As a kid, the episode when Kerr Avon just ignored that he sacrificed a character to save the ship sold me this show forever. As an American it was hard to get the episodes, and finally got help from one of my British friends. Shows like this are proof that if you just use your imagination to fill in the flaws in the special effects (and the limits of the budget) then great things can happen.
As an 8 year old when this came out, I don't recall the special effects being poor. I loved the ship and especially the deck - those chairs are iconic.
I will never criticize a television show or film for having an imagination that exceeds its budget. When the reverse happens, that's when you get Transformers movies. I grew up with Blake's 7, a show I'm still a fan of to this day (I buy all the Big |Finish cd's and books!) and regularly watch my DVD's of the show. Some of the best characters ever created for a sci-fi show
The finale, the massacre, was probably the best and most upsetting thing I've ever seen as a kid watching this show. I loved B7, amazing. Thanks for this very thorough dose of nostalgia. A word though, on Orac, Zen and Slave, possibly the best sci-fi computers ever on screen. Zens voice, so composed, Slave so whimpering and pessimistic and Orac, the most delightfully sarcastic computer ever seen. Just brilliant.
It really shows the skill of the writers and voice actor when the three computers in the show are all brilliant characters with Orac tending to have some of the best lines.
I watched this show from episode one when I was 8 yrs old. As an 8 yr old I thought Gan was the most interesting character. A great guy unless his limiter packed up.Then he would go berserk. They never explored that. Later in life, through a bizarre work situation for us both, I met Gareth Thomas and we became close friends. A lovely man. His humility and gratitude to the fans of the show was totally sincere. He was always genuinely delighted and courteous when stopped or approached. He was a superb actor and a marvellous friend. I miss him.
I remember going to a country wedding in the late 70s. The reception was held in a country hall. The groom brought a portable TV - so that those of us who were addicted to Blakes 7 wouldn't miss that night's episode. Nothing like it!
There was so much dialogue in what was sold as an action-adventure series because writing a static scene was the cheapest way to fill screen time. It resulted in a few howlers and some overblown exchanges, but also some real gems.
I don’t know who you are, but always up for a chat about sci-fi. Blake’s 7. A Sci fi series developed by the BBC back in 1981. You may/probably already no that. But regardless, a wonderful sci-fi series. There is nothing like getting back to the originals.
OH! The memories of staying up late on a Saturday night watching Dr. Who, Reddawrf and Blake's 7. It's amazing what some people could do with pocket change and what coins they managed to dig out of the couch cushions.
@@Jasonm25870 In the states, it was shown in reruns in the 1980s/1990s on PBS. Usually late Saturday nights along with other older Brit shows. It could vary depending on location of course.
@@wacmack Yes, PBS was one of only four stations I could get using the rabbit ear antenna that came with the first TV i bought for my bedroom when I was in high school.
The Liberator was one of "the" coolest ships ever designed. The flight deck was a pure work of art, and if they ever reboot the series, that flight deck set simply "has" to be rebuilt. No questions asked.
I agree and loved Avon. Apparently Servalan (Jaqueline Pierce) was only meant to appear in 1/2 episodes but she was such a hit they kept her on. She was wonderful in the part too.
I met Thomas twice at conventions and the first time me and my mate even had a pint with him. Brilliant man, a true fan's actor who was so gracious and so funny. I also saw Darrow and Thomas together on stage doing Q+A in 2004 which was magical. I never spoke personally with Darrow but got a few minutes with Thomas again. Truly amazing both of them.
It's a surprisingly cohesive and logical story when you watch it in one(ish) go, (rather than 1 episode a week). Particularly the last half dozen episodes, you can feel the build up to the reveal that Avon knew where Blake was all the time.
Re-watched it on DVD for nostalgia purposes three decades after enjoying it as a teenager and, oh boy, is it cheap, camp and unintentionally amusing. But it's fun too.
When I discovered it on YT I watched the whole series again back to back and fell in love with it all over again. Marvellous show. I still keep watching it now.
I'm old enough to remember when it was first aired. It was one of those shows that you watched with your parents. There was enough to keep both kids and adults glued to the screen. I even had one of the little toy "Liberator" spaceships. I've since lost it but I expect boxed versions are pretty valuable now. I love that this show hasn't been forgotten in the mists of time and continues to gain new fans. A cult classic indeed.
I can still remember the whole family sitting down to watch the first episode of B7 in 1978, after thet we were all hooked. I bought the DVD boxset a few years ago and it still stands the test of time. 👍
What really struck me about the show was the sense everyone was expendable. Anybody could be eliminated with or without a good reason, even the guy the series was named for! Perhaps the Liberator was the actual main character of the series. After it got toasted Blakes 7 felt like a completely different series.
Yup. The bleak and brutal nature of it makes GOT look like kids TV. The episode where Avon is doing his best to hunt down and murder Vila for entirely practical reasons and its entirely believeable that it could happen was just epic.
Well done on putting this together. As a 12 year old at the time I was gutted by the ending. I rewatched all 4 seasons a few years back and I surprised myself with how edgy I felt throughout the last episode knowing what was coming. Great show.
I have met nearly all the cast. This is my all time favourite series. Got very drunk with Gareth Thomas back in 2004. Smoked something pretty good with Jacqueline Pearce (sadly she was in cancer remission at the time). Have all the DVD’s and most signed by the cast.
I was at a Fan Con where Gareth Thomas as the headline guest. This was probably 8 years ago the show had ended in the UK and was just really catching on in the US. Mr. Thomas was drunk as a skunk and when I came up in the line for the autograph he grabbed me and put me on his lap (I was 24 years old, and this was well before things like that were frowned upon. He didn't do anything else - and it was only for a minute. But it is one of my fondness moments.
