Blakes 7 (1978 - 1981) @ EOFFTV

Blakes 7 (1978 - 1981)

Country of Origin: UK
Date(s) of Broadcast: 2 January 1978 - 21 December 1981
Number of Seasons: 4
Total Number of Episodes: 52
Average Episode Running Times: 50 mins
Format: colour
Sound:

PLOT SUMMARY

In a distant galaxy ruled over by the cruel and totalitarian Federation, a resistance movement is growing. One of its chief architects, Roj Blake, escapes from prison and goes on the run, picking up an alien spaceship he renames the Liberator, a human crew of four and two powerful computers, Zen and Orac. As the crew of the Liberator continues its guerilla struggle against the Federation, they make enemies of Supreme Commander Servelan and her henchman Travis. But their struggle comes at a terrible price and several of their number - Blake included - are lost along the way...

CAPSULE REVIEW

Cheap, ragged round the edges and often camper than a row of tents, yet equally engaging, compulsive viewing with some genuinely excellent scripts, Blakes 7 (the grammatically incorrect title is as it appears on screen) suffered the usual indignities of a BBC micro-budget but managed to rise above it more often than not. A great, borderline-over-the-top performance from Paul Darrow as ambiguous hero Avon towers above most of the other performances, though Gareth Thomas' fatally idealistic Blake and Michael Keating's cowardly Vila also shines. Later seasons were largely unwatchable thanks to dull new characters but the astonishing final episode is still powerful stuff.

EPISODES

SERIES ONE (1978)		SERIES TWO (1979)
The Way Back (2 January 1978) Space Fall (9 January 1978) Cygnus Alpha (16 January 1978) Time Squad (23 January 1978) The Web (30 January 1978) Seek-Locate-Destroy (6 February 1978) Mission to Destiny (13 February 1978) Duel (20 February 1978) Project Avalon (27 February 1978) Breakdown (6 March 1978) Bounty (13 March 1978) Deliverance (20 March 1978) Orac (27 March 1978)		Redemption (9 January 1979) Shadow (16 January 1979) Weapon (23 January 1979) Horizon (30 January 1979) Pressure Point (6 February 1979) Trial (13 February 1979) Killer (20 February 1979) Hostage (27 February 1979) Countdown (6 March 1979) Voices From The Past (13 March 1979) Gambit (20 March 1979) The Keeper (27 March 1979) Star One (3 April 1979)

SERIES THREE		SERIES FOUR
Aftermath (7 January 1980) Powerplay (14 January 1980) Volcano (21 January 1980) Dawn of the Gods (28 January 1980) The Harvest of Kairos (4 February 1980) The City at the Edge of the World (11 February 1980) Children of Auron (19 February 1980) Rumours of Death (25 February 1980) Sarcophagus (3 March 1980) Ultraworld (10 March 1980) Moloch (17 March 1980) Death-Watch (24 March 1980) Terminal (31 March 1980)		Rescue (28 September 1981) Power (5 October 1981) Traitor (12 October 1981) Stardrive (19 October 1981) Animals (26 October 1981) Headhunter (2 November 1981) Assassin (9 November 1981) Games (16 November 1981) Sand (23 November 1981) Gold (30 November 1981) Orbit (7 December 1981) Warlord (14 December 1981) Blake (21 December 1981)

AVAILABILITY

UK
Television Distributor: BBC
Video Distributor: BBC Video

LINKS

FOOTAGE INCLUDED IN
2 Out-Takes, a Missing Scene, 1 Robot, 2 Flat Feet and a Blooper (2004)
Blakes Bloops (1981)
Blue Peter (6 June 1983)
Forever Avon (2006)
Introducing Avon (2004)
Introducing Blake (2004)
Introducing Cally (2004)
Introducing Gan (2004)
Introducing Jenna (2004)
Introducing Servalan (2004)
Introducing Slave (2006)
Introducing Soolin (2006)
Introducing Travis (2004)
Introducing Vila (2004)
Introducing Zen (2004)
Ken Ledsham's B7 Designs (2006)
Special Sounds: Radiophonics (2006)
TV Hell (1992)

REFERENCES

MAGAZINES

DreamWatch no.13 p.24, 44 (UK)
illustrated article

Dreamwatch no.14 p.33 (UK)
illustrated article

Empire September 1995 p.116 (UK)
illustrated article

Fantasy Empire no.7 (1983) (UK)
credits, episode guide

Fantasy Empire no.8 (1983) (UK)
credits, episode guide

Fantasy Empire Collector's Edition no.2 (1983) (UK)
credits, episode guide

SFX no.4 p.5, 55 (UK)
illustrated article

TV Zone no.33 p.28 (UK)
illustrated article

TV Zone no.63 p.26 (UK)
illustrated article

BOOKS

A History and Critical Analysis of Blake's 7, the 1978 - 1981 British Television Space Adventure by John Kenneth Muir (Jefferson, North Carolina and London: McFarland & Company (2000))
credits, synopses, reviews (by John Kenneth Muir)

Terry Nation's Blake's 7: The Programme Guide by Tony Attwood
credits, episode guide, synopses

KEYWORDS

authoritarianism, computers, freedom fighters, the future, rebellions, space opera, space wars, spaceships

Last Updated: 15 October, 2008