It begins! Welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7

Garry: 00:00:16

Hello and welcome to Federation Strike A journey through Blake 7. My name's Garry. My name is Adam, and welcome to the inaugural episode. Episode one.

Adam: 00:00:27

Yeah.

Garry: 00:00:39

You might recognize our voices. This might be a bit familiar to some of you, but I've heard us on a certain Doctor who podcast over at the old Big Blue Box.

But this is our new adventure. This is our new podcast. We've been talking about this for. I don't know, mate, probably seven years, eight years at least, something like that.

We've been talking about doing a Blake 7 podcast for that long, believe it or not. Every. I would say every few months or every six months or so, without fail, we will. We will be at an event somewhere or just chatting generally.

And Adam will always bring this up and say, dude, I'd love to do a Blake 7 podcast at some point. And the reason for that is because, dude, Blake 7 is your. Your top sort of retro science fiction show of all time, right? This is your number one.

Adam: 00:01:31

This is it. My. Blake 7 is my number one favorite TV show of all time. I absolutely love it and I will always try and get people to watch it.

So, yeah, I've been trying to get Garry to watch the show for years. Like you said, every time we've gone to a Doctor who BFI event or anything like that, I always managed to bring it up in conversation.

And actually not so much just doing the podcast, but I just wanted him to see it. I thought, I know that if he gets into this series, he will love it. But, yeah, I've always wanted to do a podcast on it as well.

So obviously with season or series, A series one, whatever you want to call it, has just come out on. On Blu Ray and has ignited a fresh new interest in the show from people who perhaps haven't seen it before.

Seemed like the perfect opportunity to talk Garry into buying the box set. And. And here we are doing the podcast. And I'm really excited, mate, because I love this show. I've seen it so many times over the years.

I quite often, as soon as I finish watching it, I will go back and watch it again. From the start, I just. I don't know.

There's something about it that I can't get enough of, and it's very exciting for me to be able to now go through this journey with you. Because you've never seen it. You've. I think you may have tried to watch it once or twice. You may have. I think you've seen one episode or two. You.

You've given it a bit of a go, but I think you've never actually watched it properly, so I know where we're going with it. I know all the stuff that we've got to come, which is really exciting.

But for you, it's a brand new journey, and I'm excited to go on that journey with you and just hear your thoughts on this show. And. And I'm gonna have to try not to give away any spoilers because there's some great stuff to come, but, yeah, it's a new adventure for you.

So how are you feeling about it and how much Blake seven have you watched? So I. I've watched it a million times. I kind of know it like the back of my hand. But what about you? Tell me about where you are with Blake 7.

Garry: 00:03:25

Yeah, it's cool, dude. And that's why we're saying that we talk about this every few months. Just because Adam's got such a lifelong love for the show and it's infectious.

That's why we're doing this podcast in the first place, because he's been on about it. He's banged on about it for so long. And so my journey into Blake 7 is completely fresh. Bar one and a half episode, which I watched two years ago.

Three years ago, at least three years ago, I tried to. I say I tried to watch. I watched through the first episode, which is, incidentally our.

The premise of this podcast, if you've listened to the Big Blue Box before, it will be very familiar to those of you that have listened to that, where we'll just go through each episode, through each season. And although this is a seasonal podcast, by the way, this is unlike the Big Blue Box, we're going to have breaks in between.

So season one will be our review of series one or series a of. Of Blake 7.

So, yeah, at least a few years ago, I watched the Way Back, episode one, and then about a half or two thirds of space four, the second one, and I'm not sure why. Dude, it wasn't because I disliked it that much.

I think it was just because I had a ton of stuff on that I was watching at the time, and I dived back into some of those things. And then before you knew it, Blake 7 was just relegated, unfortunately, to the bottom of some, you know, stupid list.

And I just never picked it back up. There was just a constant stream of other things that I was going to do and watch and. And all the rest of it.

So, like you said, the recent release at the back end of last year of the Blu Ray set, which is a gorgeous set, by the way, put together by the same guys that do the Doctor who Blu Ray collection sets over at BBC Studios. And really, you can see that a lot of love's gone into it, you know, in the same way and stuff.

I think that was the catalyst, really, for actually getting the podcast in place, because you and I, we could actually tell people this now because we've kept it under wraps for. For a little while. But you and I went to a BFI event last year, didn't we? It was for. Oh, what was it for?

Adam: 00:05:36

I can't remember. Well, it was Doctor who, but I can't remember which episode.

Garry: 00:05:40

It was Doctor who, wasn't it? Oh, it was the Happiness Patrol.

Adam: 00:05:42

Oh, yeah, of course it was for.

Garry: 00:05:44

Season 25 of that. Yeah. And we were in the bar afterwards, and like I said, Adam brings it up again. He's like, you know, what about Blake 7?

You know, because like a dog with.

Adam: 00:05:53

A bone, I'm not letting it go.

Garry: 00:05:55

Because we were saying that the. The. And just bear with us, by the way, as we sort of give you a bit of insight into this.

But we were basically saying that, look, we've come to a certain point with the Doctor who podcast, where we've pretty much reviewed everything. With the exception of a few animated bits and pieces, the Cushing movies and a couple of bits, we've pretty much done everything.

So what do we want to do moving forward? Then we got into the conversation of doing, well, you know, why don't we just branch out a little bit, create a bit of a podcast network.

The big blue bots can sit in that, and then we can set up these other shows that look at some other programs that we love that we want to talk about and stuff like that.

And Blake 7 was the obvious choice because Adam loves it so much, because he wants to do it so much, and because the Blu Ray set just launched, so the timing was really good. And here we are. Fast forward to now. Federation Strike. A journey through Blake 7 is going to kick off. So a lifelong fan and a complete newbie.

I class myself as a complete newbie because until I watched the first episode last night, I couldn't remember a single thing very little from when I tried to watch it a few years ago. So I class myself as a complete newbie dude. So it's going to be interesting to see how. How you view this stuff as a re.

Watch, you know, rewatch number 50 odd, whatever. And for me, watch technically not number one, but we'll class it as number one because I can't remember back then. So, yeah, it's gonna be good, dude.

Adam: 00:07:27

It is. I think it's a case of, like you often say, the stars have aligned.

You know, we've, we've, we've absolutely scraping the barrel now with what we've got left of Doctor who. We've, we've done reviewed every single episode.

The Blu Ray set come out, we were in the bar, applied you with enough drinks and here we are, we're finally doing. Because I have, I've just always wanted to. Well, I'm not just saying this.

I've always wanted to review this with you because we've, we've, you know, done the Blue Box for so many years together that I thought it's because I love this show. I'm really interested to get your perspective on it, you know, and I'm hoping that as we get into it, you're going to enjoy it.

But obviously anyone who listens to the Blue Box will know we will give honest opinion. So if Garry, you know, doesn't get into it, he will say, and he may be crossed, that he's just spent £40 on a box set.

But I'm hoping as we go into it and he gets to know the characters, he will. I don't know if he'll get to the levels of love that I have for it, but I'm hoping he will really enjoy this series.

And one thing I will say, you just mentioned the Blu Ray set. It is fantastic. They've done a great job remastering series one. I know us Blake 7 fans call it Series A, but they've called it Series One.

We'll let it go. They've done a great job remastering it. The Blu Ray does have the option for watching the episodes with brand new special effects.

I have asked Garry to watch them as we review them.

As with the original effects, I thought as it's his first time, I think he should experience the hair dryer, spaceships and everything that comes with it. For me, that is part of the charm. I'll be honest, as much as I think they've done a great job with the new effects, I'm a fan of the old models.

For me, that is part of the charm of a show like Blake 7, when it was made and how it was made.

s. So when was this?: 1977

There you go. January: 1978

Garry: 00:09:40

Mm. And I have gone. I've done that already actually.

So the, my viewing for episode one was with the original stuff, no updated effects, but I did go back afterwards and check out some scenes and whatnot with the, with the updated stuff and because I didn't want to discredit or not pay attention to the fact that there has been a very small, hard working team of people that have put, like I said, a lot of love and a lot of time into redoing Blake 7 in terms of. Because I think they had access to some of the old tapes and, and film and whatnot.

So the, the one thing that we can't turn off is the remaster side of it so that the image quality looks fantastic on Blu Ray and stuff and. But the effects, I know that somebody has, has gone back and spent a lot of time and work doing that stuff.

So I have gone and gone back in and, and check that stuff out. It does look great. It's really good.

Adam: 00:10:35

Yeah. Overall, the Blu Ray set is fantastic and it's, it's nice to see. There was a real big buzz around it the day that it got announced. You know, it.

My whole Twitter feed was filled with people retweeting, you know, the Blu Ray cover and stuff. And I just saw that so many people were interested who had never seen the show were like, oh, further Blake 7.

I might give it a go and, and picking up the set and hopefully a lot, you know, a lot of people are now discovering the show because it has a, it has a solid fan base. There's a lot of people that have a big affection for the show.

But you know, compared to sort of Doctor who, I think it still could be classed as a cult classic. It's still got that sort of cult following, I would say.

