Doctor Who: Reference Time

[Garrett Gilchrist]

Power of the Daleks dates to November-December 1966. Eight years later, his hair having turned grey, Robert James appeared in a popular sitcom ....

Robert James in "Steptoe and Son" - Upstairs, Downstairs, Upstairs, Downstairs -  20 October 1974 (Season 8, Episode 5)







He plays a doctor, advising Harry H. Corbett that Wilfrid Brambell needs to be bedridden, due to his bad back. Predictably, Brambell takes advantage of the situation, to get his son to serve his every whim.

Robert James appears in the beginning of the episode, and is mostly shown reacting to Corbett.

[Garrett Gilchrist]

Bernard Archard played the ambitious and dangerous Bragen in The Power of the Daleks. He also appeared later in Doctor Who: The Pyramids of Mars.

He appeared in "Danger Man" - I Can Only Offer You Sherry (1966) - 20 January 1966 (Season 2, Episode 17), looking a bit like Claude Rains in Casablanca. This is just the right era for Power of the Daleks reference, if we ignore the moustache.





This episode might also be listed as Season 3, episode 17 - IMDB is ignoring the 39 half-hour episodes of Danger Man which aired from 1960-1961 ["Season 1" - a very long season!], and only counting the 47 episodes which aired from 1964-1967.

Back in 1961, Bernard Archard had appeared in the earlier version of Danger Man as well.  "Danger Man" - The Leak -  9 April 1961 (Season 2, Episode 9). It's a prominent role, though maybe a little early for our tastes.

[Garrett Gilchrist]

More of Bernard Archard in "Danger Man" - I Can Only Offer You Sherry (1966) - 20 January 1966 (Hourlong version, season 2, Episode 17)







The series of course starred Patrick McGoohan as John Drake, in his longest-running and one of his most famous roles. The series is considered a precursor to The Prisoner, since much of the impact of that series trades on how famous McGoohan had been as a dashing super-spy -- now world-weary and trapped in an inescapable nightmare.

The hourlong 1964-67 series was renamed "Secret Agent" in the U.S., and acquired the still-famous theme song "Secret Agent Man." McGoohan's secret agent shows us that James Bond should really take his job more seriously, and stop using it as a simple excuse to hit on women, shoot things, and blow things up.

[Garrett Gilchrist]

More of Bernard Archard in "Danger Man" - I Can Only Offer You Sherry (1966) - 20 January 1966 (Hourlong version, season 2, Episode 17)

[Garrett Gilchrist]

More of Bernard Archard in "Danger Man" - I Can Only Offer You Sherry (1966) - 20 January 1966 (Hourlong version, season 2, Episode 17)

[Garrett Gilchrist]

Pamela Ann Davy
"The Saint" To Kill a Saint - 24 February 1967 (Season 5, Episode 19)

Now this is more like it. Pamela Ann Davy, Janley in Power of the Daleks, only has about three scenes in this Saint episode, but is given some nice closeups and looks fairly Janley like throughout. She plays the French wife of a dangerous man - both of whom are playing a deadly game which could result in the death of Simon Templar.

[Garrett Gilchrist]

More of Pamela Ann Davy in "The Saint" To Kill a Saint - 24 February 1967 (Season 5, Episode 19)

[Garrett Gilchrist]

More of Pamela Ann Davy in "The Saint" To Kill a Saint - 24 February 1967 (Season 5, Episode 19)

[Garrett Gilchrist]

More of Pamela Ann Davy in "The Saint" To Kill a Saint - 24 February 1967 (Season 5, Episode 19)