Blake’s 7 cast reunited for new series of audio adventures

If you live in the US, Blake’s 7 is the most amazing cult sci-fi program that may have slipped you by. Due to limited transmission on PBS stations and a lack of a distribution deal for the DVDs in this region, there are many potential fans who have missed out on this outstanding series. In the late 1970’s, Dalek creator Terry Nation crafted a new kind of science fiction adventure in which the heroes were a small band a terrorists fighting against the Federation aboard an alien spacecraft called the Liberator.

Starring Gareth Thomas, Michael Keating, Paul Darrow, Jan Chappell, Sally Knyvette, and Jacqueline Pearce, the series won critical acclaim on the BBC and attracted an older audience than Doctor Who. A ‘Dirty Dozen in Space’ concept program, Blake’s 7 heavily influenced Joss Whedon’s Firefly, a comparison that star Paul Darrow noted with some pride. Unlike Star Trek, Blake’s 7 offered a more cynical view of the science fiction opera in which drugs were used to subdue the general public, freedom fighters were tortured and had their entire lives rewritten and the truth always kept at bay. A small group of 7 dared to free all Earth people from the Federations’ control.

Gareth Thomas led his team with the zeal of a religious fanatic through two years’ worth of challenges only to lose it all in the midst of an intergalactic war that he unwittingly allowed to happen. In the wake of that disaster, sociopath/genius Kerr Avon unlikely leader of the remaining crew and continued the fight in Blake’s name. Leading the opposition was the conniving and sultry Servalan. With a legion of mutated creatures and a bloodthursty killer Travis at her fingertips, the odds were stacked in her favor. Yet she savored every victory with the passion of a cat playing with her meal.

All of that excitement has been revived in these new full cast audio adventures from Big Finish, and it just got bigger and better.

When mercenary Del Grant alerts the Liberator crew to the existence of a new Federation super-weapon, Avon leads an epic battle to avert catastrophe…

The Armageddon Storm is a huge story told across three discs, and reveals what happened during the unseen-on-TV Galactic War. It stars Paul Darrow (Avon), Michael Keating (Vila) and Jan Chappell (Cally), returning to the roles they made famous on TV, and they’re joined this time by the also-returning Tom Chadbon as Del Grant, a character who first appeared in the 1979 Blake’s 7 episode Countdown. Listeners may also remember him as Duggan in much-loved TV Doctor Who tale City of Death, alongside Tom Baker’s Fourth Doctor.

Written by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright and directed by Ken Bentley, Blake’s 7 – The Liberator Chronicles: Volume 3 is available to download now, and CD box sets will be mailed out today.

Also available now is our highly-praised full cast Blake’s 7 audio drama Warship, reuniting the entire original cast, and its accompanying ebook.

Blake’s 7 was created by Terry Nation (who also created the Daleks for Doctor Who) and ran for four years on BBC TV. It focused on a team of resistance fighters aboard their advanced ship the Liberator, who battle the corrupt forces of the Federation. The Liberator Chronicles: Volume 3 is part of a series of audiobooks that is being released in a licence deal with B7 Media.

Also available, is Warship by Peter Anghelides.

An alien fleet stands poised to invade Federation space. The only vessel available to hold it back is the Liberator, commanded by Roj Blake and his crew.

As an intergalactic war breaks out, old enemies become allies, and friends will become separated.

And Blake will be forced to leave behind all that matters to him…

‘The real strength of Warship – as with the original series – lies in the interactions between the Liberator’s crew. All the moral ambiguities and questionable motives that made the original series so compelling are present in Warship. There are some outstanding scenes between Blake and Cally, and between Avon and Blake, with dialogue lines and performances equal to anything we saw on screen.’ – Horizon, the Official Blake’s 7 Fan Club

‘Writer Anghelides has constructed a classic piece of space opera that really wouldn’t have felt out of place as a televised episode. You can almost see the cast rocking from side to side as they weather the blasts from alien cannons.’ – SciFind

‘A triumph for all concerned. The dialogue falls under the tongues of the actors naturally, so more than ever before, you really feel as if this is an episode the BBC accidentally forgot to broadcast in 1979.’ – Sci-Fi Bulletin

‘All hail @anghelides for his mighty B7 audio Warship. What a treat! Get it from @bigfinishnow!’ – Gareth Roberts, Doctor Who writer, Twitter

‘Wow, Blake’s 7 Warship from @bigfinish is brilliant! I’ve been watching through the episodes just recently and this fits in perfectly.’ – Rob, Twitter

‘Now that Blake’s 7 Warship was quite a ripping yarn. Thanks to all involved!’ – Michael Z, Twitter

‘Just listened to Blake’s 7: Warship. Fantastically written, performed and mixed. More please!’ – Alex Skerratt, Twitter

‘Paul Darrow still sounds like Avon and Michael Keating doesn’t seem to have aged at all. It gets a standard by 4 star rating from me.’ – Eamonn Clarke

Click to order Warship

Doctor Who The Companion Chronicles – The Memory Cheats

The Memory Cheats

By Simon Guerrier (directed by Lisa Bowerman)
Story 6.02
Released 30 September, 2011

Having left Victoria in the 20th Century, the Doctor and Jamie met a brainy girl with a cute shape and a daring nerve named Zoe. An outcast in her own time, she agreed to travel with in the TARDIS to experience all that time and space could offer. During her time with the Doctor, Zoe fought the Cybermen, battled against a world of imagination and fantasy, defeated the Krotons, dueled with the Quarks and traversed several periods of Earth’s history of warfare in a single setting. Through it all, she showed that she was not only a smart lass but a resourceful one with far more potential besides.

