"Blakes 7" (1978) TV series 1978-1981

User Rating:

8.3/10   

Creator:

Terry Nation

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4

Release Date:

2 January 1978 (UK)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Plot:

In the third century of the second calendar, a corrupt galactic federation, with Earth at its center...

Plot Keywords:

Cult TV | Spacecraft | Wobbly Sets | Futuristic | Number In Title

Cast

Michael Keating	...	Vila Restal (52 episodes, 1978-1981)
Paul Darrow	...	Kerr Avon (51 episodes, 1978-1981)
Peter Tuddenham	...	Orac / ... (49 episodes, 1978-1981)
Jan Chappell	...	Cally / ... (37 episodes, 1978-1981)
Jacqueline Pearce	...	Servalan / ... (29 episodes, 1978-1981)
Gareth Thomas	...	Roj Blake / ... (28 episodes, 1978-1981)
Sally Knyvette	...	Jenna Stannis (26 episodes, 1978-1979)
Steven Pacey	...	Del Tarrant / ... (26 episodes, 1980-1981)
Josette Simon	...	Dayna Mellanby (26 episodes, 1980-1981)

Runtime:

50 min (52 episodes)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Bamburgh, Northumberland, England, UK

Company:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)

Trivia:

Scaramanga's huge laser gun from the James Bond film The Man with the Golden Gun (1974) was one of many props bought from Pinewood Studios by the BBC, and appears here in the early episodes of Blake's 7 as the main console of the prison ship London.

Quotes:

Orac: The idiosyncratic syntax of riddles interests me. They seem to depend for their effect on solecisms and grammatical discrepancies.
Vila Restal: [totally confused] Eh?
Orac: Do you have another riddle for me to analyze?
Vila Restal: You'd only spoil it.
Orac: I thought you liked riddles.
Vila Restal: I do when I'm allowed to tell them properly. All you're interested in is the idiotic tintax or something.
Orac: That's very clever.
Vila Restal: What is?
Orac: For idiosyncratic syntax you substituted idiotic tintax. Yes, very good.
Vila Restal: [brightening] Is it?
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Cult of...: Blake's 7 (#1.5)" (2006)

A low budget classic!!

Blakes 7 was launched in 1978 by the BBC, and in the aftermath of 'Star Wars'. I remember eagerly awaiting Thursday evenings when the adventures of Blake and his crew would enthrall me.

The premise of the series was simple; Blake and his band, prisoners of the evil federation, manage to gain control of a powerful alien spaceship, and become freedom fighters.

The series was very low budget, reflected in the poor quality of the sets (spot the egg boxes sprayed silver!!), but the characters were real (despite the occasional wooden acting), and the storylines were first class.

What helped to make the series a success was the perfect chemistry between the cast. There was the fiery passion of Blake, the cold logical Avon, the laid back Villa to name a few. Their Arch enemy, Servalan, was ruthlessly ambitious, and assisted by the focussed and determined Travis.

I would give this series 9/10.