So it's nice to see it getting a bit more attention and it's lovely to have the guys from the Doctor who Blu ray sets involved because not only do they remaster the episodes and do a fantastic job with that, but the new extras that are on there as well, like there's some lovely new making of featurettes and, and there's some convention footage which was. Oh, mate, I can't honestly can't wait for you to watch that. So it is just some convention back in the 80s, I guess.

And you've got, you know, some of the cast up there. Gareth Thomas is up there smoking like a chimney and drinking and just a different time. And. And Peter Tudna, who does the voice of Zen and Orac.

He knows it. Just the way he speaks is so wonderful. Sort of that old British. Yes. Oh, yes. I was behind a curtain reading the, you know, reading the lines of Orac.

I had a lovely job. And it. Oh, it's just, it takes you back to such a wonderful time, mate. And they are so great together on stage. The cast.

There's obviously a lot of, you know, they obviously got on really, really well. So just to have all these things I've never seen before on the Blu Ray is. Is wonderful as well.

So again, I think, hopefully not to jump ahead too much, but you've got some real treats to come once, you know, you've actually watched the series. And you can enjoy the extras on the Blu Ray as well.

Garry: 00:12:27

Indeed, yes, I do plan to watch those for sure. There's a new. Anyone that's familiar with the Doctor who box sets will.

Will know about Matthew Sweets and his big collection of interviews that they stick on there. He's done one with, with Michael Bryant, I think, the director and a couple of people that were in it. And that.

That new documentary you refer to is called Liberation. It's a brand new, brand new thing that they've.

Yeah, they've put together and then like you said, they've got a load of the archive convention footage and some other bits and pieces. So, yeah, I'm definitely going to jump into the special features. I'll probably do that once we've watched through the.

The stuff and, and we've reviewed the episodes in between breaks between our season and season two where we review series B. Should I say that Series B or series two? And we'll do that. So, yeah, so it's.

Yeah, it's a bit of a sales pitch, I guess, for the, for the Blake 7 collection Blu Ray set. But it is a lovely set.

It's very well put together and from top to bottom, like, the packaging is great, the menus are great, the picture quality is great and stuff and you get that choice, which is a.

Which is so good, almost purpose built for our podcast where you can turn off the updated effects and watch it as it went out years ago and go back and dive in and do all that stuff. So I'm excited, mate, I'm excited to do it.

Adam: 00:13:45

I'm very excited. And just before we actually get into our thoughts on, on the first Episode. It's just come back to me that we did meet Gareth Thomas, didn't we?

Together, Many, many years ago at an event in Chiswick. Do you remember it? Sadly, it wasn't long before he passed. I think it was towards the end, sadly. But we did meet him.

And obviously I was really excited that day to actually get to see him and get an autograph. And you took a picture of me with him. Now, my question is, because I honestly can't remember. Did you get a picture with him or not?

I can't remember if I took one of you.

Garry: 00:14:20

I did not.

Adam: 00:14:21

You got a picture with Blake.

Garry: 00:14:22

No. So I. I met him. I did the whole, you know, sign this picture.

Adam: 00:14:27

Yeah.

Garry: 00:14:27

Which was really.

Adam: 00:14:28

You got signed to autograph. Yeah. Cool.

Garry: 00:14:30

Yes. Yeah. And he was. He was lovely. But I've. No picture for me, dude. Just one for you. Yeah.

Adam: 00:14:35

Yeah. Because I guess back then, I think Blake7 probably wouldn't have even been on the radar. I don't. Don't even think. I mean, it was so long ago.

I don't even think I was nagging you about it back then, but I might have been. There's a good chance you probably were. I probably was. But, yes, it was. I just. I do love the fact that we've both met him together.

Even though back then, you know, it probably didn't mean as much to you as it probably will do by the time we get to the end of this series. But I love the fact you've met him anyway, that you've actually met Gareth Thomas, because he was a really nice guy.

I met him a couple of times over the years, and he was. Yeah, just a really lovely, lovely person. So glad we got to meet him together.

Garry: 00:15:12

Indeed, yes. All right, then. I think we've waffled for long enough about why we're doing this and looking forward and so on.

So, dude, without further ado, I know you've been waiting for this point.

Adam: 00:15:23

Yes.

Garry: 00:15:24

What's our review on Federation Strike this week?

Adam: 00:15:28

Here we go. So, right back to the beginning, episode one, the Way Back.

Trailer - Varon: 00:15:34

None of this is true. Of course not. That's why you surprised me when you said you plead guilty. Not to this, not to these charges.

Well, they are the only ones that have been brought against you. And I must tell you frankly, the evidence against you is very damaging. Well, if there is any evidence, it's been faked.

I've had the opportunity of talking to the children, that is the prosecution witnesses, and they do seem very certain of their facts. Oh, yes, yes, yes.

Garry: 00:16:02

Their Briefing would have been perfect.

Trailer - Varon: 00:16:04

If I may, I'd like to outline how I think we should continue your case. There is a possible approach. If we could cite your record, your breakdown after your involvement with those illegal political groups.

The remorse that you felt, the guilt you carried has placed you under an enormous strain. And we can submit that these assaults, these aberrations, were carried out whilst you were mentally unbalanced.

Trailer - Blake: 00:16:25

I will offer no defense, but I will plead not guilty.

Trailer - Varon: 00:16:31

And these are grave charges without extenuating circumstances. You might face deportation.

A mental institution would be better than spending the rest of your life on Cygnus Alpha.

Trailer - Varon: 00:16:48

The charges have been made. I've got to hand it to them, they've done a brilliant job.

Garry: 00:17:04

January: 1978

It was a 50 minute episode and was written by Terry Nation, overseen by Chris Boucher, and was directed by Michael Bryant.

And the synopsis for the episode, this is coming right off the old, original VHS release, says life in a domed city of the future is secure and comfortable for Rog Blake until he discovers the nightmare that Contra contracts everything he knows and threatens to end his life on Earth.

When the former resistance leader, brainwashed by the Federation, is contacted by a new dissident group, he is first shattered to learn about his past and then horrified by the brutal massacre of the dissidents. Facing a staged show trial, he finds himself banished to the penal planet Cygnus Alpha. So it's all going on, dude.

So I guess we should reverse this, right? So over on the blue box, I always say, Adam, what are your thoughts on this one? I guess you want to get mine first on the older.

On the episodes through this one.

Adam: 00:18:23

I do. I'm itching to know, like, has it been a good opening episode for you? What are your thoughts on it?

Garry: 00:18:30

Right. So I've. I will say with hand on heart that this has been a very different experience for me watching this versus when I watched it a few years back.

The reason why I say that is because a few years back, although you were, you know, on a regular basis saying about how I should watch Blake 7 and we should do a podcast, etc, when I did watch it a few years ago, it was just. It was just off the back of a Sunday afternoon and wanted to watch it, so I just stuck it on and like I said, I got through that.

And then through some of the second one, I thought, okay, I'll come back to it. Never did with this time round. Watching it, I think because it's been a little.

The circumstances have been slightly different because we've had the Blu Ray set released and because you and I have been excited about launching a new podcast and ramping up for all that stuff, I was actually really looking forward to watching it beforehand and quite excited. And I think that carried over as I watched through it.

And there was a point where I think it was just after the massacre and Blake had gone back to is in one of the holding cells and stuff like that, and all that stuff had gone on. I sat there and found myself saying out loud, this is wonderful.

Adam: 00:19:52

Oh, really?

Garry: 00:19:53

Yeah. I said to myself, I.

It was a little pause in the episode where some incidental music was happening and we were going back to the city and finding out what was going to happen with Blake. And I just said out loud to myself, I thought, this is. I just said, this is wonderful. This is wonderful stuff. And. And it's got that.

Anyone that's not.

If you're listening to this and you've not seen Blake 7 before, much like myself, and you're a fan of classic Doctor who, I think you'll be very much at home, at least. At least on the surface, if that makes sense. It's got that very typical 70s Doctor who.

And I think there was even a lot of people that were involved in this that were worked on, that worked with Doctor who.

Yeah, the obvious one being Serie Nation, but I think there was a lot of other people, like model builders, set builders and all that stuff, and obviously Dudley Simpson with the music. So it feels very much like. Like classic who in a large way. What's not like classic who is got. It's got a much darker undertone.

Yes, it's way darker than even some of the more darker episodes from classic who. So. And I think it was that. It was that aspect of it that hooked me in this time round, because I think. I don't know, 100.

But when I watched it before, there was probably a couple of times where some scenes were happening. I've reached for my phone. You know, I've done something and, you know, whatever. But this time I was, you know, it was phone down.

I was glued to it from start to finish. And, yeah, when we got to that point about sort of a third of the way through, I thought to myself, this is dark.

You know, it's got More of an adult tone to it and stuff like that. So my thoughts overall, dude, for episode one is. I thought it was.

You keep telling me that there's a lot better to come, like, as we get through the first half of the series, and it really ramps up.

And then Adam has told me numerous times, he's, like, not just for me, but for anyone that's thinking about watching Blake 7 or has attempted it, you have to push through, because series two especially, and, you know, all that stuff, it really gets great like this. So for my. I think this is really good. Like, I really enjoyed this first episode. I loved it like this.