But unfortunately all of those memories were taken from her when the Doctor had to call upon his people for help. Back where she ‘belongs,’ Zoe is suspect as a subversive element. With near impassive resolve, she perseveres through a grueling interrogation process to unravel the truth behind who she is and the life she has led. Zoe has a remarkable memory that proves to be her greatest strength and (without giving too much away) tragically her downfall as well.

Back in her own time aboard the Wheel, Zoe’s memory has been erased by the Time Lords. She remembers her first adventure with the stranger called the Doctor, but nothing more. However, Zoe Harriott is a special type of girl with a genius-level intellect and total recall. As such, she is something of a curiosity to her people. Suspected of subversive behavior, Zoe is interrogated by a specialist trained in getting answers from suspects. Using evidence of her presence in Uzbekistan in the early 20th Century, Zoe is prosecuted as a time traveler… but she never traveled in time.

The Memory Cheats is a marvelous adventure that operates on several levels. Written by the brilliant Simon Guerrier (the same man behind numerous stories such as The Perpetual Bond and the absolutely stunning Anarchronauts), the script for The Memory Cheats is sharper than a knife and twice as clever. As Zoe is interrogated, she insists that she cannot have traveled in time as it is completely impossible. Despite this claim, there is photographic and other evidence that she did indeed appear in Uzbekistan around 1919 alongside two bizarre characters during an inexplicable event involving missing children.

With the ability to travel through time her only defense, Zoe crafts a tale of the Doctor and Jamie arriving in Uzbekistan, a war-ridden place full of fear and plagued by a boogeyman who steals children in the middle of the night. Her interrogator fills in the gaps with eye witness reports and documentation, goading Zoe to elaborate her tale further… and while she puts up a fight, the details keep coming.

What transpires is a missing adventure of the Second Doctor set in Earth’s past that fits perfectly with the mood and style of the program. Guerrier has (once again) caught the feel of the 1960’s and delivered a moody piece with plenty of drama and spooky moments that leave the listener worried about what comes next. And of course that’s exactly what Zoe wants, someone to listen while she tells her tale.

Zoe, the Doctor and Jamie

It has been pointed out numerous times that the scripts and production value of Big Finish are second to none but I simply must echo that here. The bleak landscape and distant sound of children playing football with Jamie are so evocative that the listener is drawn into the experience. As the drama deepens and the nature of the threat becomes more apparent, the noose closes in and the real monsters are revealed.

Deep in the hills lies a craft that has become embedded in the landscape. Beneath a sleek metal exterior, an organic interior contains a series of pods containing the missing children. But that’s not the real horror of this story at all, it’s the details that Zoe has hidden along her narrative to her interrogator that reveal a far greater secret that is much scarier than a monster from the stars. It involves genetic and behavioral manipulation to produce the peak potential of the human mind. A secret that has alluded everyone until now.

Perhaps it’s the mystery of the Second Doctor’s era that attracts me so, but I am such a fan of this period. I was therefore nervous to listen to this story with fears that it would unravel the love nest that I had built for the period of the program that is mostly lost.

There’s a danger to transform Doctor Who into an edgy modern drama that appeals to younger listeners rather than pay homage to the past. There’s understandably an equally dangerous possibility of sticking too close to the program’s past and simply retelling stories that have already been told. Of course I was pleasantly surprised by both a loving representation of the past along with a modern twist from Mr. Guerrier.

I don’t care how old she is, Wendy Padbury is still cute as a button and her acting skills have only sharpened since her time on Doctor Who long ago. Acting opposite Wendy is her daughter Charlie Hayes in their first collaboration. In the after notes, both ladies sound uneasy about working together (Wendy did live in her daughter’s flat for the duration of the recording which was a bit awkward… which I can understand), but they blend wonderfully together. At times I mixed up their voices, but that’s understandable.

Zoe’s impersonation of Frazier Hines as Jamie is touching but a bit on the silly side. Her version of the Doctor, however, is spot on. It seems that everyone who worked with Patrick Troughton was infected by his persona and can replicate it not just for accuracy but as an act of adoration as well. You can feel the emotional intent in Padbury’s Doctor and it’s lovely.

It’s a joy to be taken back in time to another era of Doctor Who, especially when it is a time that is sadly still missing to modern viewers. It is also a gift that Big Finish has filled that gap with such a scintillating and refined story as The Memory Cheats, an adventure that is much more than it appears to be and leaves the listener wanting more.

Doctor Who – The Memory Cheats can be ordered directly from Big Finish and from local retailers such as Mike’s Comics.

Also recommended:

Doctor Who: The Mind Robber

Doctor Who: The Invasion

Doctor Who: The Dominators

Doctor Who: The War Games

Blake’s 7 Big Finish- The Turing Test

‘The Turing Test’

Story 1.01
By Simon Guerrier, Directed by Lisa Bowerman
Release Date: 28, February 2012

On the run from the Cassini pirates, Vila and Avon infiltrate an experimental Federation lab, posing as a brilliant scientist and an astonishing android. As Avon attempts to convince the assembled scientists that he is an impressive imitation of human life, he encounters a robotic creation named 14. Sculpted in the shape of a young girl, 14 has been coldly tortured and experimented upon. She cannot speak, but her eyes tell the tale of her torment and it ignites an intense rage in Avon, disgusted at the inhumanity of these scientists.