When I was about 14, I met Gareth and Paul at a convention. I said what an honour it was to be in the presence of a true legend! G said why thank you, I said no I was talking to Darrow you old fart. Both adorable chaps, and if you see them doing Q and A together, it’s priceless - such lovely gents.
The music sound effects are another major aspect of what made this show so incredible, sounds and voice coming from Zen and Orac are pure dopamine hits.
Too many legends gone too soon. I was all Doctor Who in my childhood. I came to Blake’s 7 late in the 90’s when BBC2 repeated it. I fell in love with it. So many Doctor Who connections. I even enjoyed Timelash. Once you realise Paul Darrow is playing Richard the Third and get over the fact that a lot of the special effects look like Christmas decorations, it becomes a classic. Down and safe ❤️
Imagine Netflix producing a modern version of this show. Imagine trying to find a Paul Darrow of today, maybe Tom Hardy could pull it off. But the problem is if you tinker with the chemistry of the characters the show will flop. It was basically Robin Hood in space and the excellent writing of the series hid lots of 'cheese TV' aspects the show had.
I'd never want a remake but I've always wanted a continuation with a new cast (given the age of the originals, even when more were still alive). Before he died, I thought having Paul Darrow bridge the gap between the original show and a next generation of rebels would have worked well. Maybe the "new Servalan" could be the original's daughter... with Avon as her dad? :)
@@philipocallaghan Personally, I'd say the recent Star Wars Andor has a lot more in common with B7 (tone, especially) but the closest show to B7's spirit of "bunch of not-quite-heroes thrown together" was Farscape.
I think writers today are stuck in an edge lord rut . Everything is gritty and hopeless . I would like to see a better effects budget but doubt producers and writers get what made this show special and would make high gloss but still pale imitation
Thank you, Stam Fine, for highlighting this amazing show, Blake's 7. In the 1990's, television station KBTC - Tacoma, Washington, made Saturday night special beginning with Blackadder at 7pm, followed by Doctor Who, Star Cops and Blake's 7. The evening would round out with a sci-fi movie - usually cheesy! Then the entire evening's broadcast schedule would repeat, well into the wee hours of Sunday morning, including the cheesy movie. Somehow Blake's 7 always seemed better the second time around. Late-night really suited the show.
Amazing work Stam Fine. You always manage to give your subject's the appropriate level of time and attention. This was a lightening fast hour. You provided a whistle-stop tour of 52 hours of sci-fi whilst still affording due credit to the myriad elements that contribute to making such a show. A firm favourite of mine and what I personally regard as Terry Nation's greatest gift to sci-fi. Even if, like his other notable contribution to the genre, it owed a great deal to those who realised it for a TV audience.
Soolin had one of the most hilarious lines of the show if I can remember right. After Slave says “we have no power and only 10 hours of oxygen left” she responds “oh great, we know that we’ll be bored as well as dead.”
Brilliant! Thanks for this, just pure nostalgia. I, like yourself, hold this show in VERY high regard. I watched it as a kid when it was originally broadcast and agree, it holds up even today, which is a relief. Again, thanks for this, keep it up. More Blake's 7 content would be most welcome.
That final episode! I wish Blake and Avon faced those Federation troops together like Butch and Sundance in the final scene. Only Star Wars Rogue One comes close.
@@leefr76 They should have gone down defending a new group of rebels, each one dying heroically, with Blake and Avon left as the last men standing and the Federation troops closing in. The very last scene would have had them emerging, guns blazing. Image freezes, accompanied by weapons fire, fades to black, Butch and Sundance style.
@@leefr76 I remember being excited and sad at the same time!!! I aways wondered if Avon died? and I always wanted to think he got away! let one of them live :) I think Villa was the death that shocked me most! you can't kill Villa!!! :)
Such wonderful memories, thank you for an amazing summary of the show. One thing though, I cried myself to sleep the night I watched the episode that Gan died so some of us did find the emotion in the show.
This show, along with Doctor Who proved that as long as you have quality writing and good actors well cast, the sets and SFX are never absolutely vital Just convincing enough and try to ensure they don't shake.
I remember first seeing the series probably in the late 80's in reruns. Many years later, I found the series again and watched it in its entirety. I loved the series and overlooked the crappy special effects. I loved the characters. Avon was my favourite. I also liked Villa.
I first saw the show sometime in the mid 80's. Maybe starting in late '84 or into '85. My local PBS station aired an episode Monday through Friday from beginning to end. so 10 weeks plus 2 days and it was done. Just two and a half months as opposed to 4 full years. I loved the show. Best final episode EVER!!!! So many of the stars have passed now. It gets to me watching this and seeing them in their prime. Great vid. I will watch more.
Surprised, frightened and confused me as a child, it was like reading 1984 with no warning. like many of my age it still catches me whenever I see it. thanks for the video. good work sir!
Well you will be happy to learn after all this time but the final shootout wasn’t bloody due to lack of effects budget, it was deliberately so they could say they were only stun shots in case another series was green lit.
This show made a big impact on me as a kid. Back then in the Netherlands, we had 8 channels: 2 Dutch ones, 2 German, 2 Belgian ones... and BBC 1 and 2, courtesy of a microwave link across the North Sea. In bad weather, the signal was iffy but most times we had good reception, and we got to watch shows like this. UK TV had a lot to offer back then. The MST3K crew did a bit with a robot modeled after the ones in Blake's 7... most people think it's the Daleks, but those who watched this show know better.
I see Paul Darrow as 'Space Snape', and that is the highest praise I can bestow upon a ma in a science fiction series. I used to run round the garden with my mum's curling tongs pretending I was Avon... I was 28 years of age. 😉👍🇬🇧
I have to disagree. Snape follows the tried and true pattern of a character who turns out to be better then everybody thought. Avon turns out to be worse than you thought. And while that makes him pretty unusual I suspect that it is usually not copied because many people don't appreciate that kind of thing (I know I don't). When the truth about Snape came out, I remember telling a friend with whom I was discussing Blake's 7 online at the time" Now I have Snape envy."
