Big Finish's Blake's 7 Range

This section is a partial mirror of the corresponding Fanlore entry, originally also created by me (September 2020), and a mostly full mirror of the Tumblr page I based on the Fanlore entry, with some minor edits to fit it into the context of this website. Both on Tumblr and here I am including additional details which are the kind of information about the Big Finish audios I, as a fan, have always wanted as a reference page, as well as my own personal reviews. I have also “♡-ed” my favourites.

The Big Finish Blake's 7 range is a series of tie-in audio plays to the British science fiction television series originally produced by the BBC and created by Terry Nation, Blake’s 7, that is produced by audio play company Big Finish. As officially licensed tie-in material, the audio plays feature both the original cast and a series of guest stars.

Established in February 2012 with the first set of three audio plays, Big Finish continue to produce Blake’s 7 audios as of September 2020. They have indicated that they will continue to do so despite the recent deaths of three major actors, Gareth Thomas/Roj Blake in 2016, Jacqueline Pearce/Servalan in 2018 and Paul Darrow/Kerr Avon in 2019.

Individual Audio Plays

The Big Finish range is split into two categories, The Liberator Chronicles, audio plays generally narrated by one character with another in a supporting role, and the Classic Adventures, full cast audio plays. While they function as separate series for the most part, there are some cross-influences, such as the presence of Del Grant on the Liberator in the second series of the Classic Adventures following the third set of The Liberator Chronicles.

The Liberator Chronicles

As of 2020, there are 12 sets of “The Liberator Chronicles”, and the series is considered concluded. Each set consists of 3 individual audio plays.

While many “Liberator Chronicles” are self-contained stories, there are a number of overarching story arcs. The Chronicles are not released in strictly chronological story-order, however, so some connections are only revealed through out-of-order listening.

Recording details below from the Big Finish website where listed. Due to his ill health, Paul Darrow started to record his stuff away from the studio, at least from the audio 04.3 Kerr onwards, as JP remarked about how easy it was for them to play off each other despite PD not being in the studio.

==The Liberator Chronicles Volume 01==

This first set was released in February 2012 and is the first in Big Finish’s Blake’s 7 range. It also features the first appearance of original-to-Big Finish recurring character Gustav Nyrron. The stories are set during Series 1 of the TV show, between episodes “Project Avalon” and “Breakdown”. Recorded on 23 September, 11 and 14 October 2011 at Moat Studios.

• The Turing Test ♡, starring Paul Darrow (Kerr Avon) and Michael Keating (Vila Restal), by Simon Guerrier | MY REVIEW
• Solitary, starring Michael Keating and guest Anthony Howell as Gustav Nyrron, by Nigel Fairs | MY REVIEW
• Counterfeit, starring Gareth Thomas (Roj Blake) and Paul Darrow, by Peter Anghelides | MY REVIEW

==The Liberator Chronicles Volume 02==

Released in August 2012, the stories in this set are set during Series 2 of the TV show. Recorded on 18 October and 25 November 2011, and 15 March 2012 at Moat Studios.

• The Magnificent Four, starring Jan Chappell (Cally) and Paul Darrow, by Simon Guerrier
• False Positive, starring Gareth Thomas and guest Beth Chalmers (Dr Lian), by Eddie Robson
• Wolf, starring Jacqueline Pearce, Jan Chappell and Anthony Howell (Gustav Nyrron) by Nigel Fairs

==The Liberator Chronicles Volume 03: The Armaggeddon Storm ♡==

Unusual for the “Liberator Chronicles”, this set consists of a single story in three parts, and is close to a full cast audio play. It expands on the events of the TV show episodes “Countdown” and “Rumours of Death” regarding the character arc of Kerr Avon and his history with Del Grant (played by Tom Chadbon in the show, who returns in the role). It is set in the later Series 3 of the TV show (post-“Rumours of Death”). The Armaggeddon Storm is also a pivotal aspect of later story arcs in the Liberator Chronicles and may be considered the key story element of this entire series of audios.

