Has to be Avon - in a fan poll at the start of Season 4, he got best loved character and also just lost out to Servalan as most hated character. A masterclass in acting from Paul Darrow, he was the ultimate pragmatist and anti hero
Favorite character? When Blakes 7 was first shown in the UK, I was in the throes of testosterone fueled puberty and always hoped Servalan would beam down to my bedroom and oppress me with her ruthless tyranny. Of course I've now grown out of such silly adolescent fantasies (Yeah right..of course... sure)
Not sure why you have the full names of Doctor Who companions and not Liberator crew. For the record, the full names you missed are: Roj Blake, Kerr Avon, Vila Restal, Oleg Gan, Jenna Stannis, Dayna Mellanby, and Del Tarrant. (And to answer your question, Vila is my favourite) (..also yes I did that from memory. *is a sad sad nerd*)
I don't know if you were informed of this, or in your research came across it... 'Blake's 7' was also an inspiration for Joe Straczynski and 'Babylon 5'. Joe said so a few times. I've been wanting to get into the show, but as yet not able to. Thanks. You guys are awesome!
Patrick Stewart appeared in an early episode of Blakes 7... as a federation officer no less. I have it on VHS some where (would dig it out to give a reference but it will be 'stored' under a pile of boxes under the stairs, and I simply can't be arsed looking for it lol).
I loved the back and forth between the characters, the dialogue was sooo good, esp Avons insults lol I remember eagerly waiting for this every monday night back in 1978
I'm 95% sure he did I watched it over when I saw it and was taken by the thought of Picard in B7 (it's why it stuck in my brain). I didn't check credits at end but it wouldn't surprise me if he was uncredited as a lot of those Shakespearean actors looked down on TV back in them days... besides I gain nothing by lying, I am not into giving disinformation, maybe I am simply mistaken.
Congratulations on your memory - although you missed Cally (who was my favourite). Also,wasn't it Gan's wife who was killed (not his girlfriend)? Looking forward to the remake - it will be interesting to see how they treat the terrorism stuff given the political climate in the US.
Fav was Avon, though back in the day I loved Blake (I was to young to appreciate how well Paul Darrow played Avon at that time). Villa was great as well and had some wonderful moments with Avon when they would play off each other. And of course Jacqueline Pearce as Servalan was a great character. What Blakes 7 lacked in special effects (though back in '78 they didn't seem that bad to be honest) it made up for in great stories, scripting and characters.. not sure I'll like a remake though.
With respect, I think youre mistaken about Patrick Stewart in B7, unless he was a federation guard and masked for the whole episode. Wikipedia makes no mention of it (not 100% infallible itself I know). The idea does intrigue me though. Do you know the title of the episode you think he appeared in? U sure youre not thinking of bald Brit actor John Hollis - he appeared in the second episode of season 3 of B7 and also appeared in Hollywood sci-fi such as Flash Gordon and Superman II.
I love Avon. I bought Paul Darrow's book about him. It wasn't great.... Jacqueline , the incredible lady who played Servalan, last reported that she's fighting cancer. That was quite some time ago and I worry about her.
Our series is called "Geek Crash Course," not "Geek we skip over important details in a show with Crash Course in the title." There is a blanket spoiler warning for the entire show.
Hmm.. Listen... I don't mean to be nitpicky.. I feel that I should say something here because what you said near the end didn't fit the glass slipper.... I just want to say I agree the show inspired Firefly & Farscape, but honestly Blake's 7 did not inspire BSG & DS9. I'm not sure where you got the reference from, but I don't believe it really influence them. It's just coincidental. Also, the other sci-fi space series that B7 heavily influenced was Gene Rodenberry's Andromeda.
"The general opinion is the show got continuously better as it went"Sorry, what?! Is there anybody who thinks the final season was the best? I doubt it. One great episode , the cheap as chips looking but utterly brilliant Orbit, and the final scene of Blake which is undoubtedly the best remembered scene in B7 (not the best episode though) and not a lot else in that season. Season 2 was the best.
