"Blakes 7" (1978) TV series 1978-1981

Creator:

Terry Nation
(more)

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

2 January 1978 (UK)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

In the third century of the second calendar, a corrupt galactic federation, with Earth at its center...

Plot Keywords:

Cult TV | Spacecraft | Digit In Title | Wobbly Sets | Futuristic

Cast

Michael Keating	...	Vila Restal (52 episodes, 1978-1981)
Paul Darrow	...	Kerr Avon (51 episodes, 1978-1981)
Peter Tuddenham	...	Orac / ... (49 episodes, 1978-1981)
Jan Chappell	...	Cally / ... (37 episodes, 1978-1981)
Gareth Thomas	...	Roj Blake / ... (29 episodes, 1978-1981)
Jacqueline Pearce	...	Servalan / ... (29 episodes, 1978-1981)
Sally Knyvette	...	Jenna Stannis (26 episodes, 1978-1979)
Steven Pacey	...	Del Tarrant / ... (26 episodes, 1980-1981)
Josette Simon	...	Dayna Mellanby (26 episodes, 1980-1981)

Series Directed by
Vere Lorrimer		(13 episodes, 1978-1980)
Michael E. Briant		(6 episodes, 1978)
Mary Ridge		(6 episodes, 1980-1981)
Pennant Roberts		(4 episodes, 1978)
George Spenton-Foster		(4 episodes, 1979)
David Sullivan Proudfoot		(3 episodes, 1981)
Douglas Camfield		(2 episodes, 1978-1981)
David Maloney		(2 episodes, 1979-1980)
Derek Martinus		(2 episodes, 1979)
Jonathan Wright-Miller		(2 episodes, 1979)
Gerald Blake		(2 episodes, 1980)
Fiona Cumming		(2 episodes, 1980)
Desmond McCarthy		(2 episodes, 1980)
Vivienne Cozens		(2 episodes, 1981)
Brian Lighthill		(2 episodes, 1981)

Series Writing credits
Terry Nation		(52 episodes, 1978-1981)
Chris Boucher		(9 episodes, 1979-1981)
Allan Prior		(5 episodes, 1979-1981)
Robert Holmes		(4 episodes, 1979-1981)
Roger Parkes		(3 episodes, 1979-1981)
Ben Steed		(3 episodes, 1980-1981)
James Follett		(2 episodes, 1980-1981)
Tanith Lee		(2 episodes, 1980-1981)

Series Produced by
David Maloney	....	producer (39 episodes, 1978-1980)
Vere Lorrimer	....	producer (13 episodes, 1981)

Series Original Music by
Dudley Simpson		(51 episodes, 1978-1981)

Series Cinematography by
Peter Chapman		(unknown episodes)

Series Film Editing by
Sheila S. Tomlinson		(39 episodes, 1979-1981)
M.A.C. Adams		(9 episodes, 1978)
Malcolm Banthorpe		(3 episodes, 1978-1981)
Sam Upton		(2 episodes, 1978-1979)
Martin Sharpe		(2 episodes, 1978)

Series Production Design by
Ken Ledsham		(14 episodes, 1979-1981)
Gerry Scott		(9 episodes, 1979-1980)
Roger Cann		(6 episodes, 1981)
Martin Collins		(4 episodes, 1978)
Roger Murray-Leach		(4 episodes, 1978)
Robert Berk		(3 episodes, 1978)
Paul Allen		(3 episodes, 1979-1981)
Eric Walmsley		(3 episodes, 1979-1981)
Ray London		(3 episodes, 1979-1980)
Steve Brownsey		(2 episodes, 1979)
Sally Hulke		(2 episodes, 1979)
Mike Porter		(2 episodes, 1979)
Jan Spoczynski		(2 episodes, 1980)
Don Taylor		(2 episodes, 1980)
Nigel Curzon		(2 episodes, 1981)
Graham Lough		(2 episodes, 1981)

Series Costume Design by
Nicholas Rocker		(20 episodes, 1980-1981)
Barbara Lane		(9 episodes, 1978)
Barbara Kidd		(7 episodes, 1979)
June Hudson		(6 episodes, 1979)
Dee Robson		(6 episodes, 1980)
Rupert Jarvis		(5 episodes, 1978)

Series Makeup Department
Marianne Ford	....	makeup artist (18 episodes, 1978-1979)
Sheelagh Wells	....	makeup artist / makeup designer (13 episodes, 1980)
Suzanne Jansen	....	makeup artist (13 episodes, 1981)
Ann Ailes-Stevenson	....	makeup artist (6 episodes, 1979)
Eileen Mair	....	makeup artist (3 episodes, 1978)

