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.[1]
| # | Title | Cast | Writer | Broadcast Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | The Sevenfold Crown | Paul Darrow as Avon, Michael Keating as Vila, Steven Pacey as Tarrant, Peter Tuddenham as Orac/Slave, Jacqueline Pearce as Servalan, Angela Bruce as Dayna and Paula Wilcox as Soolin | Barry Letts | 17 January 1998 |
| Raiding Servalan's HQ, the crew discover that she possesses a jewel that belongs to an ancient, long-lost crown a mystical artefact of indescribable power. Suddenly the Scorpio crew are as determined as Servalan to acquire the circlet; but if they do, will absolute power corrupt Avon absolutely? | ||||
| 2 | The Syndeton Experiment | Paul Darrow as Avon, Michael Keating as Vila, Steven Pacey as Tarrant, Peter Tuddenham as Orac/Slave, Jacqueline Pearce as Servalan, Angela Bruce as Dayna and Paula Wilcox as Soolin | Barry Letts | 10 April 1999 |
| Tired of running, Avon and company plan to settle down on the planet Syndexia. But Servalan is ahead of them, on the trail of the man who invented the nanochip, a device which offers total control over human beings. If Servalan reaches Dr Rossum first, she stands a chance of enslaving a whole population... | ||||
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.[2]
| # | Title | Cast | Writer | Broadcast Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Rebel | Derek Riddell as Blake, Daniela Nardini as Servalan, Colin Salmon as Avon, Craig Kelly as Travis, Carrie Dobro as Jenna, India Fisher and Michael Praed. | Ben Aaronovitch | 22 December 2007 |
| In the third century of the second calendar, the galactic Federation, once a beacon of democracy and peace, has become a corrupt tyranny.
Freedom and Justice are things of the past. Roj Blake stood up for the ordinary people. When the establishment tried intimidation he laughed in their faces. When they tried to crush him he fought back. When they tried to brainwash him into obedience, he broke their conditioning. Finally they framed him and sentenced him to permanent exile on the notorious prison planet Cygnus Alpha. The Federation thinks it has seen the last of Roj Blake. The Federation will wish it had... | ||||
| 1.2 | Traitor | Derek Riddell as Blake, Daniela Nardini as Servalan, Colin Salmon as Avon, Carrie Dobro as Jenna, Craig Kelly as Travis, India Fisher and Rula Lenska. | Marc Platt | 29 December 2007 |
| Roj Blake is on the run. He has a ship, but the ship has plans of its own. He has a crew, but who are his friends and who are his enemies? Blake thought space promised freedom, but space is cold, cruel and steeped in blood. The power of the Federation reaches further and deeper than Blake dared imagine. Freedom is nowhere to be found. | ||||
| 1.3 | Liberator | Derek Riddell as Blake, Daniela Nardini as Servalan, Colin Salmon as Avon, Carrie Dobro as Jenna, Craig Kelly as Travis and Doug Bradley. | James Swallow | 5 January 2008 |
| The Federation’s grip is tightening. Roj Blake and the crew of the Liberator have nowhere left to hide. As time runs out, old friendships are shattered and new alliances are forged. Choices are made, and battle lines are drawn across the galaxy. A path of betrayal, lies and deceit leads to only one destination, towards a deadly confrontation that will change everything. | ||||
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.[3]
| # | Title | Cast | Writer | Broadcast Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | When Vila Met Gan | Michael Keating as Vila, Owen Aaronovitch as Gan and Alistair Lock as Zen | Ben Aaronovitch | 4 June 2010 |
| Earth. 2230 AD. A time of social and political turmoil… Olag Gan wants to marry the woman of his dreams. Vila Restal wants to steal anything that isn’t nailed down. When they form a partnership, a perfect combination of strength and skill, it seems that nothing stands between them and the easy life. But fate hates to give a sucker an even break and the course of true love never did run smooth. | ||||
