Mary’s Place…. or Who is to Blame?

1st June 2011

Mary Straker, who has been nicknamed “The Screecher” by most female UFO fans, especially most fanfiction writers, is a highly controversial character, as is her marriage with Ed Straker. And if she is not deemed to be in the wrong and utterly obnoxious, she is usually written back into his life and as his wife, as if things were that simple either. This persistent one-sided treatment of the character, whom…

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George Victor Bishop (1932-2005)

1st June 2011

Ed Bishop, who died 6 years ago and only three days before his 73rd birthday, belonged to a small group of expatriate actors from the USA and Canada working and living in the United Kingdom. During his prolific career spanning almost 50 years he appeared in movies, on television and  on stage, as well as working on radio, as a narrator and voice-actor. Though never achieving star status, directors regularly…

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The Things We Never Say

1st June 2011

“Here, Commander,” the staff nurse pointed at the fine, dotted line, just as the church bells across the road chimed ten times. Distracted he placed his scrawl underneath the official discharge form, waited for his copy and folded it into his breastpocket, while he walked out of the hospital. His stay at Mayland had been perfunctory, making sure he was unharmed by the lack of oxygen during that submarine accident…

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Ed Bishop’s Acting

1st February 2011

The acting and directing choices and abilities of the artists bringing UFO to us and how they influence the characters we get to see are quite intriguing. Especially when you compare them to what the very same actors do in other movies. Having just now a discussion about what is in character, what the actors put there and what we – as writers – ought to at least notice, quite…

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The Fishmonger’s Daughter

1st February 2011

As with all my UFO stories it is transposed to the current day, with general technology updated, but none of the other facts altered in any way. This story takes place the December (still during the inception of SHADO) following the concluding events of Confetti Check A-OK earlier that year in spring. Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and…

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Calan Gaeaf

1st February 2011

  “Trajectory termination?” “South Pacific, Commander, grid reference O-Blue-12-08, sir!” Keith Ford turned to his commanding officer, eyeing him warily. Ever since that girl had died under such atrocious circumstances the commander had not been his usual acerbic, but at least calm and fair self. Instead he had been irascible on top of caustic, and he had taken it out more than once on his staff. While Ford could well…

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On Marriage, the Military Mind and Straker

1st February 2011

I get sick of romance stories, and the what seems to me fairly desperate attempts to marry Straker off again and again does pall. I used to read some of those stories – now I don’t. The more he is tied up in romance, the less like the real Straker he seems IMO… …Glad I’m not alone in the please-don’t marry-Straker-off-again club. After I read a few of them I…

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