Series Production Management
Sheelagh Rees	....	unit production manager (39 episodes, 1978-1980)
Ralph Wilton	....	production manager (4 episodes, 1981)
Rosemary Crowson	....	production manager (3 episodes, 1981)
Henry Foster	....	production manager (3 episodes, 1981)
Jacinta Peel	....	production manager (2 episodes, 1981)

Series Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Hermione Stewart	....	assistant director (2 episodes, 1980)

Series Art Department
Douglas Burd	....	graphic designer / graphics designer (17 episodes, 1980-1981)
Bob Blagden	....	graphics designer (13 episodes, 1978)
Francis Smith	....	properties buyer (13 episodes, 1981)
Dick Bailey	....	graphic designer / graphics designer (8 episodes, 1981)

Series Sound Department
Elizabeth Parker	....	special sound (32 episodes, 1979-1981)
Richard Yeoman-Clark	....	special sound (20 episodes, 1978-1979)
Malcolm Johnson	....	sound: studio / studio sound / ... (20 episodes, 1979-1981)
Ian Sansam	....	film sound recordist / film sound recordist: film segments / ... (19 episodes, 1979-1980)
John Gatland	....	film sound recordist / sound (13 episodes, 1978-1979)
Clive Gifford	....	studio sound / sound: studio (13 episodes, 1978-1979)
Tony Millier	....	studio sound / sound: studio (7 episodes, 1978)
Richard Partridge	....	sound: studio / studio sound (7 episodes, 1980-1981)
John Tellick	....	film sound recordist / film sound (5 episodes, 1981)
Trevor Webster	....	sound: studio / studio sound (5 episodes, 1981)
Stuart Moser	....	film sound recordist / film sound (4 episodes, 1981)
Bill Meekums	....	film sound recordist (3 episodes, 1978)
Anthony Wornum	....	boom operator (3 episodes, 1981)
Graham Hare	....	film sound recordist (2 episodes, 1978)
John Murphy	....	film sound recordist (2 episodes, 1978)
Mike Savage	....	film sound recordist (2 episodes, 1981)

Series Special Effects by
A.J. Mitchell	....	electronic effects (1 episode, 1979)
Ron Thornton	....	special effects (unknown episodes)

Series Visual Effects by
Mitch Mitchell	....	video electronic effects / video effects (35 episodes, 1978-1980)
Jim Francis	....	visual effects designer (26 episodes, 1980-1981)
Mat Irvine	....	visual effects designer (21 episodes, 1978-1979)
Andy Lazell	....	visual effects designer (15 episodes, 1979-1981)
Ian Scoones	....	visual effects designer (13 episodes, 1978)
Peter Pegrum	....	visual effects designer (13 episodes, 1979)
Steve Drevett	....	visual effects designer (13 episodes, 1980)
Robin Lobb	....	video electronic effects / video effects (12 episodes, 1981)
Mike Kelt	....	visual effects designer (7 episodes, 1981)
A.J. Mitchell	....	video electronic effects (2 episodes, 1978)
Mickey Edwards	....	visual effects assistant (unknown episodes)

Series Stunts
Stuart Fell	....	stunt coordinator (12 episodes, 1978-1981)
Frank Maher	....	stunt coordinator (9 episodes, 1978-1979)
Peter Brayham	....	stunt coordinator (5 episodes, 1978-1979)
Terry Forestal	....	stunt coordinator / stunts (5 episodes, 1981)
Del Baker	....	stunts (2 episodes, 1978-1979)
Cliff Diggins	....	stunts (2 episodes, 1978-1979)
Fred Haggerty	....	stunts (2 episodes, 1979)
Rocky Taylor	....	stunts (2 episodes, 1979)
Les White	....	stunts (2 episodes, 1979)
Mike Potter	....	stunt coordinator / stunts (2 episodes, 1981)
Andy Bradford	....	stunts (unknown episodes)
Cyd Child	....	stunts (unknown episodes)

Series Camera and Electrical Department
Brian Clemett	....	studio lighting (40 episodes, 1978-1981)
Dave White	....	senior camera operator (23 episodes, 1979-1981)
Peter Chapman	....	film camera / camera operator (20 episodes, 1978-1980)
Ken Willicombe	....	film camera / camera operator (13 episodes, 1978)
Warwick Fielding	....	studio lighting (12 episodes, 1981)
Fintan Sheehan	....	film camera / camera operator (12 episodes, 1981)
Max Samett	....	film camera (7 episodes, 1979)