This series was all part of Terry Nation's brilliance. If you haven't seen the original survivers series( early 70s , not the crappy cheap half hearted effort some time later ) you are missing a treat. Terry nation was a genius 👍👍
Dodgy plots and special effects aside, it was the characters and their interactions that made Blakes 7 so damn good. Also, the Liberator was the coolest ship ever to jerkily fly through a TV studio. Season D was more consistent than its predecessors, but I missed the Liberator.
B7 was absolutely essential viewing when I was a kid, and this brings back so many wonderful memories of a happier carefree time. In 05 I had to drop off my young cousin to her drama coach , who was non other than Jan Chappell ( Cally) I was completely starstruck.
I was and am a huge fan of Blake's 7. I especially love the characterisation of the series which was a nice change from lots of special effects but little real story. I especially loved Paul Darrow as Avon and he is a classic character and legend.
That last episode, ‘Blake’…. ( I was 17 ) Broke my heart and completely traumatised me. But what inspired me later was Paul Darrow’s Avon, he died (?) smiling and on his feet!
I videoed these back in the day. I missed some of the early ones. After Blake left it was better. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, from another Aussie.
You beauty! Loved as a kid. My best friend growing ups mum was a super fan of this and belonged to the fan club and used to get signed vids of it, i think she really fancied Paul Darrow
Now, when I watched the whole show, I was amzed by the props; so much so that I realized that they would all make fantastic installations. I just imagined they were clever, retro art installations & got so many ideas from it. The creativity in these episodes shines through in a way that slicker productions often forget.
A great synopsis. Witty, funny, punny, love the editing, that must of taken ages, Grange Hill music and all with a dry Australian commentary. I absolutely love it. Brilliant.
A terrific overview of a totally unique series. I'm currently re-watching the entire series after a good few years away from it and it's still addictive viewing. Astonishing that they managed to create such an enduring series with so few resources yet the casting and some of the design aesthetics verge on pure brilliance not to mention how tightly plotted most of the episodes are. The BBC had such a big and influential hit on their hands and the tragedy is that they never realised it at the time.
"Well hooray for you"...a tremendous account of The BEST show ever!!! Blake's 7 proves that snappy dialog, great characters & quality acting stand the test of time :)
What a show and I remember watching it as a kid when it came out. I met Gareth Thomas about 20 years ago and he was a really nice guy. He does get every scene stolen though by Paul Darrow who is hammy and wonderful in equal measure. The star, literally, of the show was Servalan wonderfully played by the late, great Jacqueline Pearce..... "MAXIMUM POWER"
I binged this show back when UA-cam was a lot less diligent about copyright and it remains one of my favorites specifically because of the wobbliness of the sets, and FX, and scripts, and acting... But this is also my favorite era of Doctor Who so it makes sense I'd be fond of it.
I rewatched this recently..for the first time since a kid! Even better than I remembered! Classic British sci fi! Along with what I remember at the time…dr who, sapphire & steel, the tripods, the prisoner,flip side of Dominic Hyde…..we had loads of great sci fi on British tv back then! 🤯🤯🤯😂🤯😎😎😎😎👍👍👍👍
First caught Blake's 7 as a teenager in high school in northern California (KTEH 54, a PBS station that also played Red Dwarf, Dr. Who, The Prisoner, and more). Fell in love with it then and I continue to soak up every B7 podcast (always love when there's a young, first-time viewer among the hosts), and a lot of Big Finish's audio. Favorite episodes include, among tons of others: Gambit, Gold, Trial, and Powerplay (Gun Sarr will live!)
The BBC back then had a dim view of the future. Blake's 7 was a counterpoint to Star Trek's optimism. Seeing the future as a dystopian hellscape. If you like B7, you could try to see 'The Survivor's ', a story of a post killer pandemic world. Another interesting view would be 'Doomwatch', the effect of new technologies upon society. The 1st was an organism that had been created to eat plastic which subsequently gets free. Dark stuff.
I found it quite frightening as a small child. In a different way to Doctor Who (the show that was famous for frightening small children), it was more a sense of unease that it engendered in me than hiding behind the sofa from the scary monsters. I loved it, though. Jacqueline Pearce and Paul Darrow were absolute bloody legends.
Back in the day when my local PBS station regularly broadcast the classic Dr. Who series on late Saturday afternoons, it was also paired with Blake's 7. Forgot if it was shown before or after Dr. Who. An enjoyable time period in retrospect.
I watches this recently on my dad's old recorded from TV VHS collection. It was great fun. There was even a news update before one episode about the Falklans invasion.
I think I owe you a few pitchers of beer, this is like a conversation about favourite shows over a course of friday night drinking and edited out for the laughs. Thank you what a trip
I was six when this was on tv and I loved it. I decided one of my classmates was going to be Servalan when I made my own version of the show, and I remember making a transporter bracelet out of paper and coloured in with felt-tips.
How have I not seen this? For whatever reason, this, UFO, and Jason of Star Command flew under my radar... and I love space opera! It's probably my favorite genre.
Loved it when Aunty aired it in the early '80s. Can and do forgive all its flaws while re-watching. Also loved Battle of the Planets. No forgiveness for its flaws.
I was 12 when I watched the final episode. I was watching without the lights on. The screen went black. I heard the shots. And then the announcer said "This has been the final episode of Blake's 7". And there was I was, sitting in the dark realising my favourite show of all time was over.