Released February 2013, written by Mark Wright and Cavan Scott. Recorded on 9, 11 and 13 July 2012 at Moat Studios.

• The Armaggeddon Storm Part 1, starring Paul Darrow, Jan Chappell, Michael Keating and Tom Chadbon
• The Armaggeddon Storm Part 2, starring Jan Chappell and Michael Keating
• The Armaggeddon Storm Part 3, starring Paul Darrow, Jan Chappell, Michael Keating and Tom Chadbon

==The Liberator Chronicles Volume 04==

Released May 2013, recorded on 22 February, 18 April and 3 July 2012, and 4 January 2013 at Moat Studios. This set features the first return of Sally Knyvette as Jenna Stannis in “The Liberator Chronicles”. It is set during Series 1 of the TV show.

• Promises, starring Jan Chappell and Stephen Greif (Travis), by Nigel Fairs
• Epitaph, starring Sally Knyvette (Jenna Stannis) and Michael Keating, by Scott Harrison
• Kerr ♡, starring Jacqueline Pearce and Paul Darrow, by Nick Wallace

==The Liberator Chronicles Volume 05==

Released August 2013, recorded on 17 April, 9 May, 1 September and 27-28 October 2012 at Moat Studios. Set during Series 2 of the TV show.

• Logic, starring Paul Darrow, guest Louise Jameson (as Pol), Sally Knyvette and Jacqueline Pearce, by Simon Guerrier
• Risk Management, starring Gareth Thomas and Sally Knyvette, by Una McCormack
• Three, starring Jacqueline Pearce and guest Joseph Kloska (as Cullen), by James Goss

==The Liberator Chronicles Volume 06==

Released October 2013, recorded on 2 , 10 and 30 October and 13 December 2012 at Moat Studios. Set during Series 3.

Two stories of this set fill in a narrative gap of the TV show: What became of the characters Blake and Jenna after their departure from the Liberator at the end of Series 2. The first story is thematically geared towards the same topic, as it features Avon and Del Tarrant (the first return of Steven Pacey in the role) searching for Blake and Jenna.

• Incentive ♡, starring Paul Darrow, Steven Pacey and guest Adrian Lukis (as Bracheeni), by Peter Anghelides
• Jenna’s Story, starring Sally Knyvette and guest John Banks (as Correl), by Steve Lyons
• Blake’s Story, starring Gareth Thomas and Paul Darrow, by Mark Wright and Cavan Scott

==The Liberator Chronicles Volume 07==

Released February 2014, recorded at Audio Sorcery and Moat Studies. Recording dates unknown.

• Spy, starring Jan Chappell, Michael Keating and guest Gemma Whelan (as Arta), by Simon Guerrier
• Disorder ♡, starring Michael Keating and Paul Darrow, by Eddie Robson
• The Hard Road, starring Gareth Thomas and guest Andrew Whipp (as Trek Dekkan), by James Swallow

==The Liberator Chronicles Volume 08==

Released May 2014, recorded at Audio Sorcery and Moat Studies. Recording dates unknown.

Notable among this set is “Spoils”, as it presents what in fanfiction might be called an AU: a chilling vision of what might happen if Blake won the rebellion.

• The Sea of Iron, starring Jan Chappell and Jacqueline Pearce, by Marc Platt
• President, starring Jacqueline Pearce and Peter Miles (as Rotane), by Simon Guerrier
• Spoils ♡, starring Gareth Thomas, and guests Jemma Churchill (Woman) and Dan Starkey (Man), by James Goss

==The Liberator Chronicles Volume 09 ❤==

Released August 2014, recording details unknown.

Set during Series 3 of the TV show, this set begins the wrap-up of the overarching story arc begun in Volume 3 The Armaggeddon Storm. Of all Liberator Chronicles, this and Volume 12 are the ones in the clearest chronological order and with the most connection between individual stories. Relatedly, Big Finish recurring character Solvin Tavac (portrayed by David Warner) appears here for the first time.