The Turing Test is scripted by the astounding Simon Guerrier, fast becoming one of my favorite audio writers. It immediately captures the context and texture of the vintage 1979 TV series in the opening moments. Paul Darrow, the true star of the B7 cast, purrs his lines beautifully (with only the occasional whistle from his teeth betraying his age). I was nervous about Darrow coming back to this character, but it’s like he’d never left.

Vila and Avon are sent to the top secret base, they investigate the experiments being made there in artificial intelligence. Their mission is to infiltrate the coven of boffins and find a particular invention, but things get out of hand when Avon becomes personally involved.

The interplay between Darrow and Keating is spot on and I was overjoyed that the majority of the adventure is a two-hander with the story split between the pair of them. as they are my favorite characters from the TV drama. Vila, the cowardly clown able to crack any lock, plays a barely passable scientific inventor, but the scientists are of course more interested in Avon, thinking that he is an almost human synthetic being.

The notion that a sociopath like Avon would impersonate a robot built to appear human is just inspired. Avon is a cold, calculating man whose Chesire cat smile covers his true intentions, known only to him. Avon narrates The Turing Test, offering listeners a glimpse inside his mind that few have ever been granted… and its a frustrated place, full of pent up anger and bottled anxiety directed at just about everyone. As he is led by a scientist into a bedroom for a new test, he smiles and complies on the outside while internally he growls, ‘Where ARE you, Vila?’

Faced with an actual synthetic creature, Avon plays up to the scientists, ‘We’re the same.’ It’s an act, but is it closer to the truth than even Avon would admit? Despite his cold exterior, does the outsider Avon truly yearn for companionship, for acceptance and safety that he can never have?

It’s a crime that many of my fine readers have absolutely no idea what Blake’s 7 is or why anyone would want to promote it as the best thing ever. Created by Terry Nation after the success of the Daleks in Doctor Who and the Survivors on his own, he tackled a science fiction vision of the ‘Dirty Dozen in Space’ that pitted a rag-tag group of malcontents against a corrupt system of authority.

The only reason that Blake’s 7 is not more well known in the United States is because it was barely shown on PBS. Even I only caught the pilot and most of the last series by accident. By the time I realized how great it was, it was gone and I had to wait for the advent of DVDs and my region free player to see the whole thing.

The program featured model work, guest actors, music and even costumes that would be familiar to fans of Doctor Who because, well… they were from Doctor Who. It’s all good, though, because Federation guard helmets were used several times over in Doctor Who in the 1980’s.

But looking at the surface details misses the point, which is that Blake’s 7 was groundbreaking. It was Star Trek in reverse. Even the logo is a variation of the Federation emblem tilted on its side. The Star Trek crew were interested in exploration of the human journey, Blake’s bunch hatched numerous cunning ploys against the system in a desperate maneuver to awaken the drug-addled citizens. In many cases, Blake and his followers escaped by the skin of their teeth, some didn’t even make it at all. Blake is a charismatic and driven man, determined to see his message of universal freedom screamed from every corner of the galaxy.

The crew of the Liberator, a strange alien ship that had drifted from some other galaxy to ours in the aftermath of some cosmic battle, are not altruistic. They are criminals on the run, looking for weapons to use against their oppressors in their journey across the colonized worlds. They encounter science gone wrong, frustrated geniuses and angst-ridden barbarians (and Brian Blessed), but nothing like the glimpse of hope that lay in the science fiction dream that Gene Roddenberry produced. No, this was something entirely different.

The Turing Test has the unenviable mission of re-invigorating interest in Blake’s 7 in a new way. Several attempts have been made before, from a Barry Letts-written radio drama to an audio series featuring an all-new cast (which is in itself rather good). There have also been rumors of a new updated modern version of Blake’s 7 that could come at any moment… but hasn’t.

The Big Finish project, however, could be the most successful of the lot for its sheer simplicity. Rather than re-inventing Blake’s 7, it has inserted new adventures within the existing body of work. Enlisting Gareth Thomas as Blake, Michael Keating as Vila and the (many times) aforementioned Paul Darrow as Avon, grants the audios a kind of integrity and nostalgia value that makes them instant classics.

Rather than trying to find what made Blake’s 7 work or re-interpret the ideas for a new audience, this is a return to the program as if it had never ended. I had not expected that for some reason, despite the high caliber of talent involved.

Simon Geurrier’s The Turing Test references a procedure in which a machine is challenged to think as a human being. This is of course reflected in the many tests that Avon endures as the stand-in android, but a darker version of it is explored in the implied treatment of 14.

Blake attempts to liberate 14 (of course), but finds that it is just not possible. She must live on Quentil due to her programming. Yet rather than return to her place of torture, she chooses death. Blake cannot understand this, which angers Avon, ‘She’s not like you, she doesn’t want to fight… but his mind was set. Always the grand gesture… and to hell with everyone else.’

In the end, the Liberator crew destroys the research on Quentil in a clever ploy to develop new androids. Vila insists that Avon must be satisfied by this punishment as, after all, Avon was after revenge for what had been done to 14. But Avon refuses to accept this. He was just being practical. ‘No good comes of being wide eyed and naive,’ he muses. He does, however, accept Vila’s statement that he and 14 were two of a kind, but whereas 14 was incapable of showing emotion, Avon had shut off that part of himself a long time ago… in order to survive.

Actor Paul Darrow today (massive display of talking Daleks in the bg)

He’s a queer duck, that Avon.

