Category Archives: Christmas

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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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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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Episode Four

Posted on December 11, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Back in the first episode, Mr Tumnus complained that it is “always winter, and never Christmas; think of that!” This week, Christmas finally arrives in Narnia, quite literally, because Peter, Lucy and Susan get to meet Father Christmas, who has … Continue reading →

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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Episode Three

Posted on December 4, 2022 by Roger Pocock

For the second week in a row, Edmund is by far the most interesting character in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Last week we discussed how his lying was discovered, and whether he would react to that with … Continue reading →

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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Episode Two

Posted on November 27, 2022 by Roger Pocock

In the first episode, Edmund made the ironic comment that, “in the country, nothing ever happens.” This week he learns how wrong he was, becoming the second of the children to meet somebody in Narnia, but whereas Lucy was lucky … Continue reading →

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The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe: Episode One

Posted on November 20, 2022 by Roger Pocock

Last Christmas I wrote about the 1984 BBC adaptation of The Box of Delights, in a popular episode-by-episode series of articles. The obvious follow up to that is another series that captivated me as a child, the spiritual successor to … Continue reading →

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The Twilight Zone: The Night of the Meek

Posted on November 4, 2022 by Roger Pocock

It’s a funny thing: I knew this episode was coming and I was bummed.  As a kid, this was one of my least liked episodes.  Art Carney, who I loved in The Honeymooners with Jackie Gleason, stars as Henry Corwin, … Continue reading →

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Toradora! Christmas!

Posted on December 25, 2021 by Roger Pocock

Christmas episodes of anime series tend to be disposable affairs that lean towards slice-of-life, but not so with Toradora! There is a run of three episodes that focus on Christmas celebrations, and they build up to a pivotal moment in … Continue reading →

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The Box of Delights Episode 6

Posted on December 19, 2021 by Roger Pocock

“Leave us not Little, nor yet Dark” After an absence of three episodes, it’s great to have Patrick Troughton back as Cole Hawlings. He was chosen for the role because the director was a fan of his Second Doctor Who, … Continue reading →

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The Box of Delights Episode 5

Posted on December 12, 2021 by Roger Pocock

“Beware of Yesterday” Beware of yesterday, especially when yesterday is achieved with Colour Separation Overlay. Kay goes back into the past in search of Arnold of Todi, the original owner of the Box of Delights. He seems to think that … Continue reading →

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The Box of Delights Episode 4

Posted on December 5, 2021 by Roger Pocock

“The Spider in the Web” The “spider” of the title presumably refers to Abner, but what flies has he caught, and what will he do with them? There is a theme of capture and escape this week. We get confirmation … Continue reading →

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The Box of Delights Episode 3

Posted on November 28, 2021 by Roger Pocock

“In Darkest Cellars Underneath” If you thought there was a weak cliffhanger to the end of the previous episode, it does at least lead to a very important scene at the beginning of the third. There are a couple of … Continue reading →

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The Box of Delights Episode 2

Posted on November 21, 2021 by Roger Pocock

“Where shall the ‘nighted Snowman go?“ We start this episode with Kay slicing at some wolves with a sword and stabbing one to death. OK, we never see the blade make contact with anything, but it’s still pushing things a … Continue reading →

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The Box of Delights Episode 1

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Roger Pocock

“When the Wolves were Running” A wolf. Mr Punch. A rat. A mouse. A Roman soldier. Herne the Hunter. Abner Brown. Cole Hawlings. The Box of Delights. In a sequence that haunted my dreams as a child, these are the … Continue reading →

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The Wonder Years: Christmas

Posted on December 25, 2020 by Roger Pocock

The Wonder Years was a series that meant a lot to me as a child. I was about the same age as Kevin when I watched it, and it explored a lot of the issues of growing up that I … Continue reading →

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Abroad for Christmas #3

Posted on December 16, 2020 by Roger Pocock

Alfred Basil Lubbock was a maritime author who fought in the Boer War, and wrote about his experiences in Round the Horn Before the Mast, published in 1902.  However, before being sent to the war, his ship was heading to … Continue reading →

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Abroad for Christmas #2

Posted on December 6, 2020 by Roger Pocock

The following quote is from Travels in Greece and Russia by the frankly magnificent author Bayard Taylor, published in 1859.  This man certainly knew how to live his life, and spent one Christmas Day in Lapland, travelling 40 miles across the … Continue reading →

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Abroad for Christmas

Posted on December 3, 2020 by Roger Pocock

American Quaker William Savery (1750-1804) was a notable abolitionist who travelled through Europe between 1796 and 1799.  His journal of travels was published posthumously, as A Journal of the Life, Travels, and Religious Labors of William Savery.  He spent one … Continue reading →

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The Alternate Dr. Who Family

Posted on December 25, 2019 by Roger Pocock

Companion Tropes Extra 11 Last Christmas… I gave you my heart. No, sorry, let’s try that again. It’s hard to start a sentence with those words, a bit like “who you gonna call”. Some words in the English language now … Continue reading →

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