The whole sort of dystopian, sort of tyrannical overseeing of the Federation and sort of the Rebellion uprising that you can see, as in its very early sort of time, I guess, as Blake is sort of getting his head back together and he's off, like, the suppressants and all that stuff. And you can see that Terry Nation just had a great foundation, right, for just a great plot and a great story to sort of build upon and stuff.

So, yeah, my thoughts, dude, on the first episode is I thought it was a great watch.

And I'm aware that I shouldn't really go too tam on this and peak too early because, as you said, there's probably a lot better to come, but compared to when I watched it before, I thought it was a super, super watch, dude.

Adam: 00:23:05

Well, I. I am relieved. And also. Well, I'm relieved and thrilled, actually, because I don't think. I think it's a great first episode.

I think it sets out, you know, everything you need to know about the Federation and the control they have on. On Earth and other planets, and Blake, who he. Who he was and who he is.

And you're wondering if he's actually gonna get back to being, you know, this activist and reunite people and stuff. So I think it sets out everything that you need to know about the series going forward.

But the reason I'm so pleased that you enjoyed it that much is because it is quite a bleak opener. You know, I can see why people who perhaps have heard about Blake 7 put this on and think, oh, no, this is not for me. This is too dark.

You know, it's. You know, you've got people being massacred. You've got Blake being put up on false charges involving children, which is incredibly dark.

You know, there's. There's a lot of stuff in there that could put people off.

But what I love about the fact that you've enjoyed it so much is you've really got into, like you said, this world building. That's, that's set up in the first episode, Blake as a character. And I think this is the thing with Blake 7.

When people ask me why I like it so much, I will always say because the characters in it are fantastic. And that's what really builds as the series goes on is the, the chemistry between the characters that is coming up is, is just brilliant.

And don't get me wrong when I say series two is a vast improvement. Series one's got some great stuff, but what series one does is it sets out all the pieces.

You know, it builds the crew together quite slowly over each episode we get new members of the crew.

And so for, you know, that there's a lot to, you know, I do think it's a very strong opening episode and I, I'll be honest with you, I am surprised you enjoyed it so much.

Not because I don't think it's great, but because of, you know, as I said, it's not the cheeriest opener to a series, but I love the fact you've really got into it and that you've really got, you know, straight away it sounds like you've, you're invested in the character of Blake and I think is if you can get hooked like that, that's going to really take you forward as the series goes on. So, yeah, I think it's a great, great opener, mate. I think it does what it needs to do.

I think the lack of budget shows, if I'm going to be critical, we do know that, you know, when Blake 7 was commissioned, it replaced some low budget TV show.

Well, I can't remember what it was and in the time slot, you know, it was, it was given a really, really slim budget and it, I think series one that shows because it was such a big success at the time. When it came to series two, the BBC did give it a bit more money and you do see a bit of that on screen.

But I do think some of the sets and, and in this look a bit sparse. But yeah, they're doing the best with the, the budget they was given. But yeah, I'm really happy, mate.

I honestly thought you were going to say, I thought this is going to go one or two ways. I thought you're either going to come back and say, look, it was okay. I didn't really get into it.

I thought it's even not going to grab you or it's going to be too bleak or you're going to say, yeah, I liked this, but wasn't great.

But the fact you've really enjoyed this first episode, I think is pretty promising going forward, mate, because I think it sets everything up, but the show really changes as it goes on, and it definitely lightens up on the darker stuff. So I think. Yeah, I think that's really promising going forward. I'm really happy that you enjoyed it.

I actually now cannot wait for you to see the rest.

Garry: 00:26:57

Yeah, dude, it's. It's. It's one of those shows where I can completely see why certain people would be turned off by it, just because it falls under that bracket.

I think because it's got such a. A close neighbor with Doctor who that I think when you've seen a lot of classic Doctor who, there's a lot more.

There's a lot more happening in Doctor who straight out the gate.

Adam: 00:27:24

Yeah.

Garry: 00:27:25

If that makes sense. So pretty much every story throughout classic who, there's the. The. The.

The character of the Doctor has been established so well already, and all of those things, although he's a big mystery, they don't really go into much world building from Gallifrey too early on, and the Doctors pass everything. He's just the Doctor and he's just with Susan or he's, you know, with Jamie or whatever, and they're just doing their thing. And there's a bit more.

I mean, it's crazy to say, but I think Blake 7 had less money than classic Doctor who, if that's even possible.

Adam: 00:28:00

I think it did, yeah.

Garry: 00:28:02

You know, so I can. I can totally see why. Because Blake's a bit of a.

Although he's not as big an enigma or a mystery as the Doctor from Doctor who, there is still that backstory that we need to dive into for his former self. So at this point in the first episode, he's kind of living a normalish life like everybody else.

And because he's had his memory wiped and because of all that stuff, and as he's walking with his.

His friend Ravella in the opening scenes, that she's taken him, you know, through the tunnels and outside and everything she's trying to explain to him, like, you, you've been suppressed and you've been on, you know, drugs given to you by the Federation, and your mind's not what it is.

And she's told him to lay off them for a little while, hoping that there'd be a connection made and he'd start to connect the dots a little bit to some. Some of his past and stuff, but that's still not working.

So they kick off immediately with, yes, this is the main character, but there's a bit more to tell. But it's not such of a huge mystery that you have to sort of be like, well, bloody hell, he's not from. He's not an alien from another planet.

You know, it's just a simple case of some brainwashing and memory wipes and whatever, which, which kind of sets up the story really nicely. And I think because of that dude, I think you have to just understand that.

That point where I don't think it takes too long for the story to unfold, you know, this corruption within the higher ranks of the Federation and trying to pin this on Blake. And essentially that's what it is, that this opening story is like, look, this guy used to be a bit of a. Bit of a figure that people looked up to.

So if we allow him to slip back into that, he's going to lead some kind of uprising across the other planets and potentially here. So we can't kill him because that's going to make him a martyr.

That's going to make people even more determined, you know, to follow in his footsteps.

So what we'll do is we'll frame him and then we'll throw him in jail and he's no longer a problem and people not going to be inspired by him to do whatever. So. And then. And that's it. And that's how, I think once you get your head around that as a, as a.

As a good foundation to kick off the story, I think that then leads to a lot of intrigue. It certainly did for me because I was like, oh, man, how is he going to, you know, how's he going to get out of this trial?

First of all, like, they've rigged the evidence so perfectly against him, he's clearly not going to get off.

But then they slip, like Terry Nation slips in these other characters who sort of come round, you know, in the end and, and, and sort of go to bat for him a little bit. So Varon, tell Varon. He's his defense lawyer. He thinks, you know, it's an open and shut case. And he soon realizes that all's not what it seems.

And that's. That's the cool thing, I think, about this opening episode is that you could have kept it rather Terry Nation could have kept this really linear.

Like Blake gets framed. Blake goes off to Cygnus Alpha. That's the first episode could have been as easy as that.

But the fact that he's, you know, he weaves in these other characters, especially Tel Varon and who sort of does his own investigation, but comes a cropper, you know, it just heightens everything a little bit. And then these other characters that he meets in the holding cells and stuff and.

Yeah, so I think once you understand, you know, the setup, if you like, for episode one, I think that's a good springboard. I'm. Dude, I'm so looking forward to. To. To the next episode. To space. Well, I can't wait to get into that, so. That says a lot.

Adam: 00:31:49

Yeah. And I think it's. It's interesting, isn't it? Because it's. It's. You learn a lot about Blake in a very short sort of time.

You know, this person he used to be. I think there's a lovely line about the. What's the name of the woman who takes him out into the. The real world?

Garry: 00:32:06

Oh, Rivella.

Adam: 00:32:07

When she says, oh, I thought there'd be something left, you know, because he's just not remembering anything. And I think actually the turning point comes when they have that meeting and they all get massacred.

And Blake's just hiding, you know, in that sort of darkened room, and he just has got his head back and he's listening to all the, you know, the gunshots. And I think that's, like. When it's all coming back to him. It's all as if, like, the. The drugs have worn off and the sound of people being killed.

And he is suddenly. From that point onwards, he sort of turned. You know, up until then, he's just confused. He doesn't really know what's going on.

You know, he's being told he's been drugged and he's like, what are you talking about? You know, all sounds ridiculous, you know, but they get in these flashbacks, and I do love that scene where they're showing so the character's name.

Now, anyone who listens to Blue Box or. No, we're really bad at remembering character names and also pronouncing people's names. Who's the guy who's talking to him about who gets shot?

He reminds me of someone who should be in Star Wars. He just seems like a Star wars character. It's Ben Foss. Bran Foster, isn't it?

Garry: 00:33:15

The character.

Adam: 00:33:16

Yeah, I wanted to call him Ben. Yeah. Brand Foster. I just a. I love this actor. I kind of wish he was in it more because there's something about him. He's got like a.

Is it Canadian or American type accent, wonderful voice, and there's this nice bit of direction. By Michael Lee Bryant where it sort of zooms in on Bran's mouth, but then it's zooming in on Blake's eye.

