A Rebellion Reborn
On January 2, 1978 a Cult phenomenon was born…
In the 1970s, Terry Nation (creator of Survivors and other hit genre shows, as well as Doctor Who’s arch nemeses the Daleks), presented the world with a vision of the future, a future where the galaxy is ruled by the iron fist of a galactic federation, in which freedom and justice are things of the past.
Into this vision he cast a small band of outlaws, who find themselves in control of the most powerful space vessel in the known galaxy, the Liberator.
Led by the enigmatic Roj Blake, this group of rebels would strike at the very heart of the Federation, and change the face of science fiction television forever.
During its four seasons, Blake’s 7 was more successful than its only significant competitors of the time, Doctor Who and Star Trek, with up to 10 million people tuning in every Monday night. The fourth and final series finished in a dramatic and shocking finale, with all but one of our heroes apparently dead and many questions unresolved to this day.
This was a fitting end for a series that favoured ‘complex characters’ over special effects, ‘gritty reality’ over sleek fantasy, and ‘mature truth’ over dreamy fiction.
The show certainly heralded the beginning of a new creed of science fiction on our screens. Unfortunately for television it also represented the last British drama of its kind and UK television all but surrendered the genre to American producers and studios.
Thirty years on, television is still mapping the paths first explored by Terry Nation’s creation – the time is ripe for a revival of a show that represents the best traditions of the genre and one of the UK’s most successful dramas of all time.
Production Credits
Head Writers Joe Pokaski (Heroes, CSI)
Series Producer Marc Rosen
Director Martin Campbell (CASINO ROYALE, ZORRO Franchise, Last Resort)
Executive Producer(s) Marc Rosen, Leon Clarance, Andrew Mark Sewell and Martin Campbell
Production Company Georgeville TV in association with B7 Media
Duration 13 x 60 minutes
Genre Drama Series
Did You Know?
- The original Blake’s 7 was conceived as ‘The Dirty Dozen in Space’ and created by Terry Nation, one of Britain’s foremost television writers of the 1960s and 1970s.
- Blake’s 7 was a landmark science fiction series, widely considered a cult classic and indisputably the first successful space opera since Star Trek.
- During its original four season run from 1978 to 19-81, Blake’s 7 consistently achieved higher ratings (9 million +) than its iconic counterpart Doctor Who and has sold to over 40 countries worldwide.
- Blake’s 7 topped a British Film Institute poll to find the public’s favourite television show.
- Blake’s 7 enduring popularity continues to this day and enjoys a worldwide fan following on the internet and convention circuit.
- Blake’s 7 went on to inspire the creators of top genre shows Babylon 5, Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Lexx, Farscape and Firefly.
Related Links
BLAKE’S 7 (Official Website)
Georgeville TV (Official Website)