Blake's 7 (audio Drama)
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There have been three producers of ''
Blake's 7 ''Blake's 7'' is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. Four series of thirteen 50-minute episodes were broadcast on BBC1 between 1978 and 1981. It was created by Terry Nation, who also wrote the first series, prod ...
'' audio dramas:
BBC Radio BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...
, B7 Productions and
Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and radio drama, audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'' ...
.


BBC Radio

In 1998, the series returned to the
BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...
on the radio. The stories are set between the season D episodes "Stardrive" and "Animals". They were broadcast on
BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. The station replaced the BBC Home Service on 30 September 1967 and broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes from the BBC's headquarters at Broadcasti ...
. The roles of Dayna and Soolin, played by
Josette Simon Josette Patricia Simon, OBE (born 1959 or 1960) is a British actor who played the part of Dayna Mellanby in the third and fourth series of the television sci-fi series ''Blake's 7'' from 1980 to 1981. She trained at the Central School of Spee ...
and
Glynis Barber Glynis Barber (born Glynis van der Riet; 25 October 1955) is a South African born British actress. She is known for her portrayals of Sgt. Harriet Makepeace in the British police drama ''Dempsey and Makepeace'', Glenda Mitchell in ''EastEnders ...
in the TV series, have been recast with Angela Bruce and
Paula Wilcox Paula Wilcox (born 13 December 1949) is an English actress. She played Chrissy Plummer in the ITV sitcom '' Man About The House'' from 1973 to 1976, and also had roles in TV shows such as '' The Lovers'', '' Miss Jones and Son'', '' The Queenâ ...
. In 2006, B7 Productions announced that it had recorded a series of 36 five-minute audio adventures with an entirely new cast. The new series was broadcast on
BBC Radio 7 BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It mostly broadcasts archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes, and is the sister station of Radio 4. It is the pri ...
as three hour-long episodes.


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 BBC Radio 4 Extra (formerly BBC Radio 7) is a British digital radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It mostly broadcasts archived repeats of comedy, drama and documentary programmes, and is the sister station of Radio 4. It is the pri ...
from 2010.


BBC Audiobooks

Audiobook readings novelising episodes from season A of the TV series released by
BBC Audio AudioGO (formerly BBC Audiobooks) was a British publisher of audiobooks and a range of spoken word and large-print titles. It was majority owned by AudioGO Ltd, and minority owned by BBC Worldwide. It was formed in 2010, when AudioGO purchased ...
.


The Liberator Chronicles

A series of enhanced audiobooks from
Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and radio drama, audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'' ...
with members of the TV series reprising their roles. Volumes 1, 4, 7 and 10 are set during Season A. Volumes 2, 5, 8 and 11 are set during Season B. Volumes 3, 6, 9 and 12 are set during Season C. The special episode "Remnants" is available only on the Big Finish website.


The Classic Audio Adventures

A series of full cast dramas from
Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and radio drama, audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'' ...
with members of the TV series reprising their roles.


Special (2013)

A 60-minute special was released in January 2013. It takes place between season B and C of the TV series, directly between the events of "Star One" and "Aftermath". The roles of Zen and Orac, voiced by
Peter Tuddenham Peter Tuddenham (27 November 1918 – 9 July 2007) was a British actor. He was well known for his voice work, which included the voices of the computers in the BBC science fiction series ''Blake's 7'' (1978–1981). Life and career Tuddenham w ...
in the TV series, has been recast with
Alistair Lock Alistair is a male given name. It is an Anglicised form of the Scottish Gaelic name ''Alasdair''. The latter is most likely a Scottish Gaelic variant of the Norman name Alexandre or the Latin name Alexander, which was incorporated into English in ...
. It was also released by
Big Finish Productions Big Finish Productions is a British company that produces books and radio drama, audio plays (released straight to compact disc and for download in MP3 and m4b format) based, primarily, on science fiction properties. These include ''Doctor Who'' ...
as an eBook in February 2013.


Series 1 (2014)

The first series consisting of six 60-minute episodes were released monthly from January 2014 to June 2014. They are set during season B of the TV series, between "Voice from the Past" and "Gambit". A story arc running across the six episodes concerns the Liberator crew pausing their quest for Star One to track down the Federation's new experimental computer. It also features the introduction of the President, portrayed by Hugh Fraser, a character who was mentioned but never seen in the original series.