That' not why Avon joins the crew. He isnt promised Liberator...that's something that comes up later and as the other crew members say, why should they agree to that? Avon joins because he has nowhere else to go. And because of very complicated stuff regarding Blake. Also, all the shots were from the series C and D. It matters because when Avon beca e leader, he started dressing in leather and going nuts. Also, it doesnt get better as it goes on. Its a brilliant show but due to budget constraints, its patchy. So you have fabulous episodes like Spacefall and Killer in the 1st part, and Powerplay, Rumours of Death and Blake in the second, post-Blake era. And you have really terrible episodes like The Web, Moloch, Animals and the Harvest Of Kairos. And series 4: the 1st six episodes are pretty terrible and then suddenly it becomes awesome, so you cant believe its nearly over! A big problem is the brilliantly gritty premise stared getting taken over by stupid camp fantasy, including monsters, when the real glory of B7 is the friction between the characters...why it couldnt all have been like Spacefall and Blake, I dont know. "Blake' was a complete return to the finest form. It would be great to see all the good episodes remade; a better narrative arc and some linking narrative too. But who could be Avon? Not Benedict Cumberbatch, he isnt pretty enough.
Yay Blake fans represent! Avon. Definitely. As sharp a wit as he was a shot. Fun fact: Darrow (Avon) is involved in a Who spinoff radio series called Minster of Chance ua-cam.com/video/l7KwmrKQXlQ/v-deo.html. It's absolutely fabulous if you get a chance to listen to it.
Bouchet? No, Boucher is pronounced 'Bow-cher'. A ships 'bow', then 'ch' like church, then er, as in 'er'. Yes, so, practice slowly, and I'm sure your course will benefit immensely.
Deep Space Nine was a rip off of Babylon 5 after the producers were shown an early script of B5 but turned it down. Blake’s 7 borrowed from Star Trek and Star Trek TNG borrowed from Blake’s 7 on several occasions.
OK we need to correct the pronunciation of a couple of names. The script editor was Chris Boucher, which you pronounced "Boo-shay". He's not French! It's pronounced "Bow-cha". As for the voice of the computers, Peter Tuddenham, you pronounced it the cringeworthy "Tudd-en-ham". Ha ha! Only Americans would do that! It's a very English name, pronounced "Tuddn-hm" (not "ham"). :-)
Maximum power to Servalan ; undoubtedly the sexiest officer under whom one could ever hope to serve, and still giving many people the horn 'til this day. One sees a few ladies who have been "poured" into their dresses, right? Well, Jacqueline Pearce is one of those very few who really carry it off/get you going/get it and/or you off get your kit off please please ooh blimey jesus Jacuqi...
Besides Dr. Who, Blake's 7 and Red Dwarf were my science fiction fix for several years. Many great memories from those days.
I always liked villa the only one to appear in all 52 episodes of the show
Has to be Avon - in a fan poll at the start of Season 4, he got best loved character and also just lost out to Servalan as most hated character. A masterclass in acting from Paul Darrow, he was the ultimate pragmatist and anti hero
Servalan the arch enemy and regular villain is the best character ever
Favorite character? When Blakes 7 was first shown in the UK, I was in the throes of testosterone fueled puberty and always hoped Servalan would beam down to my bedroom and oppress me with her ruthless tyranny. Of course I've now grown out of such silly adolescent fantasies (Yeah right..of course... sure)
Not sure why you have the full names of Doctor Who companions and not Liberator crew. For the record, the full names you missed are: Roj Blake, Kerr Avon, Vila Restal, Oleg Gan, Jenna Stannis, Dayna Mellanby, and Del Tarrant. (And to answer your question, Vila is my favourite) (..also yes I did that from memory. *is a sad sad nerd*)
Avon was deffo the best character, I never stopped thinking that any moment he would stab the rest of them in the back.
I don't know if you were informed of this, or in your research came across it... 'Blake's 7' was also an inspiration for Joe Straczynski and 'Babylon 5'. Joe said so a few times. I've been wanting to get into the show, but as yet not able to. Thanks. You guys are awesome!
Avon or Blake would be my favourite did you know Paul Darrow has written a novel for Blakes 7 picking up Avons story after the final episode
My favorite chaacter is Avon. In fact, we live on Avon Terrace in our town.
I like Avon.
Bleak version of star trek.
I wonder if that's what a dead space TV show would be like...
