The Cult of Blake’s 7

In reference to an earlier post about Blale’s 7, the excellent sci-fi series (currently revived as an audio series with former Robin of Sherwood star Michael Praed) , I found this great BBC TV documentary, The Cult of Blake’s 7, on youtube to share.
Cult of Blake’s 7 part 1

Cult of Blake’s 7 part 2

Cult of Blake’s 7 part 3

Blake’s 7

Created by Doctor Who writer Terry Nation (also creator of the Doctor’s greatest foes, the Daleks) as a ‘Magnificent Seven’ in space, Blake’s 7 is all but unknown in the United States… there’s probably a reason for that.

In 1978, Doctor Who had become it’s own institution. While the series had enjoyed greater heights of success in the past, there was an increase in viewing opportunity due to more families having TV licenses. With such a big audience ready to soak up TV programs, Terry Nation was eager to develop a new kind of sci-fi program.

Nation had already created the Survivors, a post-apocalyptic tale of a small group of survivors who had narrowly escaped death from an accidentally released plague that had wiped out much of the population. It was clear that Nation had a pessimistic world view. By placing his heroes in desperate situations, he found some of his most fantastic ideas. Even from his time at Doctor Who it was clear that Terry Nation was interested in uneven fights. His Dalek stories pitted the Doctor’s great intellect and skills against the sheer power and terror of his dreaded foes and each time the Doctor and audience were united in their worry.

With Blake’s 7, Terry Nation upped the ante by creating an enemy that was the very thing most other sci-fi stories admired and supported, authority.

In the first episode of the series (perhaps the best episode of all four series), the stakes are set up as dire and insurmountable all at once. Everyday guy Roj Blake, living in a future domed city, was taken outside of his comfort and told a duo of deadly secrets:

1. The Federation that supports and governs over the entire planet and all of its many colonies was corrupt and evil.
2. Roj himself once lead the only successful attempt to overthrow the entire Federation before he was captured and brainwashed.

Before Blake could even digest these messages, the small group of revolutionaries he had just met were wiped out by Federation guards. Blake was captured and put on trial for many things, but chief amongst them was corrupting two minors. His previous threat to the Federation was treated as a joke, as if he were a failed rock musician. He offered no defense because he knew that not only was he not guilty, but the whole judicial process was rigged.

His lawyer saw a spark of truth in Blake’s words and after some investigation discovered that the children themselves were brainwashed. Before the lawyer could save Blake, he was assassinated and Blake was sent to prison on another planet.

On the way to prison, Blake encountered the first at many hints at alien life in the form of the starship Liberator. The Liberator was incredibly fast, self-thinking and had a hull that can heal itself. However, the ship seldom answered a simple question with a simple answer and a crew of three, at best five was vital to pilot the craft. Rather than escaping the Federation altogether as his new compatriot Avon suggested, Blake decided to free slaves everywhere and destroy the Federation once and for all.

Five men against an empire. ‘Why not?’ Avon sardonically purred. The next four year’s worth of stories were set in that moment.

While Tom Baker self-consciously mugged at the camera in Doctor Who and offered candy to murderous villains rather than run away in fear, Blake’s 7 gave viewers a more sophisticated program. More adult than Doctor Who and more ‘realistic’ in tone (though this would change in later years), Blake’s 7 was a tougher sci-fi program full of rich characters and situations.To show how ahead of its time it is, many refer to Joss Whedon’s Firefly, which is full of dynamic characters and thrilling story lines as an homage to Blake’s 7.

In talking about Blake’s 7, you’ve also got to talk about the crew.

From cowardly master thief Villa, to sly and clever Jenna, to telepath and terrorist Cally and the gentle giant Gan, Blake had his hands full of those misfits willing to put their lives on the line for the good cause. In addition to the human crew members, there was the addition of Orac, a computer capable of hacking into any computer system remotely… and the most indignant character in the entire program.