Actor Paul Darrow said it best when, in describing Avon’s psyche, he stated:

“He’s psychologically damaged, I suppose, if you stand back and look objectively at him, but then, who isn’t?”

(More Blake’s 7 images by Mateen Greenway can be found here)

The Liberator Chronicles is the first of a new series of audio adventures exploring the iconic science fiction program.

Next: Michael Keating as Vila in ‘Solitary.’

Michael Keating (Vila)

Blake’s 7: The Liberator Chronicles can be ordered directly from Big Finish and domestically in the US from Mike’s Comics.

Click on the image to order!

Doctor Who Big Finish- The Crimes of Thomas Brewster

The Crimes of Thomas Brewster

By Jonathan Morris (Directed by Nicholas Briggs)
Story 143
Released 31 January, 2011

In contemporary London, the Doctor and Evelyn are on the run from killer robotic insects. Using his multi-colored coat to confuse the mechanized menace, the Doctor manages to evade capture at the cost of a police patrol boat. Brought in by the local police he makes the acquaintance of DI Menzies… though she has already met him… but at a later point in the Doctor’s life. To make matters more confusing, a criminal calling himself the Doctor is setting himself up as a crime boss.

With so much temporal possibility floating about, the Doctor is unsure if it is really is a past or future version of himself involved in some caper that he shouldn’t interfere with or is responsible to stop. After making the acquaintance of a local mobster attempting to sell arms to ‘The Doctor,’ Ray Gallagher, the plot thickens. Evelyn is sent in to meet ‘the Doctor’ in the sewers and describes over the radio as a ‘fair haired’ man dressed ‘like he stepped out of an Edith Wharton novel. This gets the Doctor and the listener equally unnerved, but in the end it’s just Thomas Brewster dressed as the Doctor as he had met him, involved in a very dangerous caper.

John Pickard makes a return as the time-tossed artful dodger Thomas Brewster and nearly steals the program from under the main cast’s noses! His charisma is quite strong and his emotional range varied and full of depth, making him quite an asset to the Big Finish stable. I am of course listening to these stories out of order (even though I was once determined to strictly review them in sequence), so I am missing out on much of the back story here.

Morris and Briggs stated that they were shooting for a BBC Wales series opener feel with this one by plugging in a crowd of characters, lots of big ideas and explosions and plenty of comedy. In one respect this succeeds as The Crimes of Thomas Brewster feels less like an epic and more like a blockbuster pulling for viewing figures. That’s not to its detriment, however, as many of the Big Finish stories can be quite maudlin and intense. The odd rambling adventure is good for the audio line and this one fits the tab.

After confiding with Evelyn, DI Menzies attempts to hide the fact that she has already met the Doctor from him and, playing along with him when he finally meets Brewster, even pretends to be the Doctor, thus fulfilling the wish for a female Doctor… in a way. It gets a bit ropy and sit-comical until the subway train crosses the barrier of time and space and arrives on a vast living planet.

The ‘big ideas’ part of The Crimes of Thomas Brewster really delivers once everyone is on the alien planet that operates as a single organism. Previous to this moment, to be honest, it’s all a bit too much action and not enough meaning. David Troughton completely sells the East End gangster Gallagher (I had no idea it was him until I looked at the credits), but the character is mainly superfluous as it’s just a barrier to the big reveal.

In addition to Gallagher and the gangster angle, the introduction of Flip and her boyfriend Jared serves no real purpose either. It’s not a mark against the story, but it perhaps shows some of the influence that the modern Doctor Who is having on Nicholas Briggs. The inclusion of ‘the regular kid off the street’ seems to be something that Davies regularly strived for and failed to accomplish. In Briggs’ case it works (he’s a far better writer than Davies for one thing), but it’s still somewhat superfluous. If Flip hadn’t come back in this year’s Curse of Davros, I wouldn’t have really thought twice about her as a character.

Colin Baker once again shows that he is the most multi-faceted actor to play the Doctor… ever. He displays moving compassion, mad bravery and obstinate arrogance with equal aplomb. His Doctor is also an absolute genius, out-witting the criminal underworld, the London PD, a race of insectoid robots bent on cosmic destruction and a living planet as if it were child’s play.

A whirlwind adventure, The Crimes of Thomas Brewster is an unexpectedly loud and raucous story that could never be realized on screen (yes, even by the BBC Wales team), but it works very well in this format. Full of exciting ideas, colorful characters and high stakes situations, it’s Doctor Who cranked up to 11, so ‘Kinda’ this ain’t. But it’s also very good.

The Crimes of Thomas Brewster can be ordered directly from Big Finish and local retailers such as Mike’s Comics.

Big Finish Day 2012

Via TardisNewsroom:

Actors, actresses, authors and directors will be in attendance at the second annual event celebrating the wide variety of releases from Big Finish Productions.

The incomparable Terry Molloy (Davros) will once more step before fans without the aid of an army of Daleks, with tales about the making of the recent release Curse of Davros.

Lisa Bowerman (Bernice Summerfield)

Lisa Bowerman and Paul Cornell will talk Benny and Jago and Lightfoot among other items.

Beth Chalmers (Raine Creevy)

Beth Calmers, the voice of Raine Creevy, will be signing CDs of ‘Lost Stories’ alongside Sylvester McCoy.

Nicholas Briggs, David Richardson, Robert Shearman, Steve Cole, Nigel Fairs, Simon Guerrier, Joseph Lidster, Steve Lyons, Justin Richards, Toby Hadoke, William Gallagher, Gary Russell and more will be present as the attendees are barraged with tales behind the speaker.