Patrick Stewart appeared in an early episode of Blakes 7... as a federation officer no less. I have it on VHS some where (would dig it out to give a reference but it will be 'stored' under a pile of boxes under the stairs, and I simply can't be arsed looking for it lol).
I loved the back and forth between the characters, the dialogue was sooo good, esp Avons insults lol I remember eagerly waiting for this every monday night back in 1978
Blake's Seven was ace in billions of ways
Look up "SyFy" and "Blake's 7" in a Google search. Short version: a reboot pilot is being developed. -Michael
We're actually acquainted with the team behind Minister of Chance and are big fans of their work.
Avon
lol @3:19 thanks for that finger play by play xD. if it wasn't for that i wouldn't have been able to keep up!
Michael did you forget to install the paradox function in the spare?
Avon is my favorite character :)
Thank you for a great intro to one of my favorite shows.
I like that there's dark villain named, Travis. :D
Best character was Servelan
I'm 95% sure he did I watched it over when I saw it and was taken by the thought of Picard in B7 (it's why it stuck in my brain). I didn't check credits at end but it wouldn't surprise me if he was uncredited as a lot of those Shakespearean actors looked down on TV back in them days... besides I gain nothing by lying, I am not into giving disinformation, maybe I am simply mistaken.
Congratulations on your memory - although you missed Cally (who was my favourite). Also,wasn't it Gan's wife who was killed (not his girlfriend)? Looking forward to the remake - it will be interesting to see how they treat the terrorism stuff given the political climate in the US.
Avon followed by Servalan.
Or possibly the other way around...but I'd grant that it's debatable.
MAXIMUM POWER!
Great video! Avon is the best. Villa is a close second.
Loved Tarrant too, he was like a young Blake (complete with hair style lol).
Fav was Avon, though back in the day I loved Blake (I was to young to appreciate how well Paul Darrow played Avon at that time). Villa was great as well and had some wonderful moments with Avon when they would play off each other. And of course Jacqueline Pearce as Servalan was a great character. What Blakes 7 lacked in special effects (though back in '78 they didn't seem that bad to be honest) it made up for in great stories, scripting and characters.. not sure I'll like a remake though.
How would we know? Our future-projection machine broke down years ago...
With respect, I think youre mistaken about Patrick Stewart in B7, unless he was a federation guard and masked for the whole episode. Wikipedia makes no mention of it (not 100% infallible itself I know). The idea does intrigue me though. Do you know the title of the episode you think he appeared in? U sure youre not thinking of bald Brit actor John Hollis - he appeared in the second episode of season 3 of B7 and also appeared in Hollywood sci-fi such as Flash Gordon and Superman II.
What happened to it?
avon was my favourite character
Well, we figured that we hadn't died in a while, so why not do it with one of the classics!
The gorgeous and deadly Servalan played by Jacqueline Pearce is my favourite character.
I love Avon. I bought Paul Darrow's book about him. It wasn't great.... Jacqueline , the incredible lady who played Servalan, last reported that she's fighting cancer. That was quite some time ago and I worry about her.
Definitely Vila! But I adore the entire Liberator crew quite a lot, too. =)
Does that mean that SyFy is going to get better?
Cool vid. Avon would be my fav character.
We're givers. We give. -Michael
Don't worry! We die all of the time in this show! -Michael (not-dead)
Good point guys! Comment withdrawn and have subscribed :)
more than just a hint at the end there...
How about a Crash Course on Space:1999
Chris "BOOSHAY"????? its Bow Chur
Diana is my type. Librarianish, slim, pretty and a good girl. Hi Diana !!
Great stuff. But Chris Boucher is prn. Bow-cher.
x
Great video but it does need a spoiler alert!
Our series is called "Geek Crash Course," not "Geek we skip over important details in a show with Crash Course in the title." There is a blanket spoiler warning for the entire show.
Hmm.. Listen... I don't mean to be nitpicky.. I feel that I should say something here because what you said near the end didn't fit the glass slipper.... I just want to say I agree the show inspired Firefly & Farscape, but honestly Blake's 7 did not inspire BSG & DS9. I'm not sure where you got the reference from, but I don't believe it really influence them. It's just coincidental. Also, the other sci-fi space series that B7 heavily influenced was Gene Rodenberry's Andromeda.