Despite the strength of his crew, Blake was second-guessed every step of the way by Kerr Avon, a man so brilliant that he almost hacked into the world bank but was undone by trusting someone else to help. Never one to forget where trusting others got him, Avon was always one step on his way out the door while his other foot was setting him in place to protect his leader, Blake.

As the third series aired, Gareth Thomas who played Blake decided to leave the program. Blake’s fate hung in the air as an ‘is he really dead’ situation, but someone needed to fill his shoes in the meantime. The producers saw Paul Darrow’s Avon as the best fit as an ‘unlikely’ leader and bought the program two more years.

It was an inspired decision and more or less re-created the series. Neither an idealist nor a mythic leader of men, Avon was hard as nails and more brilliant than any person he could manipulate or computer system he could hack into… and he never let anyone forget that. The series continued to grow in its popularity, with both critical and viewing reception remaining high in its entire run. The third and fourth year of the program saw the addition of yet more followers of Blake’s dream including the dynamic Dana, the altruistic Tarrant and sharp-shooting Soolin.

None of the additions to the team could stop the inevitable, however. The final episode reunited Blake and Avon… but it did not go well between the two characters. The finale shocked creator Terry Nation who was not aware of writer Chris Boucher and producer Vere Lorimer’s plans to end the program outright. As the credits ran, many viewers watched in shock… if only for a few moments, as the dull realization that Blake and his crew never stood a chance set in.This is why Blake’s 7 was a success abroad but hardly ever shown in the US. The production values are similar to Doctor Who (wobbly walls, desk chairs on space ships), but the message that of rebellion and terrorism against your own government is not one that I can see US TV producers jumping on.

The final message that authority is unbeatable regardless of whether you like it is similarly grim and we know how Americans hate sad endings. As such, the DVDs are not available for the US market and it’s very unlikely that they will be ever be made so. You can still find the old VHS copies online and I encourage anyone who enjoys TV sci-fi to seek out the first collection as soon as they can.

Blake’s 7 remains popular amongst both fans and the science fiction community to this day. Dennis Potter (The Singing Detective, Pennies From Heaven) based his final work Cold Lazarus on the grim and pessimistic future upheld by Blake’s 7. SFX’s top fifty poll of the most important British telefantasy of all time put Blake’s 7 at number four.

The rumor of revival has hung heavy over Blake’s 7. Soon after the finale aired, Nation and star writer Boucher were hard at work on a mini-series that would follow the aftermath of the finale episode, ‘Blake.’ But it never came to be.

After the success of the 2005 revival of Doctor Who, talk resumed on a new Blake’s 7 program, but star Paul Darrow who had become involved in the ownership of the program, did not approve of where the concept was going and pulled out. Life on Mars creator Matthew Graham was at one time involved in a revival, but it is unclear if these ideas will be used.

After talk of a movie, a TV series and an animated series passed, finally something emerged.

Just this year a series of audio adventures starring Robin of Sherwood star Michael Praed aired on BBC Radio. Written by Doctor Who scribe Ben Aaronovitch (Remembrance of the Daleks, Battlefield, Transit) and Marc Platt (Ghost Light, Spare Parts), the series is a radical re-interpretation of the classic program for a new generation.

They could not have gotten better writers to work on it, if you ask me.

Seven years after the initial statement from the BBC that the series would be returning, B7 Productions maintains that their intent is to bring the program back to the TV airwaves. After seeing The Hitchhiker’s Guide to The Galaxy and Doctor Who re-interpreted by some of my favorite British creators, it strikes me that the time is ripe for a comeback.

But I guess we’ll have to wait and see.

Suggested reading/viewing:

Liberation: The Unofficial and Unauthorised Guide to Blake’s 7 (Blakes 7)
Terry Nation’s Blake’s 7: The Programme Guide (Virgin)
Blake’s 7, Vol. 01 VHS - The Way Back / Space Fall
Blakes 7 - Series 1 [Region 2]
Blakes 7 - Series 2 [Region 2]
Firefly - The Complete Series