And then you get the flashbacks of Blake sort of being brainwashed and hit with this baton. And it's all really weird stuff.

But I really like that scene because it sets it up nicely to Blake sort of having to, you know, remember who he really was and what was going on.

And I think there's a really good turning point in his character at that point where he's, yeah, he's starting to remember and you think, oh, is Blake back?

You know, and then by the time he gets put on the ship to leave for Cygnus Alpha, he's like properly, yeah, I'm coming back and I'm gonna sort this out. You know, I remember now.

And he's also just found out, of course that his brother and sister, who he thought was alive, you know, it was all lies, it was all just, you know, fabricated tapes that he's been sent. And his whole life really for the last few years has just been, you know, a drug induced lie.

And the only reason he's not been killed is because they know he would be a martyr to all these people that, you know, have looked up to him and the people that he's led to rebel against this. He's been an activist. So yeah, there's a lot going on and it's mostly centered around the character of Blake.

And I think, yeah, if you really get into all that world building that's going on around him and what's happening on Earth with the Federation and, and the control and the delusions and that everybody's under, that lives in that dome. I think that's, that's a really interesting premise. And I think Terry Nation had a great idea for this series.

I mean he, he writes pretty much all of series one and then as we get into series two and three and four, you know, other writers come in and it takes a different direction a lot of the time. But I think the initial premise that Teranoshi come up with is a really strong one and there's nothing I love more than world building.

You know, when we get all these different ideas coming in about what's happening not just on planet Earth, but, you know, out in space and all these other planets, it's great. And where, that's where we're about to go now. We've left Earth and we're heading to Cygnus Alpha.

And yeah, I won't say any more, but who knows what's going to happen from there on?

Garry: 00:35:38

Yeah, yeah. And I think you nailed it, dude. With. With the story that Terry Nation had worked up for this because this is back in the 70s, right?

And there's probably were, you know, a handful of books or novels or, you know, science fiction stories and, you know, before this that dealt with, you know, sort of tyrannical sort of governments or whatever, brainwashing people, of course, you know, but the way that it's executed here is it's done away. It's done in a way that. That plays into the television of its time, if that makes sense. So they couldn't do these big sweeping space scenes and.

And all the rest of it. So it feels quite claustrophobic in a way because the sets are reasonably small.

Even the location stuff they did at the beginning, where they're outside and then they're in those. I'd imagine there was a. There was like an underground car park or something. Or whatever. Yeah, for the. The concrete.

It's all very like concrete 70s, you know, architecture and stuff where they go and the massacre happens and whatnot. And. And because of that, it gives it a real. We've spoken about it on.

On Doctor who a lot of times, but something about having not much budget and having to work with what you've got and making the most. That's a big part of its charm, I think, in a similar way to Classic who. Where.

And I don't mean to keep comparing it to Classic who, because they are very different shows to a certain degree, but you can see that it feels very similar. But this had, like I said, I think it had even less money.

And so because of that it feels very claustrophobic in terms of some of the sets and whatnot. But the story that Terry Nation had put together, you can see a mile off, dude, that.

That has been the inspiration or the influence for some bigger science fiction stuff over the years. Most notably for me, when I first. At the end of this first episode, one of the first things that popped into my head was Total Recall.

Adam: 00:37:48

Oh yeah, okay.

Garry: 00:37:49

Yeah, really similar, like the premise, cuz in that. That. I think that that was more of a guessing game though, in Total Recall, because with Arnie was. Is that. That had you guessing?

Like, was he really a secret agent all along? You know, was he being brainwashed intentionally? Or did they. Did they have to do it when he freaks out? You know, that was.

But that whole thing around, you know, him being suppressed into a certain character and you know, in the brainwashing and stuff.

And then him as a character breaks free of that and then struggles to then, you know, lead a rebellion against some tyrannical dude and stuff like that. You can tell that Blake 7 was an absolute influence for that kind of storytelling.

Yeah, and there's probably been a handful of other films I've never heard of or seen that also, you know, dive into this whole thing, you know, like, you know, a massive metaphor for, for things. I don't want to go too deep.

You know, the Matrix films, they're all about suppression and keeping people, people keeping people's minds locked into a certain way that they don't know the truth, you know, and they're kept, they're kept that way, you know, and all that stuff. So this is like the early days of science fiction, right?

We're seeing some of the world's best stories unfold before our very eyes that go on to then influence these bigger, you know, films and budget and stuff.

So although we've been fairly critical of Terry Nation in some respects with his, with his work with the Daleks and whatnot on Doctor who over the years, nothing too major, but, you know, we've been slightly critical. You cannot fault his storytelling in this. Dude, it's, it's so good. It's really good.

Adam: 00:39:31

I was gonna say, I think it, it, it's also.

I think it stands up because it is still, a lot of it is still very relevant to today, isn't it, that this thing about questioning the things we're told.

I mean, you know, all this stuff that's going on with the media at the moment, you know, it's this thing about questioning your lifestyle and, and what you're told and what's true and, you know, just thinking outside the box really. So a lot of the themes in this still work very well today, I think.

Garry: 00:39:59

And the script is really good as well for this first one. Just because you, you have this combination of.

It's fairly light hearted to begin with and I think it was really important to establish that because you don't want to give away the game too early. Even though it happens quite quickly in the episode that.

About finding out with Blake's history and, and all that stuff, it's still quite light hearted. He still doesn't have the capacity to open his mind up yet.

So he's very, very opposed to believing that he could have been someone else, you know, and, and his mind has been suppressed and everything.

When he is going out towards the, that meeting in the beginning and he's out there with Ravella he says, I've done without food or drink for 36 hours. And she says, well, how do you feel? And just with a completely straight face, he's like, hungry and thirsty.

Adam: 00:40:55

Yeah.

Garry: 00:40:55

And she. And she rolls her eyes a little bit and then they go on and all this stuff.

So, like, little nuggets like that really balance out the darkness of the, like, the undertone of the story and everything. You've got this kind of human aspect to it at all times. I think that's important.

It's like you've got this very human, natural reaction by Blake as he's trying to figure everything out. Because Blake as a character, let's be honest, just gets completely thrown in at the deep end, you know, through.

Through no fault of his own in terms of.

He was living a perfectly, quote, unquote happy life before he was dragged back into all of this stuff through no thought of his own at this point in his life at least. Obviously there was things that, you know, he was.

He was involved in prior that, you know, would not be seen, you know, either legally or politically correct at this point in his life. He's been dragged into this, you know, so he's. He gets thrown in at the deep end and then he gets framed and all that stuff. So, yeah, the.

The whole character building, like we said a couple of times already, the world building, the character building and the script from Terry Nation was just awesome.

Adam: 00:42:05

You.

Garry: 00:42:06

You.

Adam: 00:42:06

That you mentioned that little sort of quippy one liner, which is great.

And I'll tell you what, one of the things I love about Blake 7, and again, I'm trying not to jump too far ahead, but that is one of the things I love about this show.

You'll get a lot more of that type of thing coming in as the series goes on it, you know, you'll have like a really serious episode and then they'll throw in a one liner like that again. I don't want to sort of mention character names or anything that might ruin anything, but there's a lot of that to come, mate.

There's a lot of really good, sharp dialogue in the scripts coming up. And actually, especially when Chris Boucher gets involved, he adds some really cutting, funny line. The scripts really do sharpen up as well.

Yeah, there's some great moments to come. How do you feel about Gareth Thomas being cast as Blake? Do you think he was good casting?

Because I'm just going to say here and now, I think he's perfect because he's.

He manages to do that sort of just everyday guy Type thing, you know, like you said, just he's perfectly happy living his life to really turning to realizing the man he used to be. And this demeanor that he has by the end of this episode where he's almost like, back to being the activist of like, oh, no, I'm coming back.

He's like, suddenly he's a man on a mission by the end of this episode. So for me, I think Gareth Thomas was perfect casting as Blake. And I like the fact, I don't know if you know this as well.

After series one went out, he apparently was getting quite a lot of flack from his fellow thespian actors because he was. He'd done a lot of theater work apparently, I think, and they were saying, why are you doing this rubbish sci fi show for? Get back in the theater.

And he always said he was very proud of Blake 7, you know, and the character of Blake.

And he would always stick up for the show because he said, you know, it may have a, you know, small budget or whatever and you can laugh it off as a piece of tatty sci fi, but he says, you look at those scripts and a lot of them were first class writing. You know, it. He.

He always stood up for the show, even when he was getting a hard time for being in it from, you know, for one of a better word, fellow actors. And I like that. And I think he. I'm glad he stuck with it. I mean, I. I don't know, I don't want to jump forward.

I don't know how much you know about the character of Blake and what happens, like, how long he's in it. Do you? I don't know, dude. I'm fresh to everything, so then I'm gonna zip it right there and then. Gonna zip it. I'm gonna leave that.

We'll pick up on this again as we go into the series later on. But yeah, for me, great casting as Blake, I think. I don't know, I can't imagine. I'm sure there's other actors, you know, if they would.

They always talk about doing a reboot and, you know, bringing Blake 7 back. And I'm always intrigued who's sort of thrown into the ring as an actor that could be cast as Blake if they were to make it now.