| 1.2 | Point of No Return | Craig Kelly, Jake Maskall and Peter Guinness | James Swallow | 31 December 2011 |
| London, 2230; on the eve of a tense election that will send shockwaves throughout the Federation, Major Stefan Travis (Craig Kelly) finds his liberty unexpectedly cancelled and a new assignment thrust upon him. A key political activist and opponent of the government (Peter Guinness) has been arrested, accused of hate crimes and incitement to violence, but a trail of murder and conspiracy leads Travis to doubt the truth presented to him. When a deadly terrorist atrocity looms, how far will he go to prevent millions of deaths? | ||||
| 1.3 | Eye of the Machine | Colin Salmon, Keeley Hawes and Geoffrey Palmer | Ben Aaronovitch | 31 May 2010 |
| Oxford University. It is the Freedom Spring of 2230 and the campus is a hotbed of student protest as Roj Blake’s Freedom Party seeks to sweep away a century of corrupt rule. Kerr Avon (Colin Salmon), a young man from the frontier, brilliant, ambitious and naïve, has arrived to make his mark on the future. Avon is here to work with Professor Ensor (Geoffrey Palmer), the Federation’s most brilliant cyberneticist, and has no intention of getting involved in politics – he may be naïve but he isn’t stupid. And then he meets Anna Grant (Keeley Hawes), activist and girl about town, and all bets are off! | ||||
| 1.4.1 | Blood & Earth | Jan Chappell, Amy Humphreys, Barbara Joslyn and Julian Wadham | Ben Aaronovitch | 1 June 2010 |
| On Auron, every clone lives in a world buoyed by the constant murmur of telepathic support, gossip and opinions. When Ariane Cally’s plane crashes in the middle of a wilderness park she finds herself cut off not only from rescue, but the voices that have sustained her all her life. Her only hope is the mysterious Aunty, the single voice she can still hear, a woman who claims to have been the second Cally ever to be born on Auron. From Aunty she will learn the true and secret history of her people, but only if the wilderness doesn’t kill her first. | ||||
| 1.4.2 | Flag & Flame | Susannah Doyle, Natalie Walter and Michael Cochrane | Marc Platt | 7 January 2012 |
| Twins are special; Auronar clone twins doubly so. They’re grown that way. Pilot Skate Cally and Operative Merrin Cally are a Flight Team on the Auronar cruiser Flag of Hope. They’ve been in each other’s heads, living each other’s lives, the same feelings, differences, orders and taste buds, since they were first poured out of a vat. But after High Command sends Skate on a one-way mission investigating Federation incursions in the Dancer Cluster, Merrin faces a bleak new future on her own, uncovering the dark half of the sister she thought she knew. | ||||
| 1.5.1 | The Dust Run | Carrie Dobro and Benedict Cumberbatch | Simon Guerrier | 2 June 2010 |
| Jenna Stannis has grown up as a spacer, where the normal rules don’t apply. No school, no police, no public imperatives – that’s still all to come. But the situation on Earth is changing and the effects are slowly being felt throughout the Vega system. It’s going to mean trouble for a brash boy called Townsend – who Jenna doesn’t fancy at all. Soon Jenna and Townsend are competing in the Dust Run – racing shuttles through an asteroid field without using computers, making the complex calculations in their heads. It’s dangerous, fool-hardy and really good fun. But they’re playing for the highest of stakes… | ||||
| 1.5.2 | The Trial | Carrie Dobro, Stephen Lord and Benedict Cumberbatch | Simon Guerrier | 3 June 2010 |
| The election is going to change everything. A man called Roj Blake promises the voters new hope, an end to years of corruption. There are those who can’t let him be heard. But Jenna Stannis is determined to get his message out to the colonies. It’s been years since the Dust Run, and Jenna’s a changed woman. She’s left the Vega system far behind, using her exceptional piloting skills to carve out a life as a smuggler. Blake’s message could earn her a fortune – or cost her her life. | ||||