Noooo! Michael! Diana! Speak to us!!!
Five humans and two computers
Boucher is pronounced "Bow-cher" Met him in the 80s.
"The general opinion is the show got continuously better as it went"Sorry, what?! Is there anybody who thinks the final season was the best? I doubt it. One great episode , the cheap as chips looking but utterly brilliant Orbit, and the final scene of Blake which is undoubtedly the best remembered scene in B7 (not the best episode though) and not a lot else in that season. Season 2 was the best.
Deep Space Nine is my favorite Star Trek. Coincidence?
out of all. Space .it would Be Zen the.best .watched man
That' not why Avon joins the crew. He isnt promised Liberator...that's something that comes up later and as the other crew members say, why should they agree to that? Avon joins because he has nowhere else to go. And because of very complicated stuff regarding Blake. Also, all the shots were from the series C and D. It matters because when Avon beca e leader, he started dressing in leather and going nuts. Also, it doesnt get better as it goes on. Its a brilliant show but due to budget constraints, its patchy. So you have fabulous episodes like Spacefall and Killer in the 1st part, and Powerplay, Rumours of Death and Blake in the second, post-Blake era. And you have really terrible episodes like The Web, Moloch, Animals and the Harvest Of Kairos.
And series 4: the 1st six episodes are pretty terrible and then suddenly it becomes awesome, so you cant believe its nearly over!
A big problem is the brilliantly gritty premise stared getting taken over by stupid camp fantasy, including monsters, when the real glory of B7 is the friction between the characters...why it couldnt all have been like Spacefall and Blake, I dont know. "Blake' was a complete return to the finest form. It would be great to see all the good episodes remade; a better narrative arc and some linking narrative too. But who could be Avon? Not Benedict Cumberbatch, he isnt pretty enough.
David Tennant might make a good Avon. Eccleston could be Travis.
Would love to know why the Federation was actually so bad. If you weren't a criminal the standard of living seemed pretty good.
Yay Blake fans represent!
Avon. Definitely. As sharp a wit as he was a shot.
Fun fact: Darrow (Avon) is involved in a Who spinoff radio series called Minster of Chance ua-cam.com/video/l7KwmrKQXlQ/v-deo.html. It's absolutely fabulous if you get a chance to listen to it.
We've gotten enough flak about pronouncing Who stuff, so we figured to err on the side of caution for Blakes 7.
5 years on... Hmmm that remake must have been invisible. :(
The Federation removed all memory of it,......
Bouchet? No, Boucher is pronounced 'Bow-cher'. A ships 'bow', then 'ch' like church, then er, as in 'er'. Yes, so, practice slowly, and I'm sure your course will benefit immensely.
It’s pronounced Chris Boucher like Voucher, not Bouchet like Bouquet
Deep Space Nine was a rip off of Babylon 5 after the producers were shown an early script of B5 but turned it down. Blake’s 7 borrowed from Star Trek and Star Trek TNG borrowed from Blake’s 7 on several occasions.
Damn! Couldn't find a pronunciation anywhere I looked. We should do a spin-off just about pronouncing geek stuff...
OK we need to correct the pronunciation of a couple of names. The script editor was Chris Boucher, which you pronounced "Boo-shay". He's not French! It's pronounced "Bow-cha". As for the voice of the computers, Peter Tuddenham, you pronounced it the cringeworthy "Tudd-en-ham". Ha ha! Only Americans would do that! It's a very English name, pronounced "Tuddn-hm" (not "ham"). :-)
soolin hot blonde! loved her on dempsy and makepeace.
One of the spare Michaels went rogue and...well...it's a whole thing...
Maximum power to Servalan ; undoubtedly the sexiest officer under whom one could ever hope to serve, and still giving many people the horn 'til this day.
One sees a few ladies who have been "poured" into their dresses, right? Well, Jacqueline Pearce is one of those very few who really carry it off/get you going/get it and/or you off get your kit off please please ooh blimey jesus Jacuqi...
A previous commenter let us know, but thanks!
Favourite character for me was Avon, however I identify with Vila more. Not sure that's a good thing!