• Defector ♡, starring Steven Pacey and Tom Chadbon, by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright
• Planetfall ♡, starring Paul Darrow, Jan Chappell and guest David Warner (as Solvin Tavac), by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright
• Secrets ♡, starring Michael Keating, Tom Chadbon and David Warner, by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright

==The Liberator Chronicles Volume 10==

Released November 2014, recording details unknown.

Set during Series 1 or 2 of the TV show.

• Velandra ♡, starring Gareth Thomas and Stephen Greif, by Steve Lyons
• Retribution ♡, starring Michael Keating, Paul Darrow and guest John Banks (as Ragnus Lang), by Andrew Smith
• Ministry of Peace ♡, starring Paul Darrow and Jacqueline Pearce, by Una McCormack

==The Liberator Chronicles Volume 11==

Released March 2015, recorded on 2nd October, 15th December at Moat Studies and Audio Sorcery.

• Brother, starring Paul Darrow, Anthony Howell (as Nyrron) and guest Anthony Byrne, by Nigel Fairs
• Poison ♡, starring Michael Keating and guest Samantha Béart (as Jance), by Iain McLaughlin
• Escape from Destiny, starring Jan Chappell, Michael Keating, John Leeson (as Pasco) and Louise Jameson (as Lorana), by Andrew Smith

==The Liberator Chronicles Volume 12==

Released April 2016. Set during Series 3, the final two stories of this set wrap up the Armaggeddon Storm story arc.

• Corners of the Mind, starring Paul Darrow and Jan Chappell, by Andy Lane
• Capital ♡, starring Steven Pacey and David Warner (returning as Solvin Tavac), by Guy Adams
• Punishment ♡, starring Michael Keating and David Warner, by Guy Adams

The Classic Adventures

As of September 2020, there are five series of Classic Adventures and two specials. The first two series are not officially titled; the titles given below reference the main story arc.

==Warship==

Released January 2013, recorded at Moat Studios. Written by Peter Anghelides.

A stand-alone audio play, the first full-cast audio produced by Big Finish. It fills the narrative gap at the end of the TV show’s second series, following directly on from the episode Star One.

==First Series: The President==

Released January 2014-June 2014. Set during the second series of the TV show.

• Fractures by Justin Richards
• Battleground by Andrew Smith
• Drones ♡ by Marc Platt
• Mirror by Peter Anghelides
• Cold Fury by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright
• Caged ♡ by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright

==Second Series: The Search for Dayna==

Released November 2014-April 2015. Set during the third series of the TV show.

As Josette Simon was unavailable to return as Dayna Mellanby, the overarching storyline of this set revolves around the character’s absence. The Liberator crew is instead supported by Del Grant, whose presence is only explained in The Liberator Chronicles. For future Classic Adventures, in which Dayna has more of a presence, Big Finish recast the role with actor Yasmin Bannerman.

• Scimitar by Trevor Baxendale
• Fortuitas by George Mann
• Mindset by Jacqueline Rayner
• Ghost Ship ♡ by Iain McLaughlin
• Devil’s Advocate by Steve Lyons
• Truth and Lies by Justin Richards

==Third Series: The Spoils of War==

Released July 2017, consisting of a single set of four audios. Set in Series 3 of the TV show and dealing with the aftermath of the events at the end of Series 2 / in between the series. Contains the first appearance of Yasmin Bannerman in the role of Dayna Mellanby.

• Liberation by Steve Lyons
• Outpost by Christopher Cooper
• Close Enough ♡ by Sophia McDougall
• Solus by George Mann

==The Way Ahead (40th Anniversary Special)==

Commemorating the 40th anniversary of the Blake’s 7 TV show as well as the passing of Gareth Thomas Roj Blake, this stand-alone play interweaves several storylines: A Post-Gauda Prime frame narrative (a first for Big Finish), a storyline set in series 1, and one set in series 3.

Released January 2018, written by Mark Wright.