But for me, back then in the 70s, and I don't know what else he'd done before this, but great as Blake. I think his performance is brilliant in this.

Like that little sound clip you played where he's like, you've done a very good Job, you know, he's great at sort of bringing through the emotion. Remember, remember, you know, all this stuff that's going on when he's in the cell cracking up and. Yeah, I think he's brilliant in it.

And I think he, I would say the, the cast in general in this are really taking it seriously. That's the other thing I love.

It doesn't feel, although it is, you know, a budget science fiction show, to me, it feels like all the cast are absolutely taking this seriously. Even the guy in the crazy sunglasses, cassette player, whatever. It's meant to be, you know, that guy who's having a good old time.

I love that character, by the way. He may only be in that one little scene, but it, the fact he conveys that even pressing a few buttons on a computer is hard work.

He's like, oh, I can't be bothered with this. You know, the guy I mean with the, the headset on is listening to music.

When they go and get the records and find out they're all falsified, that character's great. He just cannot be bothered. And then he immediately dubs them in, you know, immediately.

Garry: 00:46:09

Sorry, yeah, no jalamba.

Adam: 00:46:12

So I've jumped forward. Anyway, back to Blake, mate. What do you reckon of Gareth Thomas Blake?

Garry: 00:46:17

Yeah, I think it's great casting for, for Gareth Thomas. It's one of those actors, right, where you can tell, you can tell a mile off that he's classically trained, like theater trained.

And I'll tell you why. It's because the way he delivers some lines, he, his, the pitch in his voice is appropriate to what he's saying.

So you have that, that's very common in theater because in theater, as you all know, you have that immediate audience reaction.

So you need to make sure that you're really not over egging it, but you're sort of emphasizing things where they need emphasis and all that stuff so that you're getting the emotion across as you need to, so that the audience can pick up on that and then they react to that and, and blah, blah, blah. So you can tell that from the way he delivers certain lines.

You know, he's quite high pitched in certain ways and he's quite sort of low and, and somber in other ways. So in terms of his acting chops, very, very cool. He's kind of got, he's kind of got. To me, he's like a mix between Tom Baker and Colin Baker.

He's got that kind of sort of tall, sort of dark and broody ish, kind of Tom Baker thing going on. But then he's got the voice of Colin Baker in a lot of ways. You know, Colin Baker used to go up high with a lot of things.

Adam: 00:47:45

Yeah.

Garry: 00:47:46

You know, so I hope I'm making sense there. But, like, there's a couple of scenes where there's an example.

You know that clip that I played just before we started recording, when he's talking to. When he's talking to Tel Varon, his defense lawyer.

Adam: 00:48:03

Yeah.

Garry: 00:48:03

You know, he's saying, oh, the evidence is. Is stacked against you, sort of things that. He sounds exactly like Colin Baker in. In that. But he's like, well, it's obvious been faked.

You know, he's got this. I can't. My voice doesn't go that high. But, yeah, so he's got that. He's got almost the voice of Colin Baker in some ways in that range.

Whereas Tom Baker is just always quite. Well, most of the time quite deep. And, you know, in terms of timbre, it's quite deep and stuff. And he has that quite a lot of. In this.

But I don't know, he. The range is there in his voice. And he's also, like you said earlier, you nailed it, mate. The cast are really taking it seriously. And sometimes if.

If you don't get everybody on board and if somebody's viewing it just as a paycheck and they just want to film the scenes and go home, that really has a detrimental effect on. A detrimental effect on not only the other actors, but the final output as well. And even, like some of the more ridiculous stuff, Right.

Where they're in the sort of futuristic courtroom, if you like, and, you know, he's having his sentence passed and whatnot. There's no kind of. There's no big sort of classic courtroom back and forth between the defense and the prosecution. Right.

There's none of this sort of stuff, as you'd expect. They just have these really cheaply made bright acrylic boxes that you'd make in high school.

You know, the bright pink boxes, and they open them up and they've got these little glass spheres or orbs in them, and they put this. Put them in this machine, and it's the machine that weighs up the evidence 2 and 4 and then comes to a decision and stuff.

And, you know, even stuff like that, you know, and you've got everybody. All the extras standing around. They could look really bored at this point, you know, and people could just be like, well, this is.

I don't know if any of the actors push back on us and said, look, this doesn't really feel like a courtroom experience here. You know, we've basically.

And again mate, this goes back to what you were saying earlier that it's very relevant to today because essentially what they're doing is they're just handing over decision to AI and they're saying, right, you know, yeah, computer, AI chat, GPT. Here's, here's the things, here's all the information. What do you think? You know, and then it, it passes judgment and, and so on.

So yeah, it's, it, it has that thing where the actors are locked in and taking it seriously even at moments like that where Terry Nation, I assume I could be right or wrong in this, either Terry Nation or Chris Bosher, whatever, or Michael Bryant, they're like, look, this is the future, okay? This is exactly what our minds think is going to be like and you know, in this particular circumstance and this particular planet and whatever.

So it isn't a case of we need to apply real world, earth based whatever to this particular scenario. This is, you know, this is meant to be a science fiction futuristic show.

So yeah, so the actors, mate, are all doing their thing and Blake reacts to them exactly as he should do.

He's getting a solid performance from them and I think that makes his performance better because that the people in it are really in for it, if that makes sense. Even the guy you said, you know, the guy Nigel Lambert, he's just chilling out, listening to his music. Has that he got the memo.

He's like, you know, you're meant to be this annoyed. You know, you're the night watchman essentially on the desk. Yeah. So your job is not to do anything, you know, not.

No one's going to invade, no one's going to break in. You're just there as a body. So chill out, do what you want.

And then when he has work to do that's put upon him, he's got this kind of very sigh like, oh God sake, you know, fine, you know, whatever. So yeah, I think the cast are great and that makes Gareth Thomas's performance better. So yeah, he is good.

Adam: 00:52:12

It's important I think to have, you know, because I like Blake from the get go and I think, you know, it's important to have a, an actor in the role that you can convey, you know, range enough to be likable and also, you know, have a bit of grip to them and you know, because otherwise the show probably wouldn't have lasted more than one series, you know, and the thing is, don't forget, we are going to get six or seven other characters brought in. So Blake's the lead in this, and the show is called Blake's 7.

He is the lead guy, but, you know, he's gonna have to hold his own when we bring in the rest of the crew, who are also spoilers in a way. Very strong characters. You know, we've got a. We've got a good cast coming up, building up these seven, so he's got to hold his own in his own show.

And again, I'm having to hold back a little bit on anything I say because I don't want to ruin anything. But all I will say is, yeah, the cast in this are very strong.

And I think Gareth, absolutely taking this one, holds his own alongside everyone else who's doing a great, A great job. Just saying about his defense lawyer, though, probably shouldn't have talked about the plan in front of.

In front of the guy, you know, who dobs the binge. Probably should have left the room first before giving all that information. What about the swooshy doors as well? Did you like that? Did that.

Did that convey future? You know, they've obviously like, thought, oh, Star Trek. When the doors open, they go, we'll add a bit of that. That'll make, you know.

But they're just sort of some plywood doors that just go.

Garry: 00:53:48

It was more the. It's more the sound effects for me. That was great, dude. Because remember, this is just fresh off the back of the first Star wars film as well.

Adam: 00:53:55

Yes, yeah, true.

Garry: 00:53:56

So this released in January 78, Star wars had launched in the US May 77.

So all of the set designers and the sound designers and all these, this would have been fresh, like, as you said, Star Trek as well, and all the other sort of science fictiony, you know, inspiration and stuff. So in. In Star wars you have this like. Like this whooshing sound as doors open and. And all this stuff.

So, yeah, it's the sound effect in that regard more than anything, which is really cool. So I think however cheesy people might view that stuff, I think it is important because it.

It all sort of adds into the mix of this being, you know, it's. Although it's classic British sci fi with soddle money and all the rest of it, they've done a bloody good job of.

Of, you know, doing the best they can.

And if you're going to throw in the odd sound effect here and there to make it feel like it's some kind of futuristic thing and on whatever, then I'm all for that, dude. Yeah, I love the little.

Yeah, and there was also, like, the other things as well that you'd see, like, you know, like things moving and elevators and stuff like that. So.

Adam: 00:55:09

Yeah.

Yeah, just nice little touches, I think, you know, when we compare it to classic Hill, I think the best way of describing that is they've really made the most of the little they've got. I mean, I think Michael Lee Bryant does a great job directing this, you know, because the sets are bare minimum.

But, you know, there's great use of shadows, for example, in the scenes where before the massacre, when Blake wanders off and they've obviously put a great big light just off to the side of the camera just to say that his shadow kind of looms behind him as he walks off. And, you know, some really nice direction going on in this. I think Michael O'Brien did a great job on that, you know.

Yeah, there's a lot of atmosphere going on and I know we normally talk about the music at the end, but again, one of the other things that makes us feel a bit sort of like, classic here is Dudley Simpson's music, which to me is. Is integral to part of my love for. For Blake 7 because he really. He pretty much scores the whole series. There's the odd episode where he doesn't.

