Blake and Avon

There's a show I love but haven't re-watched in years. For a similar reason, I don't often recommend it...as much as I would love to.

It's called Blake's 7, and due to a long term rights battle Americans haven't been "allowed" to watch it for years. This was supposedly to make way for a remake which is clearly never going to happen.

The only way Americans can legally watch it is to personally import the discs and use a region-free DVD player or an app that turns a computer into one. I can't support any other way of getting hold of it.

This has been the case for at least twenty years. And even though the rights are now owned by Big Finish, it still hasn't been fixed.

Kvetching about ridiculous copyright policies that only encourage people to get out the skull and crossbones aside, Blake's 7 is...something.

Being as it was made in the 70s on a similar budget to Doctor Who at the time, the SFX are awful. The first season is spotty, with it only coming into its own in season two...where it was one of the first shows to actually have an arc and, you know, character development. Spoilers follow...



















The premise was very close to Firefly, but there's four (UK) seasons of it. Leading rebel Roj Blake breaks out of a prison transport with a motley crew of felons including Kerr Avon. Who becomes very important later when, at the end of season two, Gareth Thomas, who played Blake, left the show.

At which point it was neither Blake's nor a seven. Oops.

Instead of canceling, though, they continued...and Avon took over as leader.

Thing is?

Avon's a villain.

Avon is a ruthless computer hacker who is essentially an evil Spock, bound by logic and reason (or for Supergirl watchers, the recent incident where Brainiac got stripped of his emotions is another good parallel). He's only doing it for pure personal gain. He wants their ship.

Oh and everyone dies at the end. It's a real dark show.

Well, not everyone. And Avon?

Of course that scumbag escapes.

In these low budget 70s shows, the actors are the key. Avon was played by Paul Darrow, who was also in two Doctor Who episodes (old show, not current). He reprised his role in a series of Big Finish stories (which I really should get my hands on at some point).

Paul Darrow died this week at the age of 78. But his performance is not going to be forgotten, the highlight of a career that in many ways deserved better.