of the whole episode and we get to see him in his full glory. … Continue reading →

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Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Lovers Walk

Posted on December 17, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Spike is back, and immediately the series hits a level of fun that it simply can’t achieve without him. It makes you realise what a poor imitation Mr Trick has been so far this season. Spike needs to be in … Continue reading →

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The Twilight Zone: Twenty Two

Posted on December 16, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Twenty Two isn’t the first time that Rod Serling introduces us to a flawed character, this time in the form of Liz Powell.  She’s a nervous wreck suffering from a nightmare that she refuses to believe is a nightmare.  It’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Entertainment, Reviews, Science Fiction, Television, The Twilight Zone | Tagged , | 1 Comment