Louise Jamison and Tom Baker -1977

Center stage will be filled by Tom Baker and Louise Jameson, once more fighting the forces of evil across time and space as the Doctor and Leela in a new series of adventures that promises to bring listeners straight back to teatime, 1977.

Blake’s 7 star Paul Darrow will be on hand to announce the release of the Blake’s 7 Box Set ‘The Liberator Chronicles’ containing new adventures set during the classic first series starring Michael Keating as Vila, Gareth Thomas as Blake and Paul Darrow as Avon.

Click to pre-order

For more info, please click here.

Blake’s 7 liberated once more?

After creating the Daleks for Doctor Who, Terry Nation crafted what could be the greatest TV science fiction series ever, Blake’s 7. Set in a future where a galactic Federation holds the population of Earth in a drug-induced stupor, the program followed the exploits of a revolutionary rebel group tearing down the system of control. Sadly, Blake’s 7 is all but unknown in the US due to the fact that it was rarely shown on TV and rights issues are still preventing a DVD release in our region. The program is somewhat dated and showcases several fashion disasters that often make it look like a second cousin to Doctor Who, but it remains a cult favorite and one of the best sci-fi TV programs I have ever seen.

Since its 4 year run ended, there have been numerous attempts to revive the concept either as a continuation or as a complete do-over. Most recently Big Finish assembled a strong cast in retelling several of the iconic Blake’s 7 adventures via their audio series (highly recommended). Starring Derek Riddell as Blake and Colin Salmon as Kerr Avon, the series was very well done, modernized just enough to make it interesting and new without insulting the source material. There were plans to develop the program for TV which had many fans excited, but they all fell apart when SKY1 dropped the option.

However, there is finally news that should excite fans of the rebellion as Big Finish has received clearance to produce entirely new stories starring Nation’s characters, this time starring the original cast.

Via PopCultureZoo

My second favorite British science-fiction series (regular readers will be able to instantly guess the first), Blake’s 7, is returning with its original actors! And the company bringing back this groundbreaking series is the one and only Big Finish Productions. Big Finish has been producing Doctor Who audio plays since 1999 and has, in recent years, also branched out to include the Stargateuniverse, Highlander, Dark Shadows and Sapphire and Steele as well as many other licensed and original productions. No word yet on when this stories take place in the series continuity and exactly which actors will be involved, but we will certainly bring you that information as soon as we hear about it. For now, here are all the details, straight from Big Finish’s website, along with links to pre-order:

Big Finish Productions is thrilled to announce that it has signed a licence deal with B7 Enterprises to produce original audiobooks and novels based on Terry Nation’s popular science fiction series Blake’s 7.

Blake’s 7: The Liberator Chronicles will be launching in Spring 2012 on CD and download, and will be performed by the original stars of the TV series. Each box set will contain three discs, with each disc comprising a separate adventure performed by two of the show’s stars. There will be two box set releases each year.

The Blake’s 7 original novels will be released in hardback editions, each of approximately 60,000 words. There will be two novels per year – thus ensuring there’s a new Blake’s 7 release every three months!

Jason Haigh-Ellery, executive producer of Big Finish, says: “As a huge fan of Blake’s 7, it is a series that I have always wanted Big Finish to be involved with – and now we have the chance due to a ground breaking agreement with B7 Enterprises. It’s something that Andrew Mark Sewell and I have been discussing for several years and I am so pleased that we have come to an agreement.”

Nicholas Briggs, executive producer adds: “Blake’s 7 is something our listeners have been asking us to produce for ages, so I’m so pleased that we’re finally delivering!”

Andrew Mark Sewell, managing director of B7 Enterprises says: “We’ve long been an admirer of the audio dramas produced by Big Finish and are delighted that they will be lending their considerable talents to recapturing the spirit of the classic Blake’s 7 series with a series of new novels and audio plays. Even though thirty years has passed since the original television series ended, we’re sure that these new novels and audio stories will recapture the magic of Terry Nation’s original creation and reignite people’s passion for this seminal show.”

The audio series will be produced by David Richardson, while Xanna Eve Chown is books editor.

“I have two loves in science fiction,” says David, “and they are Doctor Who and Blake’s 7. And now I get to produce both on audio! I couldn’t be happier.”

“The Liberator Chronicles will be a series of exciting, character-driven tales that remain true to the original TV series. We’re aiming for authenticity – recreating the wonder of 1978 all over again!”

Blake’s 7: The Liberator Chronicles launches in February 2012 and is available for pre-order at bigfinish.com.

Blake’s 7: The Novels launch in May 2012 and are available for pre-order at bigfinish.com.

A year-long subscription offer to the Blake’s 7 range is also available.

Doctor Who Big Finish- The Mutant Phase (Dalek Empire III)

The Mutant Phase

“Fate? Never heard of it.”
Story 15
Written by Nicholas Briggs
Released December 2000

The TARDIS is torn out of the vortex by a time tunnel and arrives to find an army of Daleks stalking the ruined remains of Earth in the 22nd Century. Attempting to escape a doomed part of history that the Doctor had already visited, the time traveler finds himself at the other end of the time corridor in the 43rd century, when only a small group of humans have survived the onslaught of a deadly menace alien to the Doctor. What is this strange new monster that is so dangerous even the Daleks fear it? What is the ‘Mutant Phase?’

The second installment of the Dalek Empire ‘crossover’ is an oddity. It’s very well crafted and features some sterling work from Peter Davison and Sharon Sutton, but he plot is a run around of the weirdest kind.