| 2.1 | Escape Velocity | Zoe Tapper, Jason Merrells, Tracy-Ann Oberman and Alistair Lock as Zen | James Swallow | 24 December 2011 |
| A derelict rescued from the brink of destruction by Roj Blake and his band of dissidents, the ship is their weapon in the war against the corrupt Federation, its origin unknown – until now. What terrible catastrophe left the Liberator drifting and shattered? What drove the ship’s computer to murder its original crew? What dark secrets lie at the heart of this alien machine? For one woman, a pilot in the service of the all-powerful System, these questions will be answered in a desperate search for her own identity…a search that can only end in betrayal and death. | ||||
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!”[4]
| # | Title | Cast | Writer | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | The Turing Test | Paul Darrow as Avon and Michael Keating as Vila | Simon Guerrier | February 2012 |
| Avon and Vila go undercover at a top secret research establishment. | ||||
| 1.2 | Solitary | Michael Keating as Vila and Anthony Howell as Nyrron | Nigel Fairs | February 2012 |
| Vila is alone and amnesiac. Why have his friends turned against him? | ||||
| 1.3 | Counterfeit | Gareth Thomas as Blake and Paul Darrow as Avon | Peter Anghelides | February 2012 |
| Blake investigates a mining facility, unaware that his sworn enemy is close by... | ||||
| 2.1 | The Magnificent Four | Jan Chappell as Cally and Paul Darrow as Avon | Simon Guerrier | August 2012 |
| A mission to steal data from the planet Mogul goes badly wrong when Cally and Avon are outflanked and outgunned. And then they are teleported to safety – to an alien spaceship stolen from The System, which is crewed by Gilden Trent and his small team of rebels.
For Avon it’s the opportunity to renew life without Blake. But can Trent be trusted? | ||||
| 2.2 | False Positive | Gareth Thomas as Blake and Beth Chalmers as Lian | Eddie Robson | August 2012 |
| Dr Lian has a mysterious new patient – a man who was found shot in the leg near Engel City, a man who is delirious and talking about the most extraordinary acts of rebellion.
She prescribes drugs and the use of the alleviator – a device that will dig deep into his memories – to unlock the truth about Carlin Guzan. But the truth that she exposes is far more shocking than she bargained for... | ||||
| 2.3 | Wolf | Jacqueline Pearce as Servalan, Jan Chappell as Cally and Anthony Howell as Nyrron | Nigel Fairs | August 2012 |
| “I heard his death cry. I felt it. And there was a word. ‘Wolf’. You, Servalan. You were the “Wolf”. You killed him. I want to know why.”
Some time ago, Blake and his crew were helped by a revered Auron scientist named Gustav Nyrron. He stayed aboard the Liberator for a time, and then disappeared. Cally wants to know what happened to Nyrron, and only Servalan knows the answers. | ||||
| 3.1 | The Armageddon Storm: Part 1 | Paul Darrow as Kerr Avon, Michael Keating as Vila Restal, Jan Chappell as Cally and Tom Chadbon as Del Grant | Cavan Scott and Mark Wright | February 2013 |
| When mercenary Del Grant alerts the Liberator crew to the existence of a new Federation super-weapon, Avon leads an epic battle to avert catastrophe... | ||||
| 3.2 | The Armageddon Storm: Part 2 | Paul Darrow as Kerr Avon, Michael Keating as Vila Restal, Jan Chappell as Cally and Tom Chadbon as Del Grant | Cavan Scott and Mark Wright | February 2013 |
| When mercenary Del Grant alerts the Liberator crew to the existence of a new Federation super-weapon, Avon leads an epic battle to avert catastrophe... | ||||
| 3.3 | The Armageddon Storm: Part 3 | Paul Darrow as Kerr Avon, Michael Keating as Vila Restal, Jan Chappell as Cally and Tom Chadbon as Del Grant | Cavan Scott and Mark Wright | February 2013 |
