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Post by matthewsee on Nov 5, 2018 10:18:16 GMT -5
Dempsey and Makepeace 2.5 Tequila Sunrise guest starred Angela Bruce and interacts with Makepeace played by Glynis Barber. Blake’s 7 fans would find seeing Barber and Bruce in this Dempsey and Makepeace episode curious as Barber played Soolin in the fourth and final season of Blake’s 7 while Bruce played Dayna in two radio plays in 1998 and 1999 respectively. While Dayna and Soolin had fought together as rebels, Bruce and Barber had never appeared together in Blake's 7. In the TV series, Soolin was played by Barber and Dayna was played by Josette Simon and neither reprised their characters in the said radio plays where they were replaced by Paula Wilcox and Bruce respectively.
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Post by matthewsee on Feb 14, 2019 10:42:46 GMT -5
The Way Ahead: Project Aquitar: Big Finish celebrated the 40th anniversary of Blake’s 7 in January 2018 with the release of The Way Ahead. The Way Ahead is an inverse in name to The Way Back which is the name of the first episode back in 1978. The Way Ahead is made of two episodes the first being Project Aquitar. Project Aquitar is the sequel to the TV episode Project Avalon. In Project Avalon, Avalon was played by Julia Vidler but in Project Aquitar she is now played by Olivia Poulet. Project Aquitar has a framing device in which Avon in the future recounts what happened in the narrative concerned. The main narrative of Project Aquitar takes place during the first season and Blake and Gan are conspicuously absent from proceedings due to the fact that Gareth Thomas (Blake) and David Jackson (Gan) are now deceased. A very enjoyable episode seeing the return of Avalon and especially the intense encounter between Jenna and Travis. This is an episode in which Jacqueline Pearce reprised Servalan and sadly just seven months after the release of The Way Ahead she passed away on September 3 2018.
In Memory of Jacqueline Pearce (1943-2018)
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Post by matthewsee on Jun 23, 2019 6:56:46 GMT -5
The Liberator Chronicles: Solitary: Solitary is the second episode of The Liberator Chronicles.
Starring Michael Keating as Vila and Anthony Howell as new character Nyrron.
Vila wakes up with no memory of who he is or his crewmates who are nowhere to be seen.
What ensues is a fascinating tale as Vila pierces together the memory that he has lost.
Nice little moment as Vila recalls his grandmother reading him Robin Hood and Blake's 7 is basically like Robin Hood in space.
Fascinating the ultimate revelation and why Nyrron was here.
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Post by matthewsee on Aug 24, 2019 19:21:41 GMT -5
The Liberator Chronicles: The Turing Test:
The Turing Test is the opener of The Liberator Chronicles from Big Finish.
Starring Paul Darrow as Avon and Michael Keating as Vila.
Written by Simon Guerrier and released in February 2012.
This episode has Avon and Vila infiltrating a Federation science facility with Vila posing as a scientist and Avon posing fittingly as an android.
Here they meet an android girl known as 14.
Not bad as the opener for The Liberator Chronicles but what a tragedy that befell 14.
In Memory of Paul Darrow (1941-2009)
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Post by matthewsee on Sept 9, 2019 6:33:49 GMT -5
The Liberator Chronicles: President:
President is the opener of The Liberator Chronicles Vol. 8. Written by Simon Guerrier. A two-hander with Jacqueline Pearce as Servalan and Peter Miles as Rontane. This is set sometime after Trial. President presents a fascinating conversation between Servalan and Rontane.as they talked about the said President. Enthralling that this presents the machinations of the person that Servalan always has been, this time involving the President who can be manipulated by her.
Very good when a certain trick that Servalan played on Rontane and then it led to the revelation of a certain aspect of this narrative which wasn't what it initially appeared to be.