Normally one's directed by Douglas Canfield. Surprise, surprise. But Dudley's music, I think, again, is so charming and brilliant in Blake 7. I mean, he done the. Save the theme tune.

Oh, I love the theme, mate. Honestly, I. That theme, it's got to be one of my favorite TV themes. And that's, you know, Dudley Simpson composed that.

And the instrumental music that he supplies throughout the series really creates that wonderful sort of classic who. Classic Blake 7. Classic Sci Fi atmosphere to me. And again, in this episode, I think it really.

You took Dudley's music out, it would, you know, really suffer for it. You think about the scene in the court where there's. It's just those two balls bouncing from one to the other, you know, is he guilty? Not guilty.

Guilty. Not guilty. It's Dudley's sort of suspenseful music that actually makes that scene, because, like you said, nothing's really happening.

It's just two, like, globes lighting up, you know. But Dudley's music really builds that scene.

So, Yeah, I think that's one of the other things you're going to love about the series, mate, is Dudley's music. There's a Federation March, a piece of music that gets played quite often, which I don't think we've heard yet. No, we don't hear it in this episode.

But again, it'll be stuck in your head. It's like, oh, what a great piece of music that is. So, yeah, hats off to Dudley. Hats off to Michael Leigh Bryant as the director.

I think they've both done a great job in getting this, you know, series off to a start. Even just from the get go with the theme tune gets you straight into it.

Garry: 00:57:44

Yeah, yeah, there's definitely. Because before I remember when I watched this previously a few years ago, before I even looked up who the composer was, I knew it was Dudley Simpson.

Yeah, yeah. Just because you and I had watched and reviewed so many classic Hue episodes when he was the composer. It's so difficult to.

I don't know if you'd like. If you'd watched through all a classic who, you'd know we certainly knew. I certainly knew. Anyway, you probably did with old Dudders, but with who?

We found that most of his stuff was great, but there was the odd story where it was like. We're not sure what Dudders was up to with. With this story.

It sounds a bit, you know, it was just a bit out there and maybe he was just experimenting stuff. I could be wrong again, but it feels to me like Dudders has got more, more of a grasp and is more confident in this score than what he was on who.

Because, God, it's so difficult, dude, to not put yourself in some kind of virtual time machine and go back and rewrite history. I'm trying really hard not to do that. I'm just trying to picture in my head how some of the stuff went down. But I.

I'm taking a guess that Terry Nation or, you know, David Maloney, one of the producers, potentially said to him, look, this is not like Doctor who or whatever, where you do like the odd story or whatever or anything else that you've worked on. This entire series is yours. Like, you know, we need the soundtrack, we need a brand new.

Because let's be honest, you know, Dud has never did anything to do with the theme for Doctor who. It was always just incidental music and everything like that. So they, you know, because they commissioned him to do literally everything.

Like you said, there's probably the odd episode or there is the odd episode where it's someone else, but for the majority, he did the main theme, he did all the incidental music, all the stuff. It's just got a slightly different air of confidence about it. And it's Got a much more consistent, unified feel to everything.

So that because he's building everything from scratch, this is brand new territory for everybody. So he's had the opportunity to be like, right, okay, I own Blake 7 from a musical perspective. Like, this is my. This is my thing. So.

Although it's very, very familiar, again, to the work that he did on who you could.

You can tell just by the way he puts music together and certain little inflections here and there, you can tell a mile off it's Dudders, but it's very. Its own thing, which I think is important, and it's. I agree with you 100%, dude. The incidental score and the theme and everything, just brilliant.

Adam: 01:00:28

Yeah, I mean, you're right, actually. I mean, he. He does. It is as if he's been given, like, this is your series. You're going to be on this. Because he.

I think I'm right in saying he pretty much does every episode right the way till the end, apart from a couple of episodes, because famously, him and director Douglas Canfield fell out. So if ever Dougie was directing a Doctor who or Blake 7 or anything that Dudley worked on, he wouldn't use Dudley, which seems a bit petty.

It's hard to believe that that went on for so long, but it's just what it was. So I think there's two episodes, possibly a couple, I don't know, that Douglas directs, and of course, he uses a different composer.

And you almost feel a bit sorry for Dudley in a way, because it's almost like if he's been given the show and he's done the music for every episode, why, it seems a little petty to not use him for just two episodes. But I have to say, actually, when we get to one of them, which is in series, you do get this really odd.

I don't know if it's stop music or what, but it's not Dudley, and it's actually pretty cool. So sometimes it's always nice to give someone else a go.

And it does add a different dynamic, but you definitely notice it because Dudley's got a style that I think you instantly know it's Dudley. I don't know if it's the instruments he uses or if it just has that. I don't know that he uses very similar music tropes that we hear in Doctor who.

You'll. You'll. You'll notice some of that coming up as the series goes on. There's this, like, little.

I don't know what sort of instrument it is, like this Rattly, you know, you think? Oh, yeah, yeah. We hear that a lot in DOT two, so there's a lot of that coming up. But it's. It's quintessentially Douglas. And for me, it's.

It's half the charm of the series, mate. I just love his music throughout this series.

Garry: 01:02:14

Yeah, agreed. Of course not agreed on the series, but what I've heard so far, mmm, it's been. Yeah, great stuff. Okay.

Should we talk about a few characters before we.

Adam: 01:02:24

Yeah, yeah. We get to meet a couple of other. We get to meet two of our potential seven.

Well, we get to meet two characters that are going to come up in the series, which is, of course, Sally Cavette. I hope I'm saying that right, as Jenna Stannis and Michael Keating as Villa Restall.

So we get to meet them sort of towards the end of the episode, really, isn't it? They're sort of.

You know, we get introduced to Blake, he takes up a good portion of episode one, and then sort of towards the end we get to meet these other two characters who are in the cell with him. So we know that they're not necessarily good people because I think Jenna is a smuggler and Villa is a. Is a thief.

He says his mind has been worked on. So. Yeah, what do you think of these guys, mate?

Because, again, not giving too much away, but they're going to become quite an important part of the series in some way. So what's your first impressions of Jenna and Villa?

Garry: 01:03:23

Interesting characters, those two, and they provided a nice. A nice viewpoint for what I assume is to come moving forward throughout the. Throughout the show. And what I mean by that is we know that with the.

With the discussion that. That Blake has with.

With Terrence early on, you know, just before the massacre, and he lays out what's happened to him and some aspects of his past life and then him being framed and he's in the holding cells ready to go to Cygnus Alpha and so on. These.

These characters are more sort of akin to the sort of people he would sort of muck around with before his life was brainwashed and all the rest of it. Not saying that, you know, he is like a, you know, a smuggler or a thief or whatever, but they provide a bit more unbeknownst to him at this time.

I think they provide a bit of common ground with the sort of character that he could have been before and might end up being as we go through the show. That's my guess, at least, because, you know, you're probably sitting there thinking, gaz, you got this all wrong.

Adam: 01:04:36

But I try not to say anything. It's really hard for me, actually. I, I hadn't really taken this into account that there'll be things that.

If we were discussing it, as someone who'd watched the series and we're reviewing it and were familiar with it, there are things that we would be saying, like, at this point. And I'm thinking, no, I can't say that because you don't know about that yet.

So actually, this is a quite a different dynamic to when we've reviewed something that we're familiar with. So I'm holding back a little bit on what I want to say, but. Yeah, yeah, but without giving too much away, I think.

Do you get the impression these are guys that have sort of are wised up to the Federation? They're. They're not sort of under the, you know, the drugs or whatever.

The, the, you know, Villa talks about his head being worked on for whatever reason, it hasn't worked. So they've been deemed like they've got to go because these guys, you know, the drugs don't work. So these guys have got to go to sickness Alpha.

Let's get rid of them. So in that sense, they, they, they're with Blake because they're not under the influence of the Federation, but they are.

I mean, Villa's a thief and Jenna's a smuggler, so they are sort of technically criminals, if you like, which, you know, Blake probably wouldn't necessarily normally want to associate with those people, but given his situation, they may just have to work together to get out of it. I think that's quite interesting.

Garry: 01:05:54

Yes. Yeah, that's exactly the impression I got was they're kind of, you know, there's no honor amongst thieves sort of thing. So there's.

You can tell that there's not a huge amount of sort of niceness going on between Villa and Jenna. But you can see that they. And along with Blake at this point, he's got a little less patience, but they're kind of tolerating each other.

And they know, like you said, they're completely wised up to the fact that they know their fate, whereas Blake's sort of holding out, isn't he?

He's really, really hoping that Varon's gonna turn up some new evidence and he's gonna throw this thing out and come and get Blake out of the cell and he's gonna go back to his life and stuff like that. So he's kind of holding out Right in till the last moment. Whereas Villa and Jenna, they're like, nah, dude, we know exactly where you're going.

It's the same place as us, so get used to that sort of thing.

Adam: 01:06:52

Strap yourself in.

Garry: 01:06:53

Yeah. And what's really cool as well is the. Again, I'll go back to the performances from the supporting characters. They got the memo 100%.

It's like you are not the same as the. The citizens of the domed city who aren't under the influence of all the suppressants and everything like that.