| When mercenary Del Grant alerts the Liberator crew to the existence of a new Federation super-weapon, Avon leads an epic battle to avert catastrophe... | ||||
| 4.1 | Promises | Jan Chappell as Cally and Stephen Greif as Travis | Nigel Fairs | May 2013 |
| Cally is alone with Travis, Blake's mortal enemy. As they delve into the past, a long hidden secret that links them both is revealed. | ||||
| 4.2 | Epitaph | Sally Knyvette as Jenna and Michael Keating as Vila | Scott Harrison | May 2013 |
| When Jenna and Vila answer a distress call from a ship, a journey begins that will lead them to the surviving members of Jenna's family. | ||||
| 4.3 | Kerr | Jacqueline Pearce as Servalan and Paul Darrow as Kerr | Nick Wallace | May 2013 |
| Supreme Commander Servalan believes she has a vital insight into the Liberator crew - a clone of Avon. But can this clone be trusted? | ||||
| 5.1 | Logic | Louise Jameson as Pol, Paul Darrow as Avon, Sally Knyvette as Jenna and Jacqueline Pearce as Servalan | Simon Guerrier | August 2013 |
| Pol is an ordinary woman living an ordinary life on Earth. So why are the crew of the Liberator so interested in her? | ||||
| 5.2 | Risk Management | Gareth Thomas as Blake and Sally Knyvette as Jenna | Una McCormack | August 2013 |
| When Blake and Jenna go to the aid of the planet Sutskar, they become embroiled in deception and betrayal. | ||||
| 5.3 | Three | Jacqueline Pearce as Servalan and Joseph Kloska as Cullen | James Goss | August 2013 |
| The renowned journalist Cullen has the scoop of a lifetime - an interview with Supreme Commander Servalan herself. It will be the greatest mistake of his life. | ||||
| 6.1 | Incentive | Paul Darrow as Avon, Steven Pacey as Tarrant and Adrian Lukis as Bracheeni | Peter Anghelides | November 2013 |
| The Liberator crew are recovering from a Galactic War and searching for their lost members Blake and Jenna. But it’s a search that leads them into terrible danger… | ||||
| 6.2 | Jenna's Story | Sally Knyvette as Jenna and John Banks as Correl | Mark Wright and Cavan Scott | November 2013 |
| Jenna's story is finally told - from her escape from the Liberator during the Galactic War, to her determination to continue the fight against the Federation alone… with the odds stacked against her. | ||||
| 6.3 | Blake's Story | Gareth Thomas as Blake and Paul Darrow as Avon | Steve Lyons | November 2013 |
| Blake's story is finally told - from his escape from the Liberator during the Galactic War, to his new life as a troubled, scarred man on a distant rebel world… | ||||
| 7.1 | Spy | Simon Guerrier | February 2014 | |
| 7.2 | Disorder | Eddie Robson | February 2014 | |
| 7.3 | The Hard Road | James Swallow | February 2014 | |
| 8.1 | President | Simon Guerrier | May 2014 | |
| 8.2 | The Sea of Iron | Marc Platt | May 2014 | |
| 8.3 | Spoils | James Goss | May 2014 | |
| 9.1 | Defector | Cavan Scott and Mark Wright | August 2014 | |
| 9.2 | Planetfall | Cavan Scott and Mark Wright | August 2014 | |
| 9.3 | Secrets | Cavan Scott and Mark Wright | August 2014 | |
| 10.1 | Velandra | Steve Lyons | November 2014 | |
| 10.2 | Retribution | Andrew Smith | November 2014 | |
| 10.3 | Ministry of Peace | Una McCormack | November 2014 | |
| 11.1 | Brother | Paul Darrow as Avon | Nigel Fairs | February 2015 |
| 11.2 | Poison | Michael Keating as Vila | Iain McLaughlin | February 2015 |
| 11.3 | Escape from Destiny | Jan Chappell as Cally and Michael Keating as Vila | Andrew Smith | February 2015 |
| 11X | Remnants | Paul Darrow as Avon and Sally Knyvette as Jenna | Simon Guerrier | September 2015 |
| 12.1 | Corners of the Mind | Paul Darrow as Avon and Jan Chappell as Cally | Andy Lane | April 2016 |
| 12.2 | Capital | Steven Pacey as Tarrant and David Warner as Tavac | Guy Adams | April 2016 |
| 12.3 | Punishment | Michael Keating as Vila and David Warner as Tavac | Guy Adams | April 2016 |
The Classic Audio Adventures
These are a series of Big Finish Productions single CD releases featuring the complete cast of the TV series reprising their roles.
