TV Gold

As discussion on Blakes Seven has rather taled off of late I thought I'd offer up a revised 'Instant guide to...' in the same way that I did for both The Avengers and The New Avengers...

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:green'>The Premise: </span></span>Far in the future, the Earth and its colonies are dominated by the tyrannical Federation. Model citizen Roj Blake discovers that his memories of leading a rebellion against the corrupt regime have been suppressed. Framed on a charge of child molestation, Blake is shipped to penal colony Cygnus Alpha. However, as luck would have it, the prison ship encounters an abandoned alien spacecraft of advanced design. With his fellow prisoners, Blake hijacks the ship, christens it the Liberator and vows to use it to strike back at the Federation.

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:green'>Background:</span></span> Blake?s 7 was the creation of writer Terry Nation whose greatest claim to fame was creating the Daleks for Doctor Who. Despite a deceptively mature opening episode, Blake quickly became a space opera with the emphasis on hip dialogue and science fiction clich?s.

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:green'>First run/Number of episodes:</span></span> 1978 ? 1981 (BBC1 Monday evenings) / 52 spread over 13x4 seasons

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:green'>The Good Guys:</span></span> Blake (Gareth Thomas), Avon (Paul Darrow), Vila (Michael Keating), Jenna (Sally Knyvette), Cally (Jan Chappell), Gan (David Jackson), Tarrant (Steven Pacey), Dayna (Josette Simon), Soolin (Glynis Barber), Zen/Orac/Slave (Peter Tuddenham)

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:green'>The Bad Guys:</span></span> Travis (Stephen Grief ? Season One, Brian Croucher ? Season Two), Servalan (Jacqueline Pearce)

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:green'>And isn?t that?</span></span> Pamela Salem (wicked witch Belor in Into The Labyrinth, Doctor Who (?Robots of Death? & ?Remembrance of the Daleks? and Moneypenny in James Bond film ?Never Say Never Again?) came over all fanatical in <span style='color:green'>Cygnus Alpha</span>, John Leeson (voice of K9 in Doctor Who) could be seen in the flesh as Pasco in <span style='color:green'>Mission to Destiny</span> and as Toise in <span style='color:green'>Gambit</span>, Michael Gough (the Celestial Toymaker in Doctor Who and Alfred the butler in the Batman films) was the man who blew up the world in <span style='color:green'>Volcano</span>, Colin Baker (Doctor Who?s sixth incarnation) was the psychotic Bayban in <span style='color:green'>City at the Edge of the World</span>, and Richard Hurndall (the First Doctor in Doctor Who?s Twentieth Anniversary story, The Five Doctors) could be seen in chains as Nebrox in <span style='color:green'>Assassin</span>.

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:green'>Best of the Bunch:</span></span> <span style='color:green'>Seek-Locate-Destroy</span> (Travis and Servalan make their first appearances and become the focal point for the previously faceless Federation), <span style='color:green'>Gambit</span> (glitz, glamour, a fab frock for Servalan and a first rate script from Robert Holmes), <span style='color:green'>Terminal</span> (the long-absent Blake makes a brief return, or does he? And Servalan finally gets the Liberator, or does she?), <span style='color:green'>Sand</span> (Servalan asks Tarrant for his sympathy, and he gives it to her), <span style='color:green'>Blake</span> (Blake and Avon are finally reunited and the series goes out on a bang).

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:green'>Bottom of the Barrel:</span></span> <span style='color:green'>Redemption</span> (the crew of the Liberator are brought to Spaceworld? and escape), <span style='color:green'>Ultraworld</span> (the crew of the Liberator are brought to Ultraworld? and escape), <span style='color:green'>Death-Watch</span> (Steven Pacey slips on an appalling wig and plays Tarrant?s brother Deeta), <span style='color:green'>Stardrive</span> (Hell?s Angels in space and the worst visual effects known to man), <span style='color:green'>Animals</span> (Dayna gets all uncharacteristically sloppy and emotional in visiting her teenage love, scientist Justin).

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:green'>Overdone clich?s:</span></span> Blake?s 7?s writers constantly contrived reasons for the crew, when faced with danger, to be unable to teleport back to the ship. Those vital bracelets were lost, stolen or damaged on an almost weekly basis. Presumably, the shipboard computers were able to manufacture an infinite supply of replacements.

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:green'>Fashion statements:</span></span> After starting out in Robin Hood style Lincoln green, complete with hoods, Blake and his crew soon succumbed to those old Science Fiction clich?s: black leather and (gasp) sliver blouses. Servalan wins hands down, though, for the most outrageous costumes worn by anyone in any telefantasy series ever ? even chicken wire gets passed off as a necklace in one episode.

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:green'>Repeat transmissions: </span></span> Other than some Sunday morning reruns on UK Gold many years ago it has yet to have a more recent outing on either terrestrial or satellite channels in the United Kingdom.

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:green'>DVD Retail release history:</span></span> After much deliberation and delay the box set of Season One finally appeared early in 2004 though regrettably with a much reduced extras line up. Season Two upped the menu and extras quality notably when it broke cover back in January 2005 and was followed up by Season Three?s release in June 2005. No word as yet regarding when the Fourth and final season box set will break cover however I suspect that possibly March 2006 will be a likely target.

<span style='font-size:14pt;line-height:100%'><span style='color:green'>Other comments: </span></span> Worth mentioning is <a href='http://www.hermit.org/Blakes7/' target='_blank'>http://www.hermit.org/Blakes7/</a> which offers the largest Blake?s Seven site on the Internet. Although highly comprehensive in information and series images I personally feel it could, if possible, benefit from a major revamp and upgrade in appearance.

<span style='color:gray'><span style='font-size:8pt;line-height:100%'>Article originated by John Ainsworth
Cult Times Magazine ? Issue 6 ? June 1996
Updated and embellished by Sarah Tarrant
25 October 2005</span></span>
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