==Fourth Series: Crossfire==

Released October 2017-April 2018, in three sets of four audios each. A continuation of “Spoils of War”. This series features the first audio play written by Paul Darrow (Kerr Avon), though he had previously written Blake’s 7 tie-in material, including a novel trilogy released by Big Finish.

• Paradise Lost by Steve Lyons
• True Believers by Simon Clark
• Resurgence by Mark Wright
• Fearless by David Bryher
• Funeral on Kalion by Trevor Baxendale
• Shock Troopers by Cavan Scott
• Erebus by Paul Darrow
• The Scapegoat by Steve Lyons
• Ministry of Truth by Una McCormack
• Refuge by Trevor Baxendale
• Kith and Kin by Christopher Cooper
• Death of Empire by Steve Lyons

==Fifth Series: Restoration==

Released January 2019-February 2020. A direct continuation of the “Crossfire” series, in three sets of four audios each. Due to the unexpected passing of Paul Darrow in the summer of 2019 after a short illness (and before his recording for the final set could be concluded), the release of the final set of audios had to be delayed and parts of the story rewritten to accommodate the absence of his central character Kerr Avon.

• Damage Control by Trevor Baxendale
• The Hunted ♡ by Iain McLaughlin
• Figurehead by Scott Harrison
• Abandon Ship by Steve Lyons
• The New Age by Mark Wright
• Happy Ever After by Steve Lyons
• Siren by Sophia McDougall
• Hyperion by Trevor Baxendale
• Parasite by Trevor Baxendale
• Failsafe by Steve Lyons
• Reunion by David Bryher
• Imperium by Trevor Baxendale

Recurring Original Characters

• Gustav Nyrron, an Auronar scientist
• Solvin Tavac, whose role I won’t spoil
• The President of the Federation (pre-Servalan)
• Several others primarily in Restoration/Crossfire.

The Worlds of Blake’s 7

Following the passing of PD, BF announced the release of a new category of audio plays, called “The Worlds of Blake’s 7”, which seems to intend to explore minor characters from the series.

Announced 26 Feb 2021, with Olivia Poulet as Avalon, reprising from “The Way Forward”

==Avalon 1 (May 2021)==

• 1.1 Terra Firma by Steve Lyons
• 1.2 Throwback by Gary Russell
• 1.3 Black Water by Trevor Baxendale

==Avalon 2 (June 2021)==

• 2.1 Bayban’s Bounty by Niel Bushnell
• 2.2 Mercenary by Christopher Cooper
• 2.3 Heart of Ice by Steve Lyons

Further “Worlds” audios announced 7 Apr 2021 These audio plays were initially paired with full length audio books each (that are also released as hardcover print novels), but there has been no audio book announcement for “Heroes and Villains” nor for the further WoB7 sets as of June '23.

The first three sets trace the story of a character original to BF, Hinton (played by Abigail Thaw) and her intersections with the established character. It also introduces an additional plotline for a Travis (played by Stephen Greif).

==The Clone Masters (+ The Rule of Death) (Sept. 2021)==

• Separation by Tim Foley
• The Rule of Life by Tim Foley
• The Conclave by Tim Foley
• The Rule of Death (book, Sept ‘21) by Trevor Baxendale, read by Glynis Barber

==Bayban the Butcher (+ Bayban Ascending) (Dec. 2021)==

• Conscience by Katherine Armitage
• The Butcher’s Wife by Lizzie Hopley
• Vengeance Games by Lizbeth Myles
• Bayban Ascending (book, Feb ‘22) by Nigel Fairs, read by Colin Baker

==The Terra Nostra (+ Zero Point) (Jan. 2022)==

• Stimulus/Response by James Kettle
• Entrapment by Robert Valentine
• The Offer by Peter Anghelides
• Zero Point (book, Sept ‘22) by Mark B Oliver, read by Stephen Greif (this was originally to be written by Scott Harrison, who is now credited for the story concept)

==Heroes and Villains (originally delayed, now May 2022)==

This boxset deals with three iconic villains: the Amagons, Dorian and Shrinker.