You guys have got to be like the han solos of Blake 7. Like, you're the sort of scoundrels, the dudes that know how the universe and the galaxy works.

You know the score, and you're a little bit cocky to go with it, you know, especially. Especially Villa. Like, the first interaction with Blake is that, you know, he gets under his skin quite quickly when Blake. Stop watch.

And when Blake reacts, he's like, oh, I hate personal violence, especially when I'm the person.

Adam: 01:07:42

Yeah.

Garry: 01:07:42

And then he sort of rolls his eyes and tries to deflect a little bit. He's like, murderers, liars, cheats, smugglers. And Jenna comes in and just lands him in it straight away. Thieves.

Adam: 01:07:50

Yeah. You know, they're just the nice people.

Garry: 01:07:53

Yeah. So you have these kind of.

A very different way of talking and a very different way of acting compared to the, you know, the courtroom scenes and all the rest of it, where those people are very much in the. They're in the Matrix kind of thing, if that is the best way to put it. Whereas these guys are.

They're out of the Matrix and they know how the game works. Sorts of, you know, I imagine. And I'm gain.

I'm guessing here, dude, but I'm assuming, rightly or wrongly, that as we get through the show, Blake also is completely 100 wised up to how everything. Everything works. And, you know. And, you know, he's not. Doesn't want to go back to, you know, being suppressed and brainwashed and everything.

And we'll come to that. A future episode, I'm sure. But so, yeah, those guys recorded and they were played by. So Villa was Michael Keating and then. Yeah.

Sally Kavett, I think, is, how you say it, as Jenna.

Adam: 01:08:48

Do you recognize Sally from. I think she. She's done quite a lot of television work since Blake. She was in Emmerdale, I think, for quite a long time. But did you.

Did you recognize either of these guys? I think Michael's done quite well. He was in EastEnders. For a bit.

And they've gone on to have, you know, fairly decent TV careers, I think, both these people.

Garry: 01:09:05

Yeah, so I know of. Of Sally, she was Kate Sugden. Right. In Emmerdale back in the day.

I didn't really watch it too much, but I think it was on in the background and stuff like that. But she's been loads of stuff. Corrie, the Bill. These are all great sort of British soaps and sitcoms or whatever.

Casualty, a little stint in EastEnders, and of course, Zed Cars back in the day. Of course. Yeah, yeah. So, yeah, I recognize her from just sort of things that have been on in the background when I was younger.

But, yeah, and the same for Michael Keaton as well. Eastenders and whatnot.

Adam: 01:09:41

I realized I did jump ahead a bit there, mate. Was there any other characters that you. That jumped out at you in this that you want to talk about?

Because I did go straight for those three guys because we were talking about the crew building up and stuff. But anyone else in this that really stood out to you as good characters?

Garry: 01:09:57

Yeah, so just. Just again, to mention him quickly, the character of. What's his name? Dev Tarrant, The American guy. Yeah, he was. He was really good.

And that was Jeremy Wilkin. And he wasn't. He wasn't in it as much as I'd hoped because he was a really nice.

Like you said earlier, a really nice character and felt like he was kind of almost there in getting Blake back into. Into the group, as it were, until he was untimely massacred down with the rest of them.

So I would have thought that if he hadn't have been killed, him and Blake would have made a good tag team moving forward. But. So he was good.

Adam: 01:10:45

You talk about. So you talk about Jeremy Wilkin, the guy. The blonde guy who sort of dobs them in. You talk about the grass.

Garry: 01:10:50

Oh, no, sorry, not the grass. No, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.

Adam: 01:10:54

You mean Bran Foster?

Garry: 01:10:55

Bran Foster. Sorry, yes. Yeah, my mistake. Sorry. Bran Foster, played by Robert Beatty. And, yeah, he was. Like I said, he was just a really good.

Almost like a father figure you could imagine if he wasn't sort of, you know, mowed down.

Adam: 01:11:14

Yeah.

Garry: 01:11:15

Almost like a sort of person to look up to for Blake. A bit of a father figure. So, yeah, unfortunate.

Adam: 01:11:22

I really like his character, mate. I really like his performance. There's something about his look, this big mop of gray hair. But his voice. Yeah, it. And also, I'm. Even though he.

He's hardly in it. You're right. He's not even in it that much. But I'm sad when he gets shot down.

And I think the reason for that is when they first come in, he's like, listen, it's all right. Just stay calm, do what they want. He's trying to be peaceful. And then they just shoot him. And you're like, no, that's really harsh like that.

You know, it's just, you know, unarmed man shot down, so in cold blood. And he is. He's such a likable character. I would have loved for him to have been in a couple more episodes.

There is just something about him, and I love the costume he's got. You know, when I said he looks like he belongs in Star wars, do you know what I mean about that?

It's something about his outfit and, I don't know, just his whole swagger and demeanor. But, yeah, a really lovely, almost understated performance from Robert Beatty. I would imagine he did a lot of film and tv.

He just looks like someone I've seen. I feel like I know him, if you know what I mean, instantly. But maybe he's just got one of those wonderful actor faces, I don't know. But he's great.

I love him. And I always get. Even though I know it's coming, I always get sad that, you know, he gets callously shot down very quickly.

Garry: 01:12:45

Yeah.

Adam: 01:12:46

As. As they all do. I mean, it's quite a. You know, it's quite a massacre, that scene, isn't it? They all get taken down, you know, there's no sympathy or.

Or anything shown. They're just massacred, the lot of them.

Garry: 01:12:59

Yes, just another two characters quickly. I mean, they were all. All the supporting cast were good, in my opinion. Even Morag, you know, she had a.

Adam: 01:13:12

She's brilliant on the chase. I love her in the ch. Oh, no, that's not. Someone else. She reminds me of an. Sorry.

Garry: 01:13:18

Yeah, she. She had a. Again, a. She. She had treated her voice in a certain way to come across as very.

Very sort of old school British, classic British kind of accent.

Adam: 01:13:29

There's a lot theatrical.

Garry: 01:13:31

Yeah, very theatrical. But she was. You know, she was still good. But the two characters that I'd like to. I'd like to see more of Ven Glynd.

Adam: 01:13:40

Yeah, he was good, wasn't he?

Garry: 01:13:41

Yeah, yeah. He's like the Federation Arbiter. He's like the top dude, if you like, at this point. So you could see that he was very.

He's got that classic Bond villain thing going on where he's quietly confident. And the character. I Want to mention first, actually, is Varon. Tell Varon, who's the defense lawyer who gets assigned to Blake.

And unbeknownst to him, due to the corruption and the framing of Blake, he kind of gets handed a perfect case to put him away. But then he's got a bit of a brain about him, so he. He clocks that something isn't right. And then him and his.

Him and his girlfriend actually, or his wife, they make a pretty good little. Little tag team for a little while until they meet their untimely doom.

But I thought he was really good just because when the scenes where it's just a conversation between him and Blake or him and his wife, they. There's no fancy frills and no fancy camera angles. It's just pure acting, you know, it's just, you know, getting into character and stuff like that.

So I thought he was really good and like you said, a couple of little bummers for him because he basically spells out the entire thing in front of the security guard. And then he's not really quiet when he's walking around. You know, he's walking in front of guards and everything.

And he's just saying, you know, there's corruption and there's this going on and. And all this. So a good character. I really liked his performance. And the. The two in.

And throw in between him and between him and Gareth Thomas was really good, so I thought he was good. Did you think he was cool?

Adam: 01:15:24

Yes, I really like him. Him and his girlfriend. I don't know what her name was, but yeah, they're important characters as well because they are rooting for our hero.

You know, they are. They have realized that he has been set up and it's really. There is only hope, you know, Help me, Obiwan. Help me, Delta.

Tell Baron you're my only hope because without them, he's off to Cygnus Alpha. So when we see them callously dead on the ground at the end, we think, oh, well, Blake's got no chance. You know, they were his only.

Only chance of being proved innocent. So they are wiped out. And I think also it shows that you're going to get introduced to nice characters in this series.

But there's a very good chance they may not make it. There's a. There's a danger to Blake 7. It's got an edge to it that no one is really safe.

You know, I mean, I guess it's kind of obvious in a way that they're. They're not going to save him, I suppose, because you Know that, you know, was it only be one episode long? Oh, by the way, he's innocent. Okay.

End of story. But so you kind of know that they've got to get killed.

But yeah, great little characters, really nice performances from both of them in this and, and again, it's quite sad really, when you see him on the floor dead. It's really sort of. Oh, you know, even though you kind of know it's coming, it's. It's sad to see them die.

Garry: 01:16:39

Yeah, yeah, it is. And it is his wife and her name's Marjorie and she's played by Pippa Steel.

Adam: 01:16:46

There we go. Oh, that's a good name in it. Pippa Steel.

Garry: 01:16:49

Yeah.

So they were a good little tag team and it is sad to see them, but then that just, that just heightens the, the sort of emotional connection you have to the, to the Federation.

You can see straight off the bat that they're not messing around and they will use, you know, murder and violence and suppression everything to, you know, for their own means. So that just heightens your, like, right, come on, Blake, we need an escape here.

