Blake's 7

Blake's 7 is a British science fiction television series produced by the BBC for broadcast on BBC1. Four 13-episode series of Blake's 7 were broadcast between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also created the Daleks for Doctor Who. The script editor was Chris Boucher. The series was inspired by a range of fictional media including Passage to Marseille, The Dirty Dozen, Robin Hood, Brave New World, Star Trek, classic Westerns and real-world political conflicts in South America and Israel.

Blake's 7 was popular from its first broadcast, watched by approximately 10 million people in the UK and shown in 25 other countries. Although many tropes of space opera are present, such as spaceships, robots, galactic empires and aliens, its budget was inadequate for its interstellar narrative. It remains well regarded for its strong characterisation, ambiguous morality and pessimistic tone. Critical responses to the programme have been polarised; reviewers praised its dystopian themes and "enormous sense of fun", and broadcaster Clive James described it as "classically awful".

Blake's 7 (audio drama)

There have been three producers of Blake's 7 audio dramas: BBC Radio, B7 Productions and Big Finish Productions.

BBC Radio

In 1998, the series returned to the BBC on the radio. The stories were set during the fourth series between the episodes Stardrive and Animals. They were broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

In 2006, B7 Productions announced that it had recorded a series of 36 five-minute audio adventures. The new series was broadcast on BBC Radio 7 as three hour-long episodes.

The Early Years

B7 Productions also produced series of 30-minute prequel audio episodes, which explored the earlier histories of the central characters. These were broadcast on BBC Radio 4 Extra from 2010.

The Liberator Chronicles

In 2011, Big Finish Productions, under licence from B7 Productions, announced that it would be producing a series of audio dramas which would 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!”

List of Blake's 7 episodes

Blake's 7 is a British science fiction television series that was created by Terry Nation and produced by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC). Four series were produced between 1978 and 1981, all of which have been released on VHS and Region 2 DVD.

Series overview

Episodes

Series 1

Series 1 aired on BBC1, Mondays, mostly 7:15 p.m., 2 January to 27 March 1978, Producer: David Maloney. It averaged 9.22 million viewers on original airing in the UK, with an average chart position of 45.

Series 2

Series 2 aired on BBC1, Tuesdays, mostly 7:20 p.m., 9 January to 3 April 1979. Producer: David Maloney. It averaged 7.14 million viewers on original airing in the UK, with an average chart position of 79, a drop of over two million viewers on that of Series A.

Series 3

Series 3 aired on BBC1, Mondays, mostly 7:15 p.m., 7 January to 31 March 1980. Producer: David Maloney. It averaged 9.45 million viewers on original airing in the UK, with an average chart position of 32, the highest rated series.