A science expedition Thal craft is caught in the middle of a galactic disaster as bizarre creatures cause uncanny amounts of damage that leads to Skaro, home of the Dalek Empire. In the time vortex, the TARDIS is caught in a time tunnel leading to the Earth during a Dalek assault during the 22nd Century. Desperate to escape an army of robomen and Daleks along with a vicious strain of deadly wasps, the Doctor manages to dematerialize but due to the time tunnel arrives at a later point in the time line, but the same location. However, the time line has not progressed as it should have.

Confronted by a trio of survivors, the Doctor finds that he has jumped past the Dalek Invasion only to find that history has taken a turn for the worse. The planet Earth is nearly completely uninhabited, wiped out by a menace that the Doctor assumes to be the Daleks, if only anyone knew what a Dalek was. Thal scientists eventually catch up with the Doctor and recruit him for an unlikely mission, to save the Daleks from extinction.

The Thal scientists explain that a mutant strain is passing through the Dalek race, causing them to become monstrous creatures resembling massive insects. The mutation must be stopped because the new creatures are unstoppable and pose a threat to all life. Of course the Doctor is difficult to convince that he must save his deadliest foes, but in the end concedes, though his brain is obviously turning over some clever ideas as to how and why he will help.

Amazing fan animation based on The Mutant Phase

Like the Daleks in the Dalek Empire series (highly recommended), these are the conniving and brilliant versions of the Doctor’s arch enemies before they became second-stringers for Davros. The big development point in this take is that the Daleks are terrified of the Mutant Phase to the point of mania. It makes sense that a deviation in their genetic makeup would be abhorrent to them, so this is an interesting idea but it doesn’t exactly get played out as well as it could have in my opinion. However, I cannot get enough of these Machiavellian Daleks as they are portrayed in Big Finish Productions and find that I often steer my attention toward them, skipping over other releases to get to their next appearance.

Additionally, the return to the Earth of the Dalek Invasion period is a very appealing concept for me as I hold that classic story in high esteem. The audio adventure filled my head with droning robomen, the human survivors scurrying for shelter in a bombed-out charred city and the Daleks soaring by on hover sleds. This is the kind of material that the BBC Wales version of Doctor Who should explore as it builds on the ideas developed in classic Doctor Who that never made it to the screen due to budgetary restraints. I’m often frustrated that the classic series had magnificent ideas that ended up looking like a bunch of Marx toys while the new series has a bigger budget and the advantage of CGi yet seldom offers up the same level of quality scripts to go along with the stunning imagery they are capable of.

The narrative structure, like the plot, is a bit of a mess. Parts of the story take place in different time zones and involve situations that are caused by events that occur later in another time zone on Earth of the distant future, or during the Dalek Invasion. It asks a lot of the listener to keep up with all of this and as it is a Dalek audio adventure, much of the experience is full of screeching and explosions, along with the new sound of the roaring bug-like monsters dubbed the Mutant Phase.

Even with these limitations, The Mutant Phase is quite good if only due to Davison’s performance. A restrained actor, he humbly tip-toes through many parts of the story only to emerge as a genius at the end when he reveals what he was doing all along. Of course, the resolution is part of the time paradox that caused the Mutant Phase and the alternate time line which is a bit annoying, but Davison’s quip at the end makes it rather charming.

Art by Lee Sullivan from DWM Issue 299

Doctor Who – The Mutant Phase can be purchased at local retailers such as Mike’s Comics and online from Big Finish.

Read other Big Finish reviews at the Daily P.O.P. here.

Doctor Who Big Finish- The Genocide Machine (Dalek Empire I)

The Genocide Machine

“Daleks always bring out the worst in people… the worst in me.”

Story 07
Written by Mike Tucker
Released May 2000

The Seventh incarnation of the Doctor and Ace arrive on the planet Kar-Charrat to return a book that the Doctor had forgotten he had taken out of the largest repository of knowledge in the galaxy. Unknown to them, a small group of thieves are attempting to steal a precious archeological item from the planet. Few have ever braved a visit to Kar-Charrat for fear of the fabled ghosts that occupy its tropical world. While it houses the largest amount of data ever assembled in one place, the library of Kar-Charrat is a mysterious institution that only time sensitives can even gain access to. When the Doctor arrives, the chief librarian Elgin is anxious to show off the state of the art wetworks facility that the library has installed to store all of their data, making all other forms of storage unnecessary. The Doctor is of course interested, but Ace throws a fit and is left out in the rain where she hears strange ethereal voices and meets the only survivor of the ambitious group of thieves, Bev Tarrant. The pair soon find that they are not the only visitors to the secluded planet and encounter a lone Dalek scouting the area for time sensitives.

The debut audio story for the Daleks in a Big Finish Production is also a tie-in to the excellent Dalek Empire series running concurrently at the time (click here for my review of part one, I promise to get to the remaining three installments in due time). Written by Mike Tucker (better to known for his award-winning special effects work on classic and new Doctor Who, Red Dwarf and other programs), the script is very intelligently written, bringing new menace to the Daleks that had not been seen in Doctor Who since the 60’s.