Much like classic Doctor Who, Blake's 7 lived on in audio adventures with BigFinish. I'm slowly getting my hands on them, and it's great to hear from them again! Also, there's a hella obscure audio series by Chris Boucher called Kaldor City that crosses over Doctor Who and Blake's 7 characters. It's very hard to find, but well worth it!
Thanks so much for finally covering it. I watched all episodes over the course of 3 months. I only finished it a few weeks ago. You did a stupendous breakdown and it is a series that often was far better written than many shows that had superior budgets. It's begging to be remade. Bravo sir! 😊
Got to say, I'm about halfway through and I am impressed with this overview. Very well put together. Yes, Chris Boucher was an excellent dialogue writer, his work really popped.
Ah yes, I remember watching the very first episode on a dark, cold, winter's teatime in 1978 - about 5 or 6pm. I was 7, and I was eating stew. I'd seen Star Wars, and I knew it wasn't as visually sophistimocated as that, and a lot of it went over my head. Nevertheless, I was transfixed. Before it had been some kid's TV standard fayre like Cheggars Plays Pop, or Supersonic (a kids' Top of the Pops), and after, probably some weird, LSD-inspired animation (Ivor the Engine, or Ludwig, as was the norm in the 70s). Blake's 7 always stuck with me - there's something very special about it indeed.
Thank you for this wonderful overview of my favourite show. Lovely to hear an Aussie voice hosting the TV Special! Friday nights with Blakes 7 on ABC were a delight.
Oh boy, an hour long Stam Fine review of Blakes 7, you are spoiling us! You mentioned Star Maidens - I've recently finished watching the complete series via yt and would love a SF review if you ever need to really scrape the bottom of the barrel. I think you would have a lot of fun with it.
There was a constant sense of mystery. Even though the special effects were laughable, the storyline and plot development were great. This is still one of my favourite shows even now. It's a shame it was cancelled so soon, leaving a cliffhanger ending to the fourth season that left me devasted as a child as I watched my favourite show end so abruptly.
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Great Show. My first contact with Science Fiction. It was realy impresive for me as a Kid.
As a kid, the episode when Kerr Avon just ignored that he sacrificed a character to save the ship sold me this show forever. As an American it was hard to get the episodes, and finally got help from one of my British friends. Shows like this are proof that if you just use your imagination to fill in the flaws in the special effects (and the limits of the budget) then great things can happen.
Indeed - special/visual effects should/must be a PART of the story, not the story itself.
"Who"?
Absolutely!
As an 8 year old when this came out, I don't recall the special effects being poor. I loved the ship and especially the deck - those chairs are iconic.
Stardrive was the episode.
I will never criticize a television show or film for having an imagination that exceeds its budget. When the reverse happens, that's when you get Transformers movies. I grew up with Blake's 7, a show I'm still a fan of to this day (I buy all the Big |Finish cd's and books!) and regularly watch my DVD's of the show. Some of the best characters ever created for a sci-fi show
That's not the problem with the show. It's the direction, cinematography and acting. All of which don't require a big budget. This show is just $hlt
@@DeviantDork strangely enough, not much of what you say works,especially the last bit are you below 35 yrs and lack imagination ,probably
The finale, the massacre, was probably the best and most upsetting thing I've ever seen as a kid watching this show. I loved B7, amazing. Thanks for this very thorough dose of nostalgia. A word though, on Orac, Zen and Slave, possibly the best sci-fi computers ever on screen. Zens voice, so composed, Slave so whimpering and pessimistic and Orac, the most delightfully sarcastic computer ever seen. Just brilliant.
It really shows the skill of the writers and voice actor when the three computers in the show are all brilliant characters with Orac tending to have some of the best lines.
Has any other TV show had all of the main characters massacred in the finale ?
Peter Tuddenham is quite memorable as the voices of Zen, Orac and Slave.
They were all voiced by Peter Tuddenham too.
I hated the finale, as a kid, took my favourite show off the air. I wanted them to win
Paul Darrow. He literally stole the show. Legend.
Paul Darrow's Avon is like James Woods' Alan Rickman.
💯
I'd put Michael Keating as Vila up there as well but Darrow definitely loved to chew the scenery and makes scenes his own.
and Villa thought he was the master thief
@@petergivenbless900 comment of the year so far.
I watched this show from episode one when I was 8 yrs old. As an 8 yr old I thought Gan was the most interesting character. A great guy unless his limiter packed up.Then he would go berserk. They never explored that. Later in life, through a bizarre work situation for us both, I met Gareth Thomas and we became close friends. A lovely man. His humility and gratitude to the fans of the show was totally sincere. He was always genuinely delighted and courteous when stopped or approached. He was a superb actor and a marvellous friend. I miss him.
My first sci fi. The liberator was such a cool ship. Thanks for all the memories Stam Fine.
That's a debatable, lol. Over ten years after Star Trek and during the era of Star Wars and it still looks terrible in comparison.
Been dying for a Blake's 7 blu-ray release. This show deserves some love!
You must be as excited as me right now! Just over 5 weeks to go!
I remember going to a country wedding in the late 70s. The reception was held in a country hall. The groom brought a portable TV - so that those of us who were addicted to Blakes 7 wouldn't miss that night's episode.
Nothing like it!
But was the bride a fan?
@@SesameR7sh yes! As far as I know they're still together.
It's always a treat to return to the wonderfully intelligent and witty dialogue and acting of B7, especially in the first series.
There was so much dialogue in what was sold as an action-adventure series because writing a static scene was the cheapest way to fill screen time. It resulted in a few howlers and some overblown exchanges, but also some real gems.
I don’t know who you are, but always up for a chat about sci-fi. Blake’s 7. A Sci fi series developed by the BBC back in 1981.
You may/probably already no that. But regardless, a wonderful sci-fi series. There is nothing like getting back to the originals.