Series 2 (2014 - 2015)

A second series consisting of six 60-minute episodes were released monthly from November 2014 to April 2015. They are set during season C of the TV series, some time after "Rumours of Death" and following on from the Liberator Chronicles volumes 3 and 9. A story arc running across the six episodes concerns the disappearance and subsequent search for Dayna. It sees the return of
Tom Chadbon Tom Chadbon (born 27 February 1946) is an English actor who has spent much of his career appearing on British television. Although principally a character actor, he has occasionally had leading or recurring roles. Career Chadbon starred in al ...
as Del Grant, who originally appeared in the season B episode "Countdown".


Series 3: The Spoils of War (2017)

A third series, titled "The Spoils of War", consisting of four 60-minute episodes was released as a boxset in July 2017. They are set during season C of the TV series, with the first two episodes taking place after "Powerplay" and the third and fourth episodes set after "Rumours of Death". The role of Dayna, played by
Josette Simon Josette Patricia Simon, OBE (born 1959 or 1960) is a British actor who played the part of Dayna Mellanby in the third and fourth series of the television sci-fi series ''Blake's 7'' from 1980 to 1981. She trained at the Central School of Spee ...
in the TV series, has been recast with
Yasmin Bannerman Yasmin Bannerman (born 1970) is an English actress. Bannerman was born and brought up in Gloucestershire and attended the Rose Bruford College in London until 1993. She has had roles in television series such as ''Hollyoaks'', ''Cold Feet'', ' ...
.


Series 4: Crossfire (2017 - 2018)

The fourth series, titled "Crossfire" - consisting of twelve 60-minute episodes - was released across 3 box sets from October 2017 to April 2018. They are set during season C of the TV series, between "Death-Watch" and "Terminal". A story arc running across the twelve episodes concerns the attempts of Servalan's predecessor to regain the presidency of the Federation.


Special: The Way Ahead (2018)

A 40th anniversary special, titled "The Way Ahead", consisting of two linked 60 minute episodes was released in January 2018. The first episode takes place during season A of the TV series, some time between "Project Avalon" and "Deliverance". The second episode takes place during season C of the TV series, some time around "Rumours of Death". A framing device, using continuity established by Paul Darrow's trilogy of "Lucifer" novels, is set some time after season D of the TV series. The role of Avalon, played by Julia Vidler in the TV series, has been recast with
Olivia Poulet Olivia Poulet (born 9 July 1978) is an English actress. Early life Poulet was born on 9 July 1978 in south-west London and attended Putney High School. She studied drama at the University of Manchester. Career After her graduation in 2001, Po ...
.


Series 5: Restoration (2019 - 2020)

A fifth series, titled "Restoration" - consisting of twelve 60-minute episodes - was released across three box sets beginning in January 2019 and ending in February 2020. The overarching storyline saw the crew desperately repairing the Liberator after it was badly damaged, and the return of the Old President's rule over the Federation.


The Worlds of Blake's 7

A series of full cast boxsets taking place away from The Liberator consisting of three stories each.


Books

New standalone Blake's 7 novels set throughout seasons A, B, and C. Some are accompanied by audiobook versions. #9, #10 and #11 are audiobook only.


Lucifer Trilogy

These form a trilogy of audiobook releases written and read by
Paul Darrow Paul Darrow (born Paul Valentine Birkby; 2 May 1941 â€“ 3 June 2019) was an English actor and writer. He became best known for playing Kerr Avon in the BBC science fiction television series ''Blake's 7'' between 1978 and 1981. His many te ...
taking place 20 years after season D of the TV series.


Awards and nominations


See also

*
Kaldor City ''Kaldor City'' is a series of radio drama, audio plays using elements from the British TV series ''Doctor Who'' and ''Blake's 7''. Many of the elements borrowed from these series for use in ''Kaldor City'' were originated by Chris Boucher (write ...


References

{{Authority control Blake's 7 BBC Radio 4 Extra programmes Big Finish Productions Lists of plays