When I first heard of the audio adventures featuring the Daleks I was skeptical. How can listening to a distorted screaming voice be entertaining? How wrong I was. On screen the Daleks had become lackeys to their creator Davros in the 1980’s, losing the spotlight to the megalomaniacal scientist. I was surprised to find that in audio format, the Daleks flourished. In their own serial Dalek Empire, the monsters proved that they could be manipulative and ruthlessly driven in their quest for total galactic conquest. This characterization carries over in the Genocide Machine, an adventure that builds upon a key component of their plan explored in Dalek Empire. In fact, all four of the Dalek Empire cross-overs (The Genocide Machine, The Mutant Phase, The Apocalypse Element and Time of the Daleks) deal with specific items that the Daleks have acquired in their master plan to conquer the universe.

Genocide Machine artwork by Lee Sullivan from DWM Issue 290

After the cancellation of the TV program, the Seventh Doctor and Ace had continued to develop in print through a series of books published by Virgin. This continuation of the ideas explored on-screen resulted in emotionally-charged and dynamic epics that built an entirely new universe of stories, most of which could not have been produced for television for various reasons. The New Adventures series has its ups and downs and when Big Finish decided to take up the mantle of Doctor Who, it was unclear to me if they would pick up from the novels or the TV stories. In the end, BF tried both, but personally I find that the New Adventures material works best in print rather than audio.

The Genocide Machine is set sometime after the final TV adventure, 1989’s Survival, when Ace is still a spunky young woman and not a jaded ex-soldier with issues about trusting the Doctor. The Doctor isn’t exactly the cosmic trickster that the Virgin novels transformed him into and is more of an explorer traveling the universe fighting injustice. McCoy and Aldred revisit the characters from many years ago like they had never left them. One of my favorite pairings on-screen, they had a special chemistry rarely seen in Doctor Who (with the Fourth Doctor and Sarah Jane Smith being a prime example).

After getting kicked out of the library, the defiant and headstrong Ace soon finds herself neck-deep in trouble that is far too much for her to handle just as the Doctor discovers that he has arrived too late to stop the Daleks from visiting the library. Unfortunately, only the Doctor can seem to understand what it could mean should the library’s knowledge fall into the Daleks’ control.

The Genocide Machine is a well-paced adventure that never stops moving from start to finish. Much like Whispers of Terror and Land of the Dead, it also introduces stunning concepts that I will not mention here to avoid spoiling the surprise for first-time listeners.Veteran Dalek-phile and voice actor Nicholas Briggs once again brings his unique flair to Terry Nation’s monsters, making them cunning and maniacal all at once. There are plenty of twists and turns in this four part story that further complicate matters and as I enjoy Doctor Who stories in which our hero appears to be out-gunned and out-classed, this earned top marks from me.

After seeing the Daleks on screen in countless stories, one would think that they would lose their appeal and power. In the case of the BBC Wales production, this is largely the case. However, in the unlikeliest of mediums, audio, the Daleks have discovered a new realm of fear.

Doctor Who – The Genocide Machine can be purchased at local retailers such as Mike’s Comics and online from Big Finish.

Read other Big Finish reviews at the Daily P.O.P. here.

Doctor Who Big Finish- The Holy Terror

The Holy Terror

Story 14

Written by Robert Shearman
Released November 2000
Humor in Doctor Who is a tricky thing. When it is over-played, it can come off as pantomime or garishly vulgar or it may be written by someone with a bad sense of comedy. In the case of the Holy Terror, we are given a treat by Rob Shearman (of the 2005 script Dalek), a man who appreciates the double bit of comedy. Throughout Shearman’s story, moments are played for laughs, but always at the expense of another. It’s all beautifully written and crafted with brilliance that in the hands of another writer may have come off as strained or improper in some way.

In the opening sequence, Frobisher is in the bath hunting a holographic fish made by the TARDIS’s computers. The TARDIS revolts at being used in such a way and shuts down all of its systems. The Doctor attempts to explain to Frobisher the deeper threat of violence even when no one is harmed. Allowing the TARDIS to take them where it will, the travelers arrive in a strange world ruled by tradition without reason, ritual without understanding and belief on pain of death.

The TARDIS materializes during the inauguration ceremony of the new God-King, Pepin the Great. But Pepin isn’t feeling especially God-like after his father performed the cardinal blasphemy by dying. Flanked by a bitchy wife with dreams of opulence on one side and a scribe recording his embarrassingly unimpressive thoughts on the other, he scarcely notices his warped step-brother who plots to overthrow the kingdom. In the darkness of the secret catacombs, a secret evil has been crafted that promises to change everything. While the Doctor attempts to unravel the mystery of the strange world, Pepin comes up with the clever idea of naming Frobisher as God. Then things get… complicated.

As I have said in other reviews, the Sixth incarnation of the Doctor got short-changed on screen. His combination of theatrical bravado and heartfelt sincerity made him the most alien of personas, especially after the down-played gentlemanly Fifth incarnation played by Peter Davison. Dressed in an outlandish colorful garb, the Doctor was a brash genius with a strict moral code that often jarred with that if his companions. Actor Colin Baker has stated that he was overjoyed to play the part and planned to break the 7-year record set by Tom Baker before him. Rather unfairly, he was sacked after 2 years but has found a new following thanks to these Big Finish audio adventures.

The companion Frobisher is an odd one, even by Doctor Who standards. Introduced in the Doctor Who comic strip, he is a shape shifting private eye who is disguised as a penguin (simply because the editor and artist were both partial to penguins). Voiced by Robert Jezek, Frobisher is a charismatic companion with a frenetic energy, impish innocence and awkward New York accent. The voice threw me at first, but in time I got used to it and look forward to hearing him again.