It's Friday, I'm working from home and an hours worth of Blake's 7, from StamFine?? Woo-hoo! Life's good! Thank you!!!
OH! The memories of staying up late on a Saturday night watching Dr. Who, Reddawrf and Blake's 7. It's amazing what some people could do with pocket change and what coins they managed to dig out of the couch cushions.
LULZ! Ah, Production Values, how I love your penny pinching ways.
same!
Funny that because it was shown on a Monday night at 7.05pm.
@@Jasonm25870 In the states, it was shown in reruns in the 1980s/1990s on PBS. Usually late Saturday nights along with other older Brit shows. It could vary depending on location of course.
@@wacmack Yes, PBS was one of only four stations I could get using the rabbit ear antenna that came with the first TV i bought for my bedroom when I was in high school.
The Liberator was one of "the" coolest ships ever designed. The flight deck was a pure work of art, and if they ever reboot the series, that flight deck set simply "has" to be rebuilt. No questions asked.
Yes I agree. But apparently the ship set was a nightmare to work with which is why they got rid of it.
Disagree, wholeheartedly.
@@DeviantDork Elaborate please?
They look like syringes at the front
Thank you! I watched this as a kid and it remains one of the great sci-fi shows of all time. " Have you betrayed us? Have you betrayed me? "
was it blake or a clone
@@richarddennis3793 I think it was the real Blake
Loved this as a 6 year old. Watched it again as a 46 year old and loved it even more. I'm quite tempted to watch it again.
Blake seven is perhaps my favorite sci fi opera. Kerr Avon is such a great anti hero, and Servalan is, in my opinion, the best villain ever written.
I agree and loved Avon. Apparently Servalan (Jaqueline Pierce) was only meant to appear in 1/2 episodes but she was such a hit they kept her on. She was wonderful in the part too.
I love Avon's face. He looked so sharp and fierce and calculating and scheming. He looked like a master Shakespearean actor.
I met Thomas twice at conventions and the first time me and my mate even had a pint with him. Brilliant man, a true fan's actor who was so gracious and so funny. I also saw Darrow and Thomas together on stage doing Q+A in 2004 which was magical. I never spoke personally with Darrow but got a few minutes with Thomas again. Truly amazing both of them.
My mother used to see Thomas around Stratford-upon-Avon while she was doing the grocery shopping.
@@iallso1
My sister served him on more than one occasion at Tesco in Horsham, not long before he passed on.
@@johnnodge4327 just regular people going about their daily lives.
One of my favourite series ever
Blake’s 7 had some of the most impressive female characters ever seen in the sci-fi universe. Especially Servalan.
Regardless of the quality of the effects, this is one of the very best sci-fi shows of all time. Period, or as the Brits say, Full-Stop
I’ve always praised Blake’s 7 for not depending on the wake of Star Wars effects for its space age adventures.
I was a huge fan of Star Trek the original series and B7 was the only series which partly filled the gap for me.
Just watched all 4 seasons again...loved it when I was a kid
It's a surprisingly cohesive and logical story when you watch it in one(ish) go, (rather than 1 episode a week). Particularly the last half dozen episodes, you can feel the build up to the reveal that Avon knew where Blake was all the time.
Re-watched it on DVD for nostalgia purposes three decades after enjoying it as a teenager and, oh boy, is it cheap, camp and unintentionally amusing. But it's fun too.
My favortis all time sf serie. Every year on vacation i watch the complete series again.. Never get bored.
When I discovered it on YT I watched the whole series again back to back and fell in love with it all over again. Marvellous show. I still keep watching it now.
I'm old enough to remember when it was first aired. It was one of those shows that you watched with your parents. There was enough to keep both kids and adults glued to the screen. I even had one of the little toy "Liberator" spaceships. I've since lost it but I expect boxed versions are pretty valuable now. I love that this show hasn't been forgotten in the mists of time and continues to gain new fans. A cult classic indeed.
I can still remember the whole family sitting down to watch the first episode of B7 in 1978, after thet we were all hooked.
I bought the DVD boxset a few years ago and it still stands the test of time. 👍
What really struck me about the show was the sense everyone was expendable. Anybody could be eliminated with or without a good reason, even the guy the series was named for! Perhaps the Liberator was the actual main character of the series. After it got toasted Blakes 7 felt like a completely different series.
Yup. The bleak and brutal nature of it makes GOT look like kids TV. The episode where Avon is doing his best to hunt down and murder Vila for entirely practical reasons and its entirely believeable that it could happen was just epic.
none of you understand it because your not welsh.
B7 is just state propaganda.
free west papua
Well done on putting this together. As a 12 year old at the time I was gutted by the ending. I rewatched all 4 seasons a few years back and I surprised myself with how edgy I felt throughout the last episode knowing what was coming. Great show.
I have met nearly all the cast. This is my all time favourite series. Got very drunk with Gareth Thomas back in 2004. Smoked something pretty good with Jacqueline Pearce (sadly she was in cancer remission at the time). Have all the DVD’s and most signed by the cast.
That's awesome!!
Really ? Well, what about the "well man" Paul Darrow ? All RIP.
I was at a Fan Con where Gareth Thomas as the headline guest. This was probably 8 years ago the show had ended in the UK and was just really catching on in the US. Mr. Thomas was drunk as a skunk and when I came up in the line for the autograph he grabbed me and put me on his lap (I was 24 years old, and this was well before things like that were frowned upon. He didn't do anything else - and it was only for a minute. But it is one of my fondness moments.
When I was about 14, I met Gareth and Paul at a convention. I said what an honour it was to be in the presence of a true legend! G said why thank you, I said no I was talking to Darrow you old fart. Both adorable chaps, and if you see them doing Q and A together, it’s priceless - such lovely gents.