We need to take these dudes down, you know, so, yeah, although it's sad that they came to an end, it's, it just makes you realize, you know, it just sort of heightens your hatred for them and all that stuff. And who else was it?

The other character that I thought was, was cool, albeit slightly cheesy, was Tarrant, played by Jeremy Wilkin, who I've got the name correct this time. So he's the guy that's the sort of undercover at the beginning.

Adam: 01:17:44

Yeah.

Garry: 01:17:45

And sort of has managed to sort of get in with the, with the dissidents and, and the uprising. Potential uprising. And he's alerted them, obviously, and he's the one who gave the guards a location to the, to the Oncoming Massacre and so on.

The reason I say it's cheesy is because his performance was good, don't get me wrong, but there's a scene where Blake has just been sentenced in the courtroom and he comes around the corner at the end and just stands there for about 10 seconds with the camera just grinning and he's just got this weird sort of maniacal but satisfied grin on his face and stuff. I was like, okay, we're hammering this bit up a little bit, but so I thought he was kind of cool dude.

Adam: 01:18:26

Yeah, I mean, I, I, as soon as I see this guy, I just think of Revenge of the Cybermen, which is the only other thing I've ever seen him in. But it's weird because he often plays these. Well, sorry, not often. That's the only thing I've seen him in.

But he's a very similar character in Revenge of Sidemen, isn't he? That he's just sort of like this double crossing, slightly shady character that sort of lurks in the background, but he's very good at that.

And I always think Jeremy Wilkins comes across as quite a good actor, but I don't think he did a lot. You know, when I looked at his cv, he's actually not done as much as you'd think, which seems a shame because he is one of those that he's.

Again, he's sort of got the memo and he obviously does that quite shady type character. He obviously plays that very well. So I'm surprised he sort of didn't get cast more in things. But yeah, in this I think he's good.

He's not in it very much. I think it's very obvious from the get go that it is him that is, you know, dobbed them all in.

You know, it's an interesting choice that he's given his character limp. I don't know if he just wanted to add or whether the actor was generally hurt, I don't know.

But he's got this bizarre limp which when I rewatched this last night, I was trying to think, oh, is that. Do they say at some point. Hang on, he was limping a minute ago and he's not limping now, so he must be the traitor. But that doesn't happen.

So that just must been a, a choice on, on the actor to, to give his character a limp. Maybe Sawyer added something to it, I don't know. Or maybe he actually hurt himself before filming, I don't know. But possibly. Yeah, possibly.

But he's good. I like Jerry Wilkin. He just does that slightly shady character. Well, I think. But yeah, he's not in it much.

Garry: 01:20:00

He's not, is he? No, but he was good, though.

Adam: 01:20:02

Yeah.

Garry: 01:20:04

Okie dokie. And like I said, the rest of the supporting cast, they were all, you know, very good. Ravella at the beginning, she was good. And Morag, she was.

Adam: 01:20:14

Morag.

Garry: 01:20:14

Yeah, she was funny. And the. I think. I can't remember who the character, the lady who was overseeing who sort of serves the final sentence on Blake and whatnot.

Oh, yeah, in the courtroom she was good. You were. Wasn't taking any, any messing about from anybody and stuff. So the, the other supporting characters were good.

I don't know if there's anyone else you want to mention?

Adam: 01:20:35

But no, just.

I just wanted to mention the cream sofa, actually, which, yeah, I know it's a funny, funny thing to pick up on, but that cream sofa pops up all over the place. It's in Doctor who. It was in all lots of shows back in the day that. That sofa was obviously a.

In BBC storage for quite some time because it does make an appearance in a lot of shows around this era and it did pop up recently on some program. Oh, like one of these restoration programs that we have on TV now. I think it was about a year ago it popped up on one of those.

Someone had found it and it was in a terrible state. And they went through all the programs that it appeared in, like Morcom and Wise and Doctor who and Blake seven and.

And it was like an endless list that this blooming sofa had made an appearance in. So, yeah, keep an eye out for that. I'm sure it pops up a few times in Blake 7, but it's in everything.

They restored it, by the way, whatever this BBC program was I was watching, they. They restored it back to its former glory. So someone's got that lovely sofa somewhere. But yeah, keep an eye on that, mate. That make.

That probably makes as many appearances in Blake 7 as some of the regular cast. It will pop up again.

Garry: 01:21:47

Yeah. Yeah, that was cool. Yeah. I didn't know. I didn't notice, but I saw that when I researched it.

Yeah, some of the episode stuff, but yeah, I imagine that's going to happen a lot without any spoilers, dude. I imagine there's going to be some more props and other stuff that's going to pop up that has been in Doctor who.

Adam: 01:22:04

Oh, yeah. Well, you'll see all sorts pop up. Yeah. Yeah, they definitely raid the BBC store cupboard for stuff throughout the series. Yeah.

Garry: 01:22:13

Okay. Right. Alrighty. If there's anything else you want to mention, do. We'll do that now.

Otherwise we will do our usual stuff that you guys probably know us for, which is putting our scores on the doors for our episode. So anything else, dude, or you want to score this now?

Adam: 01:22:29

No, I reckon I'm ready to score it. I'm gonna go to you first, though, because I'm really intrigued now. What, you're gonna score this out of 10?

Garry: 01:22:35

Out of 10. So. Out of 10, dude, I'm gonna give this a 7.5.

Adam: 01:22:42

Okay.

Garry: 01:22:43

Because I'm. I'm giving it that score because I think a seven for me, a seven and. And upwards is a good episode.

I'm giving it a 0.5, because I'm just in that kind of.

I'm on a bit of a high because I've started this new journey about watching it, and I've kind of immediately dived into the whole story and everything and. And all that sort of stuff. So I.

I'm sure there are many episodes to come that are going to be better than this first episode, but I think for me, there's just a bit of an excitement factor and a bit of a sort of cool new shiny thing going on, so.

Adam: 01:23:19

I hear you.

Garry: 01:23:20

Yeah. 7.5 for me, dude. What about you?

Adam: 01:23:22

Well, actually, I'm. I'm really thrilled we're on the same page because that's exactly what I've scored as well. And 7.5, like you, to me, is a good score.

I think anything I rate around 7 means it's good. I'm giving it the 0.5 because I think it's just slightly better than good. It's not an 8.

An 8 to me is when an episode's really sort of firing on all cylinders. This is a good opening episode, so, yeah, I'm giving it a 7.5 as well.

Garry: 01:23:48

Alrighty. So the opening inaugural episode of Federation Strike comes up trumps, dude, out of the gate. We're. We're both on the same page. And.

And I'm loving this dynamic as well, dude, with me being a complete newbie to it or you being the ex. I'm the Padawan, you're the experienced Jedi, and. Yeah, and it's. It's great. Yeah. So. But I'm. One thing I will say though, is I. I'm.

I'm thrilled to be off on the. On the journey with you to. To go through it. And. And I'm loving the dynamic, dude. So a good opening episode.

Adam: 01:24:24

Well, and also I'm glad you enjoyed it as much as you did, because I feel like we're now rocking and rolling. I was expecting you. I was hoping you would at least enjoy it. I wasn't expecting you to have really got into it as much as you have. So this is great.

It means we are now ready to go. You know, it's not a case of me saying, well, dude, you thought it was okay. Stick with it. You know, it's gonna get. You're already there.

You're already into it, which is a really good way to start it. So I'm excited to. To see where we go from here, mate.

Garry: 01:24:53

Indeedy. I agree. So with six point. Sorry, 6.5. Come on, Garry. With 7.5. S all around for episode one, the way back. Let's end it there for episode one, dude.

Adam: 01:25:07

Alrighty.

Garry: 01:25:21

Thank you very much for listening to the first episode of our brand new podcast. That was Federation Strike, a journey through Blake 7 and our review of the Way Back, the very first episode of Blake's 7.

Make sure you are liking and following and subscribing to this podcast on whatever app you're listening to this on.

It would be great have you along on this journey as we dive into every episode of Blake 7 and you can also follow us for some updates and other little bits over on the socials. It's going to be on X or Twitter, you can find us on there. Just do a Search for Lake 7 podcast. We're also on Blue sky as well under the same name.

So under those two platforms, Lake 7 podcast you can follow along as. And we'll chat to you guys as we go through this journey as well.

Don't forget to check out our other podcast, the Doctor who, the Big Blue Box podcast that's been going for many years. If you've not listened to that yet, we do a very similar format but for everything to do with Doctor who.

So just do a search for the Big Blue Box podcast, you'll find that. And Adam and I have dived through pretty much everything to do with Doctor who over there, so.

And lastly, talking of my co host, don't forget to remember to check out his podcast. It's called the Geek's Handbag.

Adam: 01:26:40

Yeah, the Geeks Handbag. It's. I'm on YouTube. Got a YouTube channel. Lots of Doctor who stuff. The Geek's Handbag indeed.

Garry: 01:26:46

Yes. Right. With all that being said, my name's Garry.

Adam: 01:26:50

My name's Adam and we will see.

Garry: 01:26:52

You next time on Federation Strike, a journey through Blake 7 SA.