• The Amagon Queen by Trevor Baxendale
• The Deal with Dorian by Mark B Oliver
• Everyone Talks to Shrinker by Andrew Smith

A further two boxsets were announced in July 2022. Again, they do not seem to come with audio books.

==After the War (November 2022)==

The theme of this boxset is the cliffhanger at the end of Series 2, “Star One”, aka the Andromedan alien invasion.

• Andromeda One by Trevor Baxendale
• Fallout by Steve Lyons
• The Enemy by Katharine Armitage

==Allies and Enemies (November 2022)==

The theme of this boxset is the backstory of Arlen, aka the person who betrays Blake in “Blake”.

• Saurian Major by Lizbeth Myles
• No Name by Simon Guerrier
• Sedition by Jonathan Morris

Following the passing of Stephen Greif, who had done a lot of audio work for Big Finish in the later years, in late 2022, the future of audios in the Big Finish range is uncertain as of June 2023.

Other Material

Aside from the above series, Big Finish has also released a variety of other Blake’s 7 material, primarily a set of tie-in novels and associated audio books.

• The Forgotten by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright (May 2012)
• Archangel by Scott Harrison (November 2012)
• Warship (E-Book) by Peter Anghelides (novel corresponding to the audio play, February 2013)
• Lucifer (Part 1 of “Lucifer”-Trilogy) by Paul Darrow (May 2013) | Audiobook read by Paul Darrow (June 2013)
• Anthology, 3 stories by RA Henderson, MG Harris and GF Taylor (October 2013)
• Lucifer: Revelation (Part 2) by Paul Darrow (May 2014) | Audiobook read by Paul Darrow (March 2015)
• Criminal Intent by Trevor Baxendale (November 2014)
• Lucifer: Genesis (Part 3) by Paul Darrow (May 2015) | Audiobook read by Stephen Greif (March 2021)
• Mediasphere ♡ by Kate Orman and Jonathan Blum (August 2015)
• Heroes, 6 stories by Una McCormack, Paul Darrow, Jonathan L. Howard, LM Myles, Trevor Baxendale and Gary Russell (December 2017) | Audiobook read by Michael Keating ♡ (November 2017)
• Uprising by Christopher Cooper (January 2019) | Audiobook read by Stephen Greif (January 2019)
• Outlaw (audiobook) by Trevor Baxendale, read by Stephen Greif (November 2019)
• Chosen (audiobook) by Niel Bushnell, read by Olivia Poulet (announced for November 2020)
• The Palluma Project (audiobook) by Tim Gambrell, read by Sally Knyvette (July 2021)
• Blake's 7: Origins (novelisations of the full first series; various authors) (March 2023)

Also by Big Finish:

• Paul Darrow’s autobiography You’re Him Aren’t You? and the audiobook version read by Darrow.
• Call Me Jacks - In Conversation with Jacqueline Pearce
• Rebecca’s World by Terry Nation, read by Paul Darrow

Fandom Impact

Despite the fact that Big Finish have now produced more hours of Blake’s 7 content than were contained in the original show, the impact on transformative fandom has been minimal.

However, the Big Finish plays themselves show involvement by fans-turned-pro, such as Una McCormack, and are therefore considered something between a pro-work and a fanwork by some fans, also because they engage with the TV show canon in similar ways that fanworks of the TV show do.

Personally, I consider them more fanwork than canon, also because the line between the people writing for Big Finish and long standing fans of Blake’s 7 is blurred to the point of being non-existent (Peter Anghelides is active on Horizon, for example), and because literally everything these audios do fanfic also does / has done in the past. And because the audience of stuff like Big Finish clearly is fellow fans, not the general public.

I don’t see any point in declaring that fans who create fanworks under official license are not still creating fanworks, just because they have some kind of sanctioning from a rights holder; it’s a distinction that just no longer works in an era where what is traditionally considered fic has been around for half a century (never mind the other stuff we could consider fic) and a lot of fans frankly are professionals (and sites like Redbubble offer licensed fanart for sale). We don’t have a definition of what a “fan” is anymore; how can we define what “fanworks” are (and what gives someone the right to define this)?