The music sound effects are another major aspect of what made this show so incredible, sounds and voice coming from Zen and Orac are pure dopamine hits.
Too many legends gone too soon. I was all Doctor Who in my childhood. I came to Blake’s 7 late in the 90’s when BBC2 repeated it. I fell in love with it. So many Doctor Who connections. I even enjoyed Timelash. Once you realise Paul Darrow is playing Richard the Third and get over the fact that a lot of the special effects look like Christmas decorations, it becomes a classic. Down and safe ❤️
Imagine Netflix producing a modern version of this show. Imagine trying to find a Paul Darrow of today, maybe Tom Hardy could pull it off. But the problem is if you tinker with the chemistry of the characters the show will flop. It was basically Robin Hood in space and the excellent writing of the series hid lots of 'cheese TV' aspects the show had.
There's a lot of seventies sci-fi shows that deserve a remake but, by the last tries I saw, We have no more good scriptwriters, only good FX nowadays.
It's already been remade, it's called THE EXPANSE the similarities are uncanny.
I'd never want a remake but I've always wanted a continuation with a new cast (given the age of the originals, even when more were still alive). Before he died, I thought having Paul Darrow bridge the gap between the original show and a next generation of rebels would have worked well. Maybe the "new Servalan" could be the original's daughter... with Avon as her dad? :)
@@philipocallaghan Personally, I'd say the recent Star Wars Andor has a lot more in common with B7 (tone, especially) but the closest show to B7's spirit of "bunch of not-quite-heroes thrown together" was Farscape.
I think writers today are stuck in an edge lord rut . Everything is gritty and hopeless . I would like to see a better effects budget but doubt producers and writers get what made this show special and would make high gloss but still pale imitation
Thank you, Stam Fine, for highlighting this amazing show, Blake's 7. In the 1990's, television station KBTC - Tacoma, Washington, made Saturday night special beginning with Blackadder at 7pm, followed by Doctor Who, Star Cops and Blake's 7. The evening would round out with a sci-fi movie - usually cheesy! Then the entire evening's broadcast schedule would repeat, well into the wee hours of Sunday morning, including the cheesy movie. Somehow Blake's 7 always seemed better the second time around. Late-night really suited the show.
all amazing shows - i f-g LOVED star cops!
That’s one brilliant line-up!
I was really pissed off that Star Cops didn’t get a second season.
Amazing work Stam Fine. You always manage to give your subject's the appropriate level of time and attention. This was a lightening fast hour. You provided a whistle-stop tour of 52 hours of sci-fi whilst still affording due credit to the myriad elements that contribute to making such a show.
A firm favourite of mine and what I personally regard as Terry Nation's greatest gift to sci-fi. Even if, like his other notable contribution to the genre, it owed a great deal to those who realised it for a TV audience.
What you said. When Stam cares about a show or movie, his best is even better. I love what this man does for us all.
Jaqueline Pearce as Servalan... just the best!! RIP Jaqueline!
Those cheekbones though.🥴
What a stunner…..
Soolin had one of the most hilarious lines of the show if I can remember right. After Slave says “we have no power and only 10 hours of oxygen left” she responds “oh great, we know that we’ll be bored as well as dead.”
Brilliant! Thanks for this, just pure nostalgia. I, like yourself, hold this show in VERY high regard. I watched it as a kid when it was originally broadcast and agree, it holds up even today, which is a relief.
Again, thanks for this, keep it up. More Blake's 7 content would be most welcome.
One of my favourite series, with the best ending in any fiction, and my absolute favourite character in Avon.
First episode is a great set-up and the series finale is the perfect end point.
I still remember the final episode in December 1981 - it was THAT memorable.
Not quite the perfect Christmas present for a 10 year old!
That final episode! I wish Blake and Avon faced those Federation troops together like Butch and Sundance in the final scene. Only Star Wars Rogue One comes close.
Same here! I was shocked!!!
I was 4, still remember the disbelief as each character got blown away!
@@leefr76 They should have gone down defending a new group of rebels, each one dying heroically, with Blake and Avon left as the last men standing and the Federation troops closing in. The very last scene would have had them emerging, guns blazing. Image freezes, accompanied by weapons fire, fades to black, Butch and Sundance style.
@@leefr76 I remember being excited and sad at the same time!!! I aways wondered if Avon died? and I always wanted to think he got away! let one of them live :) I think Villa was the death that shocked me most! you can't kill Villa!!! :)
Blake's 7 was easily the best show on TV at the time. Avon was the greatest anti-hero .... what an actor. more Kirk that James T Kirk himself
Such wonderful memories, thank you for an amazing summary of the show. One thing though, I cried myself to sleep the night I watched the episode that Gan died so some of us did find the emotion in the show.
This show, along with Doctor Who proved that as long as you have quality writing and good actors well cast, the sets and SFX are never absolutely vital Just convincing enough and try to ensure they don't shake.
I remember first seeing the series probably in the late 80's in reruns. Many years later, I found the series again and watched it in its entirety. I loved the series and overlooked the crappy special effects. I loved the characters. Avon was my favourite. I also liked Villa.
I first saw the show sometime in the mid 80's. Maybe starting in late '84 or into '85. My local PBS station aired an episode Monday through Friday from beginning to end. so 10 weeks plus 2 days and it was done. Just two and a half months as opposed to 4 full years. I loved the show. Best final episode EVER!!!! So many of the stars have passed now. It gets to me watching this and seeing them in their prime. Great vid. I will watch more.
Surprised, frightened and confused me as a child, it was like reading 1984 with no warning. like many of my age it still catches me whenever I see it. thanks for the video. good work sir!
It was pretty cool man
The ending was gut wrenching for a kid, watching just before Christmas.
Well you will be happy to learn after all this time but the final shootout wasn’t bloody due to lack of effects budget, it was deliberately so they could say they were only stun shots in case another series was green lit.
