Blake's 7 - Series 1 - Complete (DVD)

...show.

Blake's 7 was to be a very hi tec science fiction show for the time and with a run time of 50 minutes or just under for each episode.
There was a lot of work to do, creating the models, all the different sets, designs, and most importantly the actors.

Many of the actors had been in BBC productions, theatre, or drama and the choices for the characters were :

Roj Blake - Gareth Thomas
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...1978 the first episode of Blake's 7 hit our screens with the first episode "The way back"



I shall now take you through the disks

Disk 1

The way back
Citizen Roj Blake is approached by two people from the resistance who ask Blake to help them. They tell him that he has been reconditioned by the Federation and has no memory of when he was a freedom fighter leading the way ... more

What I am reviewing is the five disk DVD set of "Blake's 7" series 1

In 1978 the BBC wanted another science fiction series as Doctor Who was doing very well. They wanted the new show to be broadcast at a prime time spot suitable for viewing by everyone, especially adults who hadn't really had that much science fiction programmes from the BBC.
A man called Terry Nation was to create this new series, writing the episodes for the show as well.
Terry had a great idea about a group of freedom fighters trying to battle against the dominant Federation that was corrupt and taking over every planet they could get to.

When Terry had the plotline there was the issue of getting the programme together, so in came directors Michael E Bryant, Douglas Camfield, Vere Lorrimer, David Maloney, and Pennant Roberts.
They had a lot of work to do as the first series was commissioned as a thirteen episode run, and no time for error.
The producer was David Maloney who had great ideas for the show.

Blake's 7 was to be a very hi tec science fiction show for the time and with a run time of 50 minutes or just under for each episode.
There was a lot of work to do, creating the models, all the different sets, designs, and most importantly the actors.

Many of the actors had been in BBC productions, theatre, or drama and the choices for the characters were :

Roj Blake - Gareth Thomas
Kerr Avon - Paul Darrow
Jenna Stannis - Sally Knyvette
Villa - Michael Keating
Olag Gan - David Jackson
Cally - Jan Chappell
Servalan - Jacqueline Pearce
Travis - Stephen Grief

As now they had the cast of the main heroes and villains of the series their task was the making of the ship "The Liberator" which was done in small scale for the space shots and the sets for inside with a talking computer "Zen" The voice of Zen was voiced by Peter Tuddenham.

The actors got into their characters very well, and on a Saturday night in 1978 the first episode of Blake's 7 hit our screens with the first episode "The way back"

I shall now take you through the disks

Disk 1

The way back
Citizen Roj Blake is approached by two people from the resistance who ask Blake to help them. They tell him that he has been reconditioned by the Federation and has no memory of when he was a freedom fighter leading the way to the downfall of the federation.
Blake goes with them and see's the federation butchering all who have attended and is captured.
Blake goes on trial for a crime he did not commit and senenced to the planet Cygnus alpha.
Blake meets the other prisoners on board the ship awaiting to depart…

Space fall
When the prison ship has difficultys in space they have to cross something that looks like a war has taken place. The crew see a lone ship adrift and as the guards sent over are being killed one by one, they decide to send prisoners Blake, Avon, and Stannis aboard the ship…

Cygnus Alpha
With Blake, Avon and Jenna away on the ship the prison craft makes it's way to the planet Cygnus Alpha and sets the prisoners down. As soon as they are off and alone on the planet strange things start to happen…

Disk 2

Time Squad
The Liberator escapes federation ships , and Blake announces to the crew that he wants to strike back at the federation by destroying a federation communications post. He sets the course for Saurian Major and they meet a new allie…
We also meet Galactic commander Servalin..

The Web
In a laboratory on a web covered planet a strange creature calls out "They must come" Cally on board the Liberator hears this being using her telepathic powers and becomes taken over by some source of the creature ….

Seek-locate-destroy
Blake, Villa, Cally and Gan go down to steal a federation cipher unit but in their escape Cally looses her teleport bracelet and gets captured by Travis who uses her to set a trap to destroy Blake…

Disk 3

Mission to destiny
The Liberator crew come across a ship lost without any contact in space. They go aboard and find the crew tranquilised. The pilot is dead and a marking scrawled in blood is 54124…

Duel
As a fight begins with the crew of the Liberator and Travis it is overseen by powerful beings on a distant planet. They beam Blake and Travis down and make them fight for their survival and they say only one must leave alive…

Project Avalon
With another strong resistance leader called Avalon calls for Blakes help to take her to another planet she is captured by commander Travis as he sets a trap to lure Blake and his crew towards him..

Disk 4

Breakdown
When Gan suffers enormous pain he attacks several of the crew and is confined. They find out that Gan's implanted chip to stop him killing is malfunctioning and need a neurosurgeon or he will die.
They have a race against time to save Gan's life..

Bounty
Blake and Jenna teleport to a planets surface looking for president Sarkoff to reunite him with his people as they need him. At the same time the Liberator has been taken over by space pirates and the crew have to try and do something before federation forces arrive…

Deliverance
The Liberator crew see a small shuttle explode and two escape pods come out on a nearby planet. They teleport down to find one man dead and the other injured. The injured man wants them to take some power cells to his dying father and passes on a message that the Federation is willing to pay 100,000,000 credits for Orac..

Disk 5

Orac
Blake and the crew go to the planet Aristo to deliver the power cells while Gan, Jenna, Avon and Villa need medical supplies for radiation sickness. Meanwhile Travis and Servalan are on the planet determined to get Orac..

Special features

Trailer for series 2
This is just a short trailer of the second series with sneek peaks of some of the episodes.

Character introductions
This is showing you introductions of the characters from the first series and each character is given a few minutes of being shown in clips from the series so you know who they are.

Scene selection
A scene selection on various backgrounds for each of the disks.

Episode synopes.
This is a brief outline of each episode.

Commentary on three episodes "Space Fall", "Seek-locate-destroy", and "Project Avalon"

Blue Peter feature : Leslie Judd makes a liberator teleport bracelet.

2 out-takes, 1 Robot, 2 Flat feet and a blooper.

All of these disks have digitally remastered episodes and presented in 4.3 vision.
Sound is in Mono or Dolby Digital.

Running time 663 minutes.

Summary

Having not seen all of the series originally being as I was so young at the time it was nice to reflect back on a series I only really knew at the end and only remember certain parts of the beginning of the series.
As I knew I would enjoy it I wanted to see every episode from the beginning.
I really liked the way that Blake's 7 was set out, from the storyline at the beginning leading up to the crew of the Liberator getting together and fighting against the federation, to each ongoing episode with little knowledge of what was going to happen.

This first series did not disappoint me and I was hooked. I had to limit myself to one a day for the suspense !

The episodes that stood out for me were "The way back" and "Space Fall" to see how it all began, and I thought that "Duel" was a very good way for Blake and Travis to meet on a duel to the death.

I found that the picture had been cleaned up very well since he first broadcast in 1978 as I had noticed on a previous video cassette. The sound and quality was very good thoughout the series.

I liked the packaging as it was a five disk layout when you opened it and the background was the crew of the Liberator and Servalan.

As my Dad says "For the time it was the most advanced science fiction programme out"

If you like the sound of this or a trip down memory lane then do go out and get this, it's a great series. 

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