Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!

Chris Thompson is back for our second season finale, and if anything, this conversation goes deeper into the craft than the last one. We get into how the production pipeline for Series B differed from the blitz that was Series A, why 120 Liberator shots meant almost none were reused, and what it actually looks like when a special effects director is given creative freedom.

We also cover some of the specific shots Chris is proudest of from Series B, including the work on Redemption, Shadow, Hostage, and Killer, talk through how the new Andromedan fleet came together, and find out what it feels like to clock up over 2,000 special effects shots.

We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.

You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!

Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!

Series B of Federation Strike has come to a close, so we are taking stock of all thirteen episodes together, from how the writers built on what Terry Nation started to the moments that hit differently on a second watch.

The new visual effects and model work on the Blu-ray set continued to win us over as expected, and the extras on those discs changed how we see both Jacqueline Pearce and Brian Croucher. We also make a case for the character we think deserved more screen time this series.

To close out, we look ahead to Series C and share a few predictions for where the crew goes next.

And lastly, as Garry mentioned in the episode, a HUGE thank you to all of you who have listened to our podcast. Whether you've been with us from the beginning or hopped on for this series, you guys tuning in each week are what makes us want to do more content. So a big thank you, thank you!

We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.

You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!

Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!

This is it! Series 2 of Blake's 7 comes to an end with Star One, and neither of us quite got what we were expecting from this finale.

We spend a lot of time this week on the Blake and Avon relationship, which reaches a genuinely interesting moment here, and on what Jacqueline Pearce brings to Servalan when the character is under a very different kind of pressure than usual. There's also a proper look at the restored visual effects, which surprised at least one of us more than expected.

After some chat about David Maloney directing the whole thing without an on-screen credit (for which nobody seems to know exactly why), and Adam making an interesting Sally Knyvette observation in this episode, we give you our scores and thoughts.

Oh, and Terry Nation apparently wanted to put the Daleks in this episode, so... it's all going on!

P.S. It may be the last episode of Series B of Blake's 7, but it's not the end of our second season, as we have two bonus episodes for you! Next week is our Series B wrap-up episode, where we chat about the highs, lows and everything else. The week after is an interview with visual effects legend Chris Thompson, who dives into what into the new effects and model work, the differences from Series A to Series B, the challenges and more!

We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.

You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!

Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!

This week we're on the Series B penultimate episode, The Keeper and a strange one to find sitting in that slot. We debate whether it does what a penultimate episode should do, and whether that even matters when there's this much to enjoy.

We get into Bruce Purchase's Gola, Freda Jackson as Tara, the sibling dynamic between those two, the Vila moments that had us both pausing the episode, what Jenna finally gets to do this week, and the behind-the-scenes story of how this script ended up on screen.

We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.

You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!

Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!

This week we're reviewing Gambit, Series B episode 11, and we open with some sad news: the passing of Michael Keating, the man behind Vila Restal. Adam shares his memories of meeting Michael at conventions over the years, and we talk about what his performances have meant across the series and what still lies ahead for his character.

On the episode itself, we get into what makes Gambit so hard to pin down: a Freedom City setting that turns the camp dial past anything the show has reached before, a Robert Holmes script built almost entirely on double acts, and a Dudley Simpson-shaped hole where the score should be. We cover Avon and Vila's casino subplot, Servalan's convoluted masterplan, and why the Klute's speed chess scene would have been dead on its feet without Elizabeth Parker's last-minute musical rescue.

There's also a conversation about the new effects on the Blu-ray restoration, some unplanned on-set chaos involving a furry jacket that neither actor could get on during filming, and a few Doctor Who comparisons that turn out to have a real costume connection.

P.S. We record in advance, which is why you're only hearing us talk about Michael Keating's passing in this episode.

We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.

You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!

Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!

This week, we're reviewing Voice from the Past, Series B episode 10, written by Roger Parkes. There's a conspiracy at the heart of this one that reaches back to Blake's trial in The Way Back, and we spend a good amount of time unpacking what the episode is trying to do with that history, how well it does it, and where the logic starts to strain.

We also get into Gareth Thomas's performance, what Avon and Cally bring to the episode when they're working in detective mode, and why Orac's limited screen time in Series B keeps catching Adam off guard on the rewatch.

There's also a wider conversation in here about what makes a Vila scene work, why Avon's closing line is worth the price of admission on its own, and how the Blu-ray restoration team handled an episode that gave them some of their most challenging original footage yet.

We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.

You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!

Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!

A spoiler straight out the gate from us: Countdown is the best episode we've covered in our entire Blake's 7 journey so far, and we're calling that without hesitation. It's a Terry Nation script with a cold open that throws you straight into a firefight, a ticking clock that builds real tension, and loads of character work packed into 50 minutes.

The Avon and Del Grant thread is where we spend the most time: what's actually driving Avon in those scenes, what Blake quietly stepping up for him reveals, and why a seemingly throwaway scene between Provine and a rebel is one of the most morally loaded things the show has done.

We also talk about Vila getting some brilliant moments, our ongoing frustration with Jenna and Cally being sidelined for what feels like the fourth episode running, and the Blu-ray's new effects, which genuinely impress us more here than anywhere else in Series B so far.

We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.

You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!

Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!

Right, Blake fans: Hostage, and the verdict is in early: this is a thumping good episode. The script is razor-sharp, the crew actually gets equal footing for once, and the stakes feel real from the opening battle sequence. Later on, Brian Croucher gets a scene that Blake fans have been quoting for decades. You know the one. Ha!

We dig into the Avon twist that neither of us saw coming, the Servalan and Travis scene that somehow makes the episode slow down and speed up at the same time, and the slightly eyebrow-raising farewell between Blake and his cousin. A lot to love in this one, with a few things to poke at too.

We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.

You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!

Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!

The first Robert Holmes script for Blake's 7, and Garry and Adam both agree it has a noticeably different tone to what the show has been doing. Robert Holmes's fingerprints are all over it, and that, concerning this episode, is a good thing.

The big talking points: why the Avon and Vila pairing works so well here, what Tynus's betrayal says about the kind of company Avon keeps, and whether Blake's inexplicable calm in enemy territory is great character writing or just a quirk of the production order.

Plus: outfits that not even Paul Darrow can carry off, Gan's ghost in the production timeline, and Garry very nearly ordering the Blake's 7 DVD set after a couple of Guinness.

We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.

You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!

Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7!

Things get spicy as Travis finally faces the music for his past misdeeds. Blake’s grappling with some serious guilt over Gan's death, and it’s clear the crew is feeling the heat of his decisions.

Meanwhile, Servalan is pulling strings like a puppet master, ready to watch Travis dance into the gallows.

The friction between Blake and Avon is as palpable as ever, especially with Avon looking to seize any chance to undermine him.

So, grab your teleport bracelets and settle in as we watch Travis' fate unfold.

We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode.

You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky. We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories!

Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.