@@skipintroux4444 Except for Gareth Thomas :)
@@warrenrandall6936 oh yes sorry didn’t mean to diminish Blake’s shocking death. In my child’s mind I imagined Avon escaping his predicament!
This show made a big impact on me as a kid. Back then in the Netherlands, we had 8 channels: 2 Dutch ones, 2 German, 2 Belgian ones... and BBC 1 and 2, courtesy of a microwave link across the North Sea. In bad weather, the signal was iffy but most times we had good reception, and we got to watch shows like this. UK TV had a lot to offer back then.
The MST3K crew did a bit with a robot modeled after the ones in Blake's 7... most people think it's the Daleks, but those who watched this show know better.
Yesss!! Me and my sister had a very old tv with a manual dial to find channels and we would often turn it to pick up channels from the Netherlands!!!
I see Paul Darrow as 'Space Snape', and that is the highest praise I can bestow upon a ma in a science fiction series.
I used to run round the garden with my mum's curling tongs pretending I was Avon... I was 28 years of age. 😉👍🇬🇧
I have to disagree. Snape follows the tried and true pattern of a character who turns out to be better then everybody thought. Avon turns out to be worse than you thought. And while that makes him pretty unusual I suspect that it is usually not copied because many people don't appreciate that kind of thing (I know I don't). When the truth about Snape came out, I remember telling a friend with whom I was discussing Blake's 7 online at the time" Now I have Snape envy."
LOVE LOVE LOVE This show. Was so well written and mostly well acted. Paul Darrow was gold in this
This series was all part of Terry Nation's brilliance. If you haven't seen the original survivers series( early 70s , not the crappy cheap half hearted effort some time later ) you are missing a treat. Terry nation was a genius 👍👍
Dodgy plots and special effects aside, it was the characters and their interactions that made Blakes 7 so damn good.
Also, the Liberator was the coolest ship ever to jerkily fly through a TV studio. Season D was more consistent than its predecessors, but I missed the Liberator.
One of my top favourite things of all time. Excellent video dude!
Remember the excitement when this started. Loved it..
Thanks for making this video. Really enjoyed it and it helped satisfy my need for a Blake's 7 fix!
B7 was absolutely essential viewing when I was a kid, and this brings back so many wonderful memories of a happier carefree time. In 05 I had to drop off my young cousin to her drama coach , who was non other than Jan Chappell ( Cally) I was completely starstruck.
one of the best theme intro songs! i used to love seeing this with my dad a long time ago...
I watch this yearly or at least every other year
I was and am a huge fan of Blake's 7. I especially love the characterisation of the series which was a nice change from lots of special effects but little real story. I especially loved Paul Darrow as Avon and he is a classic character and legend.
That last episode, ‘Blake’…. ( I was 17 ) Broke my heart and completely traumatised me. But what inspired me later was Paul Darrow’s Avon, he died (?) smiling and on his feet!
I videoed these back in the day. I missed some of the early ones. After Blake left it was better. Thanks for the trip down memory lane, from another Aussie.
You beauty! Loved as a kid. My best friend growing ups mum was a super fan of this and belonged to the fan club and used to get signed vids of it, i think she really fancied Paul Darrow
Now, when I watched the whole show, I was amzed by the props; so much so that I realized that they would all make fantastic installations. I just imagined they were clever, retro art installations & got so many ideas from it. The creativity in these episodes shines through in a way that slicker productions often forget.
A great synopsis. Witty, funny, punny, love the editing, that must of taken ages, Grange Hill music and all with a dry Australian commentary. I absolutely love it. Brilliant.
The music and atmosphere were the real star. Especially the atmosphere
A terrific overview of a totally unique series. I'm currently re-watching the entire series after a good few years away from it and it's still addictive viewing. Astonishing that they managed to create such an enduring series with so few resources yet the casting and some of the design aesthetics verge on pure brilliance not to mention how tightly plotted most of the episodes are. The BBC had such a big and influential hit on their hands and the tragedy is that they never realised it at the time.
Paul Darrow reminded me of Robert Vaughn.
I remember matchbox made a Liberator model which i proudly owned untill i lost it.
"Well hooray for you"...a tremendous account of The BEST show ever!!!
Blake's 7 proves that snappy dialog, great characters & quality acting stand the test of time :)
As an a American who ran across this show at the age of 15, 16. Loved it from jump. Been watching BBC since the age of 10 I'm 51 now
I really loved the intro to these series. Very nostalgic. Brings back childhood memories.
What a show and I remember watching it as a kid when it came out. I met Gareth Thomas about 20 years ago and he was a really nice guy. He does get every scene stolen though by Paul Darrow who is hammy and wonderful in equal measure. The star, literally, of the show was Servalan wonderfully played by the late, great Jacqueline Pearce..... "MAXIMUM POWER"
I still enjoy watching it on my laptop brings back my childhood when it came out.
I binged this show back when UA-cam was a lot less diligent about copyright and it remains one of my favorites specifically because of the wobbliness of the sets, and FX, and scripts, and acting... But this is also my favorite era of Doctor Who so it makes sense I'd be fond of it.
As I watched it as a 7 year old in the 70's , it was top tier , the characters and the universe is much better than most today
I rewatched this recently..for the first time since a kid! Even better than I remembered! Classic British sci fi! Along with what I remember at the time…dr who, sapphire & steel, the tripods, the prisoner,flip side of Dominic Hyde…..we had loads of great sci fi on British tv back then! 🤯🤯🤯😂🤯😎😎😎😎👍👍👍👍
Thanks for this my god I loved this when it came out lol how many years ago 😢
First caught Blake's 7 as a teenager in high school in northern California (KTEH 54, a PBS station that also played Red Dwarf, Dr. Who, The Prisoner, and more). Fell in love with it then and I continue to soak up every B7 podcast (always love when there's a young, first-time viewer among the hosts), and a lot of Big Finish's audio.