Frobisher from the Doctor Who graphic novel-Voyager

One of the aspects that I have enjoyed of the Big Finish audios has been the inventive intelligence with which they are written. The Sixth Doctor in particular is depicted as a genius with keen insight, a deep understanding of technology and unflinching bravery in the face of danger. He often solves the problems that he encounters using inspired actions, but these acts usually place him directly in the path of some deadly threat. Another of the Sixth Doctor’s personality traits that I find unique and enjoyable is his deep emotional sympathy, often expressed in passionate ways. This story gives him many opportunities to express his feelings and it produces a many-faceted face of the character.

The Holy Terror is a wonderfully layered story that has several light and humorous moments that come off as vaudevillian. This comedic angle threw many fans upon first listening, but when the dark and sinister truth beneath the comedy are shown, it becomes clear why so much humor was injected into this one. Without giving away its secrets, Holy Terror is one of the most heartbreaking and terrifying Doctor Who stories I have ever listened to and while I was a bit shaken by this at first, it appeals to me that Shearman wrote such an ambitious story for the Sixth Doctor.

Doctor Who – The Holy Terror can be purchased at local retailers and online from Big Finish.

Additionally, a special box set of action figures is being released in the US next week based on the season 22 story, Revelation of the Daleks.

Pre-order this set at Mikes Comics

Also, fans can finally (?) wear the colorful garb of the Sixth Doctor as a comfy T-shirt:

Buy the 6th Doctor Costume T-Shirt from Forbidden Planet

Surely, a conversation starter…

Read other Big Finish reviews at the Daily P.O.P. here.

Doctor Who Big Finish- Phantasmagoria

Phantasmagoria

Story 02

Written by Mark Gatiss
Released October 1999
“The bumble bee in the cow turd thinks himself king.”

I adore historical period adventures of Doctor Who. The 1960’s straight historical stories of the Hartnell and Troughton eras (such as Marco Polo and the Highlanders) are wonderful, but later adventures that infused the past with science fiction elements such as Talons of Weng Chiang, The Visitation, Mark of the Rani and Ghostlight are also some of the best stories in the program’s 26 year-long run. All of these stories benefit from the BBC’s skillful manner in producing accurate period pieces but they are also made remarkable by the historical setting. While studio-bound adventures set on space crafts or other planets are often sterile due to the costumes and polysterene backdrops, the period adventures have so much charm going for them. The supporting characters, ambient sounds and visuals combine in creating a rich world for the Doctor to traverse.

In Big Finish’s audio range, the programs are unfettered by the constraints of budget in creating a lavish televised Doctor Who story. The task of establishing a believable world lies in the script itself, supported by the voice actors and sound engineers. In the case of Phantasmagoria, it is a resounding success. Based on many of the League of Gentlemen scripts and his novel the Vesuvius Club, Mark Gatiss is a lover of English history. His skill in writing biting witty language is a boon to the gentlemanly Fifth Doctor and smarmy alien schoolboy Turlough.

The plot of Phantasmagoria is somewhat simple (an exiled alien criminal uses a devious ploy based on greed to rebuild his space craft while he is pursued by vengeful survivors of his crimes), but it is steeped in so much rich window dressing that it comes off as an adventure one would listen to again and again.

The Doctor, determined to teach Turlough classic rules of cricket, arrives in the home of Dr. Holywell sometime in the early 18th Century. He finds himself witness to an apparent attack from the supernatural realm upon seemingly unrelated victims. A student of the necromancy, Dr, Holywell claims to have knowledge from beyond the realm of the living, which the Doctor finds decidedly dubious. When Holywell conducts a seance for the Doctor, he realizes that the apparent cries from beyond are actually radio signals. Separated from the Doctor, Turlough finds himself in the company of socialites and career gamblers Jasper Jeake and Quincy Flowers. The pair are only too happy to welcome Turlough into their company if only to brag about their recent encounter with the highwayman Major Billy Lovemore. A strange man who waits for contenders sits at a table in the Diabola club, biding his time and folding his cards with gloved hands. He is Sir Nikolas Valentine, and he is building a sinister reputation amongst the club members, but he also being watched from afar by those not of this planet. The Doctor must use his nerve and intelligence to unravel the darkl mysteries of the deaths that surround the Diabola club without becoming another of Sir Nikolas Valentine’s victims.

There are so many wonderful touches to this story that make it remarkable. From the opening sequence in which the Doctor attempts to explain cricket to Turlough (is it really that absurdly complicated? As an American listener, I can only guess) to the characters of Quincy Flowers and Jasper Jeake (voiced by Little Britain’s David Walliams and the League of Gentleman’s Mark Gatiss, respectively). David Ryall as Sir Nikolas Valentine is a stunning villain complete with a sinister laugh and a deep resonant voice. His vocal sparring with the Doctor is very enjoyable. I’ve always been a big fan of Strickson’s Turlough, a frustrated and clever young alien who was neither brave nor all that resourceful as a companion but always with a biting comment to make. The scene in which he is annoyed into action to save a stranger from her attacker is fantastic.

In listening to Phantasmagoria, I have obtained a new respect for Peter Davison’s Doctor. As a first-time viewer I was initially enthralled by his reign as the Doctor, but as an adult my taste has drifted to the first three Doctors in preference. It seems like the Big Finish audio series is causing me to relive my teenage adoration of the 1980’s Doctors (Peter Davison, Colin Baker and Sylvester McCoy) who each enjoyed a second shot at their depictions of the time-travelling hero.

Doctor Who – Phantasmagoria can be purchased at local retailers and online from Big Finish.

Read other Big Finish reviews at the Daily P.O.P. here.