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Post by matthewsee on Oct 8, 2019 12:18:15 GMT -5
The Liberator Chronicles: Counterfeit: Counterfeit is the final episode of The Liberator Chronicles Vol. 1 from Big Finish. Starring Gareth Thomas as Blake and Paul Darrow as Avon. Written by Peter Anghelides. This episode is set sometime after Seek-Locate-Destroy with the crew's visit to Centero still very recent. The episode title refers something fake that Blake found at a Federation mining facility. Very enjoyable and I picked up that bit about Travis' eyes, thinking it was a mistake. Impressive on the trick that got Blake and Avon out of the mining facility with Blake having no qualms on what goes on there.
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Post by matthewsee on Jun 3, 2020 5:28:12 GMT -5
The Liberator Chronicles: The Sea of Iron: The Sea of Iron is the middle episode of The Liberator Chronicles Vol. 8. Written by Marc Platt. Starring Jan Chappell as Cally and Jacqueline Pearce as Servalan. A very good two-hander between Cally and Servalan, a story that was instigated when Cally went in search of her old training instructor Mani Yalleg. Quite a shock by what Cally finds out about Yalleg. The Sea of Iron has been served well by the tension between Cally and Servalan due to the former being the latter's prisoner in an experience that only they would ever appreciate.
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Post by matthewsee on Dec 11, 2020 1:11:04 GMT -5
The Way Ahead: Dissent: Dissent is the second and concluding part of The Way Ahead. Continuing from the previous episode Project Aquitar, Avon in the future recounts what happened in the narrative concerned. This continues the story of Avalon. This is set in season 3 when Blake is missing and this has Avalon being presented as his possible replacement to lead the fight against the Federation. It ultimately has Avalon taking over the Liberator and not everyone is happy about this. Whatever one may think of Avalon, the one thing that she has proven is that she isn't a leader. At one point she gave an instruction in the Liberator that would have drain all the power banks. She is presented as someone who is way over her head. Undoubtedly presented as a contrast to Blake with Avalon's lack of leadership skills. It is effectively done on what the rebellion was like elsewhere in the midst of Blake's disappearance. Overall a good way to end this 40th anniversary special of Blake's 7.
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Post by matthewsee on Jan 16, 2021 13:28:58 GMT -5
Fractures: Fractures is the opener of the first season of full-cast dramas from Big Finish and set in season 2. Released in January 2014 and written by Justin Richards. This starts with the Liberator and crew barely getting away from an attack by Travis. In the course of this episode they encounter a strange phenomena which had them being suspicious of one another and quite a revelation of what was the caused of all this. Early on in the episode Vila is lectured about the number of things and this reflected at the end when it came to the question of who does Avon trust.
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Post by matthewsee on Feb 17, 2021 10:10:35 GMT -5
Crossfire: True Believers: True Believers is the second episode of Crossfire from Big Finish. Written by Simon Clark. Cally dominates this episode and Dayna the only crew member here only appearing at the start and the end of this. A mysterious voice forces Cally to a barren world filled with a desert. Intrigue then ensues with the people that Cally meets, a powerful god that is worshiped by the inhabitants, the mystery with the Singing Graves, the truth about this god and the Singing Graves and why the Federation hasn't been coming to this world for six years. This is a brilliant piece presenting Cally on her own with the situation at hand in the barren world and Jan Chappell sure excels in every moment of it. Definitely well done on her part.
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Post by matthewsee on Apr 22, 2021 5:07:28 GMT -5
Crossfire: Resurgence: Resurgence is the third episode of Crossfire from Big Finish. Written by Mark Wright. The Liberator brings its crew to an uncharted world when it gets attack by its system. This turns out to be a sequel to Redemption the TV episode that started the TV series' second season as this explores the consequence of those events. This also included Dayna having to ask what this was all about as she wasn't there in Redemption. Enthralling way to tell this tale with the crew having to deal with the menace at hand and how they resolve all this.