Favorite episodes include, among tons of others: Gambit, Gold, Trial, and Powerplay (Gun Sarr will live!)
The BBC back then had a dim view of the future. Blake's 7 was a counterpoint to Star Trek's optimism. Seeing the future as a dystopian hellscape. If you like B7, you could try to see 'The Survivor's ', a story of a post killer pandemic world. Another interesting view would be 'Doomwatch', the effect of new technologies upon society. The 1st was an organism that had been created to eat plastic which subsequently gets free. Dark stuff.
@@gailtunnah8796 I caught some of Survivors on KTEH back then too! :)
Witty content ! I really enjoyed this retrospective , good work !
I found it quite frightening as a small child. In a different way to Doctor Who (the show that was famous for frightening small children), it was more a sense of unease that it engendered in me than hiding behind the sofa from the scary monsters. I loved it, though. Jacqueline Pearce and Paul Darrow were absolute bloody legends.
Back in the day when my local PBS station regularly broadcast the classic Dr. Who series on late Saturday afternoons, it was also paired with Blake's 7. Forgot if it was shown before or after Dr. Who. An enjoyable time period in retrospect.
I watches this recently on my dad's old recorded from TV VHS collection. It was great fun. There was even a news update before one episode about the Falklans invasion.
I think I owe you a few pitchers of beer, this is like a conversation about favourite shows over a course of friday night drinking and edited out for the laughs. Thank you what a trip
I was six when this was on tv and I loved it. I decided one of my classmates was going to be Servalan when I made my own version of the show, and I remember making a transporter bracelet out of paper and coloured in with felt-tips.
How have I not seen this? For whatever reason, this, UFO, and Jason of Star Command flew under my radar... and I love space opera! It's probably my favorite genre.
Loved it when Aunty aired it in the early '80s. Can and do forgive all its flaws while re-watching. Also loved Battle of the Planets. No forgiveness for its flaws.
Battle of the Planets was censored outside of Japan, they thought it was too violent and so to make up for the lost footage they inserted KeyOp.
@@6581punk Yes, I know ergo changes nothing. And the major insert was 7 Zark 7, KeyOp was the redub of an original Gatchaman character.
I was 12 when I watched the final episode. I was watching without the lights on. The screen went black. I heard the shots. And then the announcer said "This has been the final episode of Blake's 7". And there was I was, sitting in the dark realising my favourite show of all time was over.
I remember exactly the same feeling. The empty feeling as you realise the world isn't as nice or happy as you assumed.
Much like classic Doctor Who, Blake's 7 lived on in audio adventures with BigFinish. I'm slowly getting my hands on them, and it's great to hear from them again!
Also, there's a hella obscure audio series by Chris Boucher called Kaldor City that crosses over Doctor Who and Blake's 7 characters. It's very hard to find, but well worth it!
I adore the cliffhanger at the end of season 2. It’s tremendous, and I’m glad I didn’t have to wait months.
Thanks so much for finally covering it. I watched all episodes over the course of 3 months. I only finished it a few weeks ago. You did a stupendous breakdown and it is a series that often was far better written than many shows that had superior budgets. It's begging to be remade. Bravo sir! 😊
Got to say, I'm about halfway through and I am impressed with this overview. Very well put together.
Yes, Chris Boucher was an excellent dialogue writer, his work really popped.
Excellent review - thanks
That was fun. Your overview manages to be simultaneously acerbic yet nostalgic and may be better writing than most Blake 7 scripts.
Ah yes, I remember watching the very first episode on a dark, cold, winter's teatime in 1978 - about 5 or 6pm. I was 7, and I was eating stew. I'd seen Star Wars, and I knew it wasn't as visually sophistimocated as that, and a lot of it went over my head. Nevertheless, I was transfixed. Before it had been some kid's TV standard fayre like Cheggars Plays Pop, or Supersonic (a kids' Top of the Pops), and after, probably some weird, LSD-inspired animation (Ivor the Engine, or Ludwig, as was the norm in the 70s). Blake's 7 always stuck with me - there's something very special about it indeed.
Huh…pretty much the same here.
Thank you for this wonderful overview of my favourite show. Lovely to hear an Aussie voice hosting the TV Special! Friday nights with Blakes 7 on ABC were a delight.
Oh boy, an hour long Stam Fine review of Blakes 7, you are spoiling us! You mentioned Star Maidens - I've recently finished watching the complete series via yt and would love a SF review if you ever need to really scrape the bottom of the barrel. I think you would have a lot of fun with it.
Plus the magical William Hartnell with the brilliant quote "Magic Mavic Chen" ❤
I was a little boy, and Servelan was the first woman to make me feel funny 🔥
I think that you might be able to tell from my UA-cam name who did that for me 😊
Jenna was hot stuff.
Kind of dominant vibes might have made you masochistic?
@@rachelar Without a doubt 😳
There was a constant sense of mystery. Even though the special effects were laughable, the storyline and plot development were great. This is still one of my favourite shows even now. It's a shame it was cancelled so soon, leaving a cliffhanger ending to the fourth season that left me devasted as a child as I watched my favourite show end so abruptly.
blake 7 was made for kids on a shoestring budget. but had killer scripts and good actors. result a classic much loved tv program.
buying two full-price tickets. One for you and another for your mobile device. You just made my day. Tech has truly caught up with '70's Sci-Fi.
Still love it and those actresses were all mega glamorous.
I was obsessed with this show as a kid. I loved it and have watched it over and over
Thank you for this video, it was a kind of catharsis seeing someone who loves this show as much as I do
Yes