One of the greatest gifts delivered on Christmas Day 1924 was Rod Serling. Almost 35 years later, after establishing his credentials as an elite scriptwriter, censorship restrictions caused him to change tack and make the transition from live drama to filmed television. The result was the groundbreaking show that made his name synonymous with 'strange' TV - CBS's The Twilight Zone.

During an era when a US couch potato's staple viewing diet consisted of a never-ending succession of screwball sitcoms, crime shows and westerns, Serling's out-of-this world creation came like a triple-hit of espresso. The notion of a fifth dimension, where anything could happen, was a welcome recess from lame-ass laughs and hackneyed cops and cowboys.