Series Editorial Department
Nigel Finnis	....	vision mixer (15 episodes, 1980-1981)
Sam Upton	....	editor: video tape / series video tape editor / ... (9 episodes, 1978-1981)
Malcolm Banthorpe	....	editor: video tape / series video tape editor / ... (5 episodes, 1978-1981)
Paul del Bravo	....	vision mixer (5 episodes, 1980)
Martin Sharpe	....	assistant film editor (4 episodes, 1978)
Shirley Coward	....	vision mixer (2 episodes, 1980)
Ian Williams	....	editor: video tape / editor: videotape (2 episodes, 1981)

Series Music Department
Dudley Simpson	....	composer: title music (2 episodes, 1978-1979)

Series Other crew
Chris Boucher	....	script editor (52 episodes, 1978-1981)
Frank Pendlebury	....	production associate / production assistant (12 episodes, 1981)
Terry Brett	....	technical manager (9 episodes, 1981)
Geoffrey Manton	....	production assistant (8 episodes, 1978-1979)
Pauline Smithson	....	production assistant (7 episodes, 1978-1980)
Peter Valentine	....	technical manager (7 episodes, 1980)
Christine Fawcett	....	assistant to director / production assistant (6 episodes, 1980-1981)
Riitta Lynn	....	assistant floor manager (6 episodes, 1980)
Antony Root	....	assistant floor manager (6 episodes, 1980)
Victor Mallett	....	production assistant (4 episodes, 1978)
Michael Brayshaw	....	production assistant (4 episodes, 1979)
Edwina Craze	....	production assistant (4 episodes, 1980)
Shuna Young	....	assistant to director (4 episodes, 1980)
Valerie Tuner	....	production assistant (4 episodes, 1981)
Josephine Ward	....	assistant floor manager (4 episodes, 1981)
Kevin Mann	....	assistant floor manager (3 episodes, 1981)
Joan Marine	....	production assistant (3 episodes, 1981)
Christopher Moss	....	assistant floor manager (3 episodes, 1981)
Jackie Willows	....	production assistant (2 episodes, 1979)
Ralph Wilton	....	production assistant (2 episodes, 1979)
John Harris	....	production assistant (2 episodes, 1980)
Catherine Page	....	production assistant (2 episodes, 1980)
Roselyn Parker	....	production assistant (2 episodes, 1980)
Eileen Staff	....	assistant to director (2 episodes, 1980)
Hermione Stewart	....	assistant to director (2 episodes, 1980)
Rena Butterwick	....	production assistant (2 episodes, 1981)
Julia Hanrahan	....	production assistant (2 episodes, 1981)
Nigel Taylor	....	assistant floor manager (2 episodes, 1981)

Production Companies

• British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Distributors

• Fabulous Films (1996) (UK) (VHS)
• Fabulous Films (2004) (UK) (DVD)
• Just Entertainment (2007) (Netherlands) (DVD) (season 1)
• Just Entertainment (2008) (Netherlands) (DVD) (season 2)
• Just Entertainment (2009) (Netherlands) (DVD) (season 3)

Runtime:

50 min (52 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Bamburgh, Northumberland, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

The series was originally to have ended with the climax to the third season. However, the BBC One Controller of that time, Bill Cotton, was so impressed by the quality of the series that he had the continuity announcer declare that Blake's 7 would return for a new series the following year, which caused some surprise amongst the cast and crew. Chief of the problems this caused was that producer David Maloney had become producer on "The Day of the Triffids" (1981), meaning that a new producer was needed for the show. After Terence Dudley turned the job down due to his intending to retire, Vere Lorrimer was made producer.

Quotes:

Orac: The idiosyncratic syntax of riddles interests me. They seem to depend for their effect on solecisms and grammatical discrepancies.
Vila Restal: [totally confused] Eh?
Orac: Do you have another riddle for me to analyze?
Vila Restal: You'd only spoil it.
Orac: I thought you liked riddles.
Vila Restal: I do when I'm allowed to tell them properly. All you're interested in is the idiotic tintax or something.
Orac: That's very clever.
Vila Restal: What is?
Orac: For idiosyncratic syntax you substituted idiotic tintax. Yes, very good.
Vila Restal: [brightening] Is it?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Battlespace (2006) (V)

Wonderfully cheesy!

This is quite simply the coolest sci-fi series of all time. It is easy to laugh at the sets and effects in these days of CGI, but it was good entertaining fun when it came out. Gareth Thomas played the Blake of the title, who whizzed round the universe with his crew of outlaws, trying to avoid the Federation. The leader of the Federation, Servalan, was a strong, scary woman who thought nothing of stabbing her allies in the back. In contrast to series such as Doctor Who, the female cast members werent just "screamers" - they all had their own specific and useful skills, such as Cally (Jan Chappell) who had psychic powers and Jenna (Sally Knyvette), an expert pilot. Watching it now brings back many memories, but it does stand up even now. Inspired!