The first audio drama was a standalone story taking place between the end of the second series and the start of the third.
| # | Title | Cast | Writer | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warship | Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Sally Knyvette, Jacqueline Pearce, Alistair Lock | Peter Anghelides | January 2013 | |
| An alien fleet stands poised to invade Federation space. The only vessel available to hold it back is the Liberator, commanded by Roj Blake and his crew.
As an intergalactic war breaks out, old enemies become allies, and friends will become separated. And Blake will be forced to leave behind all that matters to him... | ||||
The first full series of audio dramas takes place during the second television season (B), between episode 10 (Voice from the Past) and episode 11 (Gambit).
| # | Title | Cast | Writer | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1 | Fractures | Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Sally Knyvette, Brian Croucher, Alistair Lock, Bethan Walker | Justin Richards | January 2014 |
| An attack by Travis and a squad of Federation pursuit ships leaves the Liberator damaged, its engines in desperate need of repair. Blake is forced to take his ship into The Derelict Zone, which is filled with hundreds of drifting spacecraft that never made it out alive...
The same fate awaits his crew. Because the time long expected has come... one of them has turned traitor. | ||||
| 1.2 | Battleground | Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Sally Knyvette, Alistair Lock, Dan Starkey, Tim Bentinck, Abigail Hollick | Andrew Smith | February 2014 |
| Blake and the crew of the Liberator have a new mission - and their target is on the Straxis, a planet also known as Battleground 9. Because Straxis is a training ground for thousands of Federation troops, and the Liberator has journeyed directly into their sights.
Has Blake finally picked a battle he cannot possibly win? | ||||
| 1.3 | Drones | Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Sally Knyvette, Alistair Lock, Tim Treloar, Sara Powell | Marc Platt | March 2014 |
| The assistance of the Liberator crew is urgently needed on Straxis - but Roj Blake has acute problems of his own ... After taking drastic emergency measures, Blake, Vila and Cally teleport back into a war zone in a bid to make new allies.
But the Federation is testing advanced new weaponry here. And Vila looks set to be an early target... | ||||
| 1.4 | Mirror | Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Sally Knyvette, Brian Croucher, Alistair Lock, Bethan Walker, Hugh Fraser | Peter Anghelides | April 2014 |
| Orac has tracked Space Major Kade – the man who killed Jenna’s father – to the planet Vere.
Jenna wants her revenge, but that must wait. Blake needs her to pilot the Liberator to Stellidar Four, where he has a small window of opportunity to solve the mystery of a new Federation device. It’s a daring plan. And it could be the beginning of the end for the Liberator crew. | ||||
| 1.5 | Cold Fury | Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Sally Knyvette, Brian Croucher, Alistair Lock, Hugh Fraser, Caroline Langrishe | Mark Wright and Cavan Scott | May 2014 |
| When Travis scores a victory over the Liberator crew, Blake is willing to risk everything in order to get back what is theirs.
The destination is the uninhabited ice world Horst Minor, where eugenics specialist Dr Tirus is working on experiments for the Federation President. Horst Minor has many secrets. And Blake is not going to like what he finds there... | ||||
| 1.6 | Caged | Gareth Thomas, Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Sally Knyvette, Brian Croucher, Alistair Lock, Hugh Fraser | Mark Wright and Cavan Scott | June 2014 |
| Roj Blake and the President of the Terran Federation stand face to face.