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Post by matthewsee on Aug 29, 2021 1:18:30 GMT -5
Avalon: Terra Firma: Terra Firma is the first episode of Avalon from Big Finish. Avalon is a spin-off of Blake's 7 from Big Finish. Coming under the banner of The Worlds of Blake's 7 which came about when Big Finish made an assessment about the future of them making Blake's 7 after the death of Paul Darrow (Avon) in 2019. The character of Avalon was a one-off character in the Blake's 7 TV series where she was played by Julia Vidler in Project Avalon. When Big Finish came to use the character for the 40th anniversary special The Way Ahead they cast Olivia Poulet to play her. Poulet reprises Avalon for this spin-off. Terra Firma also features Sally Knyvette as Jenna. It was established in Project Avalon that Jenna was an associate of Avalon in a time before Jenna met Blake. Terra Firma takes place at that time as it is set at the same time that Blake was on trial as seen in the Blake's 7 episode The Way Back. Terra Firma is written by Steve Lyons. Fascinating look into Avalon with Poulet being able to expand on the character that she first played in The Way Ahead. Definitely a well presented narrative as Avalon makes her attack on the Federation with Jenna also being present in this in Avalon's spin-off debut. Quite neat that in the midst of all this how this set up Jenna's eventual meeting with Blake.
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Post by matthewsee on Dec 25, 2021 3:43:55 GMT -5
The Liberator Chronicles: The Magnificent Four: The Magnificent Four is the first episode of The Liberator Chronicles Vol. 2 from Big Finish. Written by Simon Guerrier. Starring Paul Darrow as Avon and Jan Chappell as Cally. Cally and Avon are on the planet Mogul looking for information but interesting by what they stumbled into. The Magnificent Four refers to another group of rebels and certainly interesting by what presents itself when Cally and Avon meets them. Pretty good episode to start Vol. 2 of The Liberator Chronicles.
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Post by matthewsee on Aug 15, 2023 4:36:33 GMT -5
Outlander 7.7 A Practical Guide for Time-Travelers had Blake's 7 being shown on a TV in 1980 although young boy Jemmy misidentifies Avon (Paul Darrow) who shows up on the TV as Blake (Gareth Thomas). Also on the TV is Cally (Jan Chappell) meaning that this would be an episode from the third season and I am not able to identify which episode it is as I haven't seen Blake's 7 in a long while and no such info on this is on IMDb. However someone at another group has informed me that it is from the season 3 finale Terminal. Given the title of this Outlander episode isurely it would have been much more appropriate for Blake's 7 fellow BBC stablemate Doctor Who to be on the TV. Or is it enough that Outlander was inspired by Doctor Who's Jamie and even the actor who played him Frazer Hines turned up in the series in 1.15 Wentworth Prison.
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Post by matthewsee on Dec 11, 2023 10:48:23 GMT -5
The Worlds of Blake's 7: Allies and Enemies: Saurian Major: Allies and Enemies is a boxset from Big Finish set in the Worlds of Blake's 7 and it starts with Saurian Major by Lizbeth Myles. What is particular curious about all this is that this sees Sasha Mitchell reprising Arlen, a character she portrayed only once in the TV series in the final episode Blake in which she played a key part to the way that the TV series ended. In Saurian Major this has Arlen on the opposite end in the timeline of the TV series as this has Jan Chappell as Cally and is set sometime before her introduction in the season 1 episode Time Squad. Saurian Major has Cally and Arlen meeting each and this is plot convenient as they met each other in the TV series. In fact they each bookended the final season of the TV series with Arlen in the said finale Blake and Cally, albeit only her voice, in the season opener Rescue when she was killed off. Continuity-wise if Cally had made it into Blake she would have recognised Arlen and who knows how different the finale would have turned out. Saurian Major is a key Federation communications hub and Arlen as a Federation officer infiltrates the rebel faction which includes Cally as a member. Surprised to learn that playing Arlen's superior here Kovic is Jacqueline King (Donna's mum Sylvia in Doctor Who). Quite effective to this episode of Arlen going undercover on the said rebel faction in which she tries to build distrust to Cally due to Cally being an alien. Very good in getting to know Arlen, a character who only seen once in the TV series in Blake and this character building serves well the story which pay off greatly by the episode's denouement.
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