Blakes 7 - Series 4

Starring: Paul Darrow Dvd Release: 24th April, 2006 Number Of Discs: 5 Format: Box set, PAL, Region 2 Encoding

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Blakes 7 was a BBC science fiction television series created by Terry Nation that ran four seasons from January 2, 1978 to December 21, 1981. The series was created by Terry Nation, who had previously worked on Doctor Who & created the Doctors most famous adversaries, the Daleks. It was made in the United Kingdom & was produced & broadcast by the BBC. Blakes 7 resembled other BBC science fiction shows, but was characterised by a darker tone & often defied the traditional sharply-defined ethical stances associated with this type of drama, with considerable blurring of the distinction between the good & the bad guys. Loosely based on the Robin Hood legend, the show followed the exploits of a group of outlaw revolutionaries, led by a patriot-hero named Roj Blake, who fought the fascistic interstellar Terran Federation in the second century of the third calendar. Blakes 7 was watched by 10 million viewers at its peak, an enormous number for a space opera.

Finally we can complete the set with this release of the final series of Blakes Seven on DVD. It has been a pretty slow process, with the four compilations being released over more than two years & the bonus material has hardly been worth waiting for, none of the previous three has contained the much touted Making of Blakes Seven documentary. Perhaps we`ll get it this time. The programmes themselves have more than made up for any shortcomings by being as good as they ever were. Yes, there wasn`t much money but the ideas & scripts are sparkling & are very easy to get caught up in.

Series four could be the best of the lot. Episode for episode, the stories are all very strong & there is a loose theme of Blake`s crew rebuilding after the destruction of the Liberator & trying to find allies in the fight against the Federation. In particular the episodes Headhunter, Assasin, Gold & Blake aren`t just amongst the best of Blakes Seven, but within the whole sci-fi genre as a whole & stand up to repeated viewing. The whole series was always dark but this is darker still, with even the good guys killing without remorse & plenty of double crossing in the plots. My only complaint, although a small one, is the voice of Slave. I can`t stand the quasi-Dickens humbleness, especially after the excellent voice of the emotionless Zen. I don`t mind anything else, even the early 80`s Toyah wigs which crop up a few times or the hideous mole on Egrorion`s face in Orbit.

No review of this series would be complete without mentioning the ending. Although the trailer included on the Series Three DVD pretty much gives it away, I won`t. If you`ve seen it, you know about it & if you haven`t, I don`t want to spoil it. However, I will say that it is, in my opinion, the best ending to a TV seies ever. It was a big chance to take even in 1981 & it is brilliantly realistic, memorable & very much in the style of everything that has gone before. There are always calls to bring the show back but I think they should leave it the way it is, with a perfect ending.

Whether watched on it`s own or after the preceding episodes, the final episode never loses any of it`s power. This is not just classic science-fiction but classic television, the likes of which will probably never be seen again. Buy it.

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