Two men with polar opposite political views, meeting for the first and last time. The long crusade is at an end. And Blake stands to lose everything that matters in his life... | ||||
Following the success of the first series, a second was released, set during season C after episode 8 (Rumours of Death), and following on from the Liberator Chronicles sets 3 (The Armageddon Storm) and 9.
| # | Title | Cast | Writer | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1 | Scimitar | Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Steven Pacey, Tom Chadbon, Alistair Lock, Buffy Davis, Daniel Brennan | Trevor Baxendale | November 2014 |
| 2.2 | Fortuitas | Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Steven Pacey, Tom Chadbon, Alistair Lock, Hywel Morgan, Jo Howarth | George Mann | December 2014 |
| 2.3 | Mindset | Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Steven Pacey, Tom Chadbon, Alistair Lock, Geoffrey Breton | Jacqueline Rayner | January 2015 |
| 2.4 | Ghost Ship | Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Steven Pacey, Tom Chadbon, Alistair Lock, Nick Asbury, Susan Franklyn | Iain McLaughlin | February 2015 |
| 2.5 | Devil's Advocate | Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Steven Pacey, Tom Chadbon, Alistair Lock, Hugh Fraser, Simone Lahbib | Steve Lyons | March 2015 |
| 2.6 | Truth and Lies | Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, Jan Chappell, Steven Pacey, Tom Chadbon, Alistair Lock | Justin Richards | April 2015 |
Lucifer Trilogy
These form a trilogy of Big Finish Productions single CD releases featuring Paul Darrow of the TV series reading these adventures.
These audio dramas take place after the end of the fourth series.
| # | Title | Narrator | Writer | Release Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lucifer | Paul Darrow | Paul Darrow | June 2013 |
| Many legends surround the aftermath of the collapse of The Federation, including the fate of Kerr Avon...
The adventure continues years later as Avon, now an old man, finds himself a key player in the game of power politics being played out on a grand scale by The Quartet - four ruthless leaders in an uneasy alliance, who govern the world in place of the Federation. Old enemies resurface and dangerous new ones appear as the time comes for old scores to finally be settled... | ||||
| 2 | Lucifer - Revelation | Paul Darrow | Paul Darrow | March 2015 |
| A Chinese empress, head of a formidable space fleet, and keeper of dark secrets... A beautiful killer, known as 'the Huntress', on a deadly mission fuelled by money and revenge... A figure from the past, still fighting the system, and desperate for help...
Many years have passed since the death of his companions on Gauda Prime, but Avon is still very much on the minds – and a thorn in the sides – of those in power. On the run in a stolen spaceship, Avon has world leaders, warlords, aliens, bandits and hitmen on his trail, all hoping to seize control of the super computer Orac, and to be rid of Avon once and for all. But those who underestimate Avon do so at their own peril… | ||||
| 3 | Lucifer - Genesis | Paul Darrow | Paul Darrow | Awaiting Release |
| Powerful, intelligent, ruthless...
Servalan as a child, learning early about power and how to get it... Avon as a young man, finding ways to beat the system... Two sides of a coin, two lives on a collision course... The events on the Liberator are only a part of their story. Now it’s time to find out how it started – and how it ends. | ||||
See also
Notes and references
- ↑ Pixley, Andrew (2004). Blake's 7. The Radio Adventures [CD liner notes]. London: BBC Audiobooks
- ↑ "Blake's 7 Reborn on Audio". Blakes7.com. Archived from the original on 2010-12-22.
- ↑ "Radio 7 Programmes — Blake's 7: The Early Years, When Vila Met Gan". BBC. Retrieved 15 December 2010.
- ↑ Kris Heys (5 July 2011). "News: BLAKE'S 7 To Get Big Finish". Starburst Magazine Ltd. Retrieved 13 January 2012.