The Twilight Zone

"Some robot from The Twilight Zone" was how Jessica Willamy described a Cyberman upon her first encounter with the metallic species in San Francisco in January 1967. She then added that, unlike the robots of The Twilight Zone, "this one made [her] scared." (PROSE: Wonderland)

After finding that Susan Foreman and her grandfather, the First Doctor, were not from Earth in April 1963, John Brent could not help but to make a comparison numerous times to The Twilight Zone, which was evidently popular in the 1960s. (PROSE: Time and Relative)

When the Memory offered Peri Brown her only chance of survival from drowning — becoming its god — she described her way out as "clear as the sign-post for the Twilight Zone, always so helpfully pointed out by Rod Serling, but less inviting." (PROSE: Shell Shock)

Behind the scenes

• The Twilight Zone's pilot episode was produced as the Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse episode "The Time Element".
• Jean Marsh played the android Alicia in The Twilight Zone Season 1 episode "The Lonely". Harold Innocent played a board member in the Season 2 episode "The Obsolete Man". Terence de Marney played a gambler in the Season 3 episode "The Trade-Ins". George Murdock played Willie in the Season 3 episode "The Dummy".
• Hywel Bennett, Christopher Brown, Lorne Cossette, John Novak, Alan David, Carolyn Seymour, Nana Visitor, John de Lancie, Mare Winningham and Jenny Agutter appeared in the 1980s revival of the series. John Debney also composed the music for one episode.
• Michael David Simms, Mi-Jung Lee, Dave Hurtubise, Robert Moloney, Wayne Knight and Lesley Ewen appeared in the 2002 revival.
• Lucinda Dryzek and Amara Karan appeared in the 2019 revival.
• Writer Robert Shearman has cited The Twilight Zone, along with Pinter, Stoppard, Antonin Artaud, and Doctor Who itself, as influences on his work both on and off Doctor Who.