'Blake's Seven' debuted on B.B.C.-1 early in 1978, on the night 'Star Wars' premiered in London. The press branded the show a hastily made rip-off; in fact it had been in production months before George Lucas' epic opened in the States. Writer/creator Terry Nation pitched the idea to the B.B.C. as 'The Dirty Dozen' in space'. Like the movie ( and T.V. version ) of 'Logan's Run', it starts with the populace of Earth living in protective domed cities following devastating atomic wars. Rebels defy the Government's warnings and venture outside, finding the air breathable and clean, the water pure. As they discuss their next move, they are massacred by Federation stormtroopers. One, Roj Blake ( Gareth Thomas ) gets away, but is betrayed, put on trial ( on a fake child molestation charge ), and sentenced to life imprisonment on the penal colony on Cygnus Alpha. En route he meets lovely Jenna ( Sally Knyvette ), gentle giant Gan ( David Jackson ), cowardly thief Vila ( Michael Keating ), and brooding computer genius Avon ( Paul Darrow ). They would soon be augmented by telepathic alien Cally ( Jan Chappell ). Securing the use of an abandoned spacecraft ( controlled by Zen the computer, voiced by Peter Tuddenham ) which they rechristen 'The Liberator', they set about trying to dent the forces of the wicked powers through what might be termed acts of 'terrorism'. Each week, Blake and co. were seen blowing up military installations, stealing computer codes or just making plain trouble. The head of the Federation, the Thatcher-like Servalan ( Jacqueline Pearce ), brought in an old enemy of Blake's - Travis ( Stephen Grief in the first season, Brian Croucher in the second ) - to help defeat him.
Being a B.B.C. series, it was never going to compete with 'Star Wars' in terms of visual effects, and wisely did not try. There was strong chemistry between the cast, and mostly good story lines. 'Avon' became one of television's most compelling characters. Blake and co. were not super-heroes, just ordinary people united in a common cause - to end tyranny. They were not infallible, and often argued amongst themselves. Yes, the 'teleport' idea was pinched from 'Star Trek', but if you're going to steal ideas, steal the best.
Terry Nation wrote all of Season 1, but the following year other writers were used. The second season saw Blake engage his crew in a quest to find 'Star One' - the Federation's control centre. It also featured the death of Gan, a quite shocking development at the time. 'Star Trek' had never quite been this dark. A new arrival was 'Orac' ( also voiced by Tuddenham ), the galaxy's most brilliant computer, imbued with its creator's tetchy personality.
Popular though the show was, it had its critics, many of whom poked fun at the low budget S.F.X., one was the late Stan Sayer of 'The Daily Mirror', who bashed the show each week without fail. When Season 4 repeats went out in the summer of 1983 ( two years after the show had ended ) he reacted as though it were an insult to him personally. Season 3 saw the departure of Blake himself ( Gareth Thomas having gone to join the R.S.C. ), and Avon was promoted to centre-stage. Sally Knyvette's 'Jenna' also left. Two new characters - Dayna Mellanby ( Josette Simon ) and Del Tarrant ( Steven Pacey ) - took their places. I rate Season 3 as the best of the run, mainly because there was more variety in the plots, one of which ( 'Sarcophagus' ) was penned by fantasy author Tanith Lee.
The fourth season proved controversial amongst fans, with its inclusion of a new spacecraft ( 'The Scorpio' ) and gunfighter 'Soolin' ( Glynis Barber ) replacing 'Cally', but the show basically remained the same. Each season had ended with a cliffhanger, but the one that rounded off this one was the mother of them all: cornered on the planet Gauda Prime, the Scorpio crew were gunned down Peckinpah-style. As klaxons wailed, Avon permitted himself a final wintry smile. The screen went black. Two shots rang out. The series was over.
Fans bombarded the B.B.C. with requests for a new series, not to mention repeats of the first three seasons, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. Even with the successful revival of 'Dr.Who' in 2005, the Corporation has been seemingly reluctant to let the Liberator fly again ( though there has been a run of commercially available audio adventures ). If nothing else, 'Seven' proved conclusively you do not need millions of dollars to make an entertaining science fiction show. If it ever does return, I hope the new producers bear in mind that stories and characters far outweigh special effects in terms of importance.
Being a B.B.C. series, it was never going to compete with 'Star Wars' in terms of visual effects, and wisely did not try. There was strong chemistry between the cast, and mostly good story lines. 'Avon' became one of television's most compelling characters. Blake and co. were not super-heroes, just ordinary people united in a common cause - to end tyranny. They were not infallible, and often argued amongst themselves. Yes, the 'teleport' idea was pinched from 'Star Trek', but if you're going to steal ideas, steal the best.
Terry Nation wrote all of Season 1, but the following year other writers were used. The second season saw Blake engage his crew in a quest to find 'Star One' - the Federation's control centre. It also featured the death of Gan, a quite shocking development at the time. 'Star Trek' had never quite been this dark. A new arrival was 'Orac' ( also voiced by Tuddenham ), the galaxy's most brilliant computer, imbued with its creator's tetchy personality.
Popular though the show was, it had its critics, many of whom poked fun at the low budget S.F.X., one was the late Stan Sayer of 'The Daily Mirror', who bashed the show each week without fail. When Season 4 repeats went out in the summer of 1983 ( two years after the show had ended ) he reacted as though it were an insult to him personally. Season 3 saw the departure of Blake himself ( Gareth Thomas having gone to join the R.S.C. ), and Avon was promoted to centre-stage. Sally Knyvette's 'Jenna' also left. Two new characters - Dayna Mellanby ( Josette Simon ) and Del Tarrant ( Steven Pacey ) - took their places. I rate Season 3 as the best of the run, mainly because there was more variety in the plots, one of which ( 'Sarcophagus' ) was penned by fantasy author Tanith Lee.
The fourth season proved controversial amongst fans, with its inclusion of a new spacecraft ( 'The Scorpio' ) and gunfighter 'Soolin' ( Glynis Barber ) replacing 'Cally', but the show basically remained the same. Each season had ended with a cliffhanger, but the one that rounded off this one was the mother of them all: cornered on the planet Gauda Prime, the Scorpio crew were gunned down Peckinpah-style. As klaxons wailed, Avon permitted himself a final wintry smile. The screen went black. Two shots rang out. The series was over.
Fans bombarded the B.B.C. with requests for a new series, not to mention repeats of the first three seasons, but their pleas fell on deaf ears. Even with the successful revival of 'Dr.Who' in 2005, the Corporation has been seemingly reluctant to let the Liberator fly again ( though there has been a run of commercially available audio adventures ). If nothing else, 'Seven' proved conclusively you do not need millions of dollars to make an entertaining science fiction show. If it ever does return, I hope the new producers bear in mind that stories and characters far outweigh special effects in terms of importance.