The only difference perhaps is that Big Finish doesn’t do slash, but frankly if “Haunting of Haderon” is practically slash, then so is “Retribution”.

Fannishness of the Audios

(More of this detail can be found in the per-story listing above, this is the brief summary that stands in place of the full story listing on fanlore.)

While all audios are set during the show, and so constitute missing scenes, some draw specifically on canon storylines.

The Armaggeddon Storm and its wider story arc, for instance, references back to the TV episodes Countdown and Rumours of Death and expands on the role of Del Grant.

The Way Forward features a Post-Gauda Prime frame narrative (a first for the Big Finish range), and Warship fills the gap between series 2 and 3 of the TV show.

There are also a number of original-to-Big-Finish characters, or OCs, some of them with direct (familial) links to the original TV show characters.

Fanworks

There are few fanworks that directly reference Big Finish material, though some do exist.

=Fanfic=

• Ghosts May Be Fun by NannaSally, Gen, following on from Ghost Ship
• Fanficer by Bruinhilda, Gen, inspired by and following the novel Mediasphere
• Trust by fififolle, Slash (Del Tarrant/Del Grant), again set after Ghost Ship. This fic evidences the increased interest in the character of Del Grant and shipping him with others after his vastly expanded role in Big Finish.
• Portions of the Soul of Man by aralias, Slash (Blake/Avon), following False Positive, showing that the Big Finish audios also inspired works for pairings already established through the TV series.
• Uncaged by sparkycola1, Gen but heavily Avon and Vila, following on Caged from the first set of Classical Adventures.

=Fanart=

Inspired by LC-1.1. by mohi-chan on Tumblr, a rare example of fanart directly inspired by the Liberator Chronicles, here The Turing Test.

I have literally not seen any other fanart about the audios - fellow artists, let’s change this (personally I want an action comic of the flight scene in “Retribution”, but that’s too much for my skill level).

Fan Reactions

Generally, however, the audio plays have been received positively by the fandom.

The Horizon forum has a section reserved for discussions of the Big Finish tie-ins as of 2020, and is running a communal re-listen of the Liberator Chronicles as of September 2020. Earlier discussions on the forum took place under a section titled New Blake’s 7.

A fan discussed the target audience of the first audios in January 2014, saying:

I do think that Big Finish are writing mainly for old fans of the tv series, and I feel they sometimes try to prove their commitment to long-term fans (and deep knowledge of the show) by referencing or anticipating past and future events in the series timeline (if that makes sense). I think you will miss out on certain references and resonances if you don’t see more of the tv series.‘Lentila’ on Horizon Forum (14 January 2014)

A review on the Horizon website on the Classic Adventure Fractures reads

I thought this was a terrific drama, and was utterly gripped. The dialogue was great, complete with the flashes of humour that typify even the darkest episodes of B7. The original actors return to their roles as if they’d never been away, although Paul Darrow does sound more like Season 4 Avon than he did in Season 2. It was great to hear the return of Brian Croucher as Travis. Although he only appears at the beginning of this episode, the cast listings for future releases confirm that we’ve by no means heard the last from him! The sound design, which includes the Liberator sound FX, inventive use of multi-layered voices and subtle music were excellent; created again by Alistair Lock, who also provides very credible performances as the voices of Zen and Orac.Jackie E. on Horizon (12 January 2014)

Fans on Tumblr similarly commented on / joked about the change in the actors’ voices from the TV series to the Big Finish audios:

[blakes7facts]

Fact 034: Michael Keating keeps a painting in his attic that allows him to perform the audios with the exact same voice he had in 1978.

[comarum]

A lesser known fact is that the painting is actually of Paul Darrow, and as time progresses it will inexorably make PD forget, series by series, how to do Avon’s voice. S1 Avon is already long lost.

In Issue 2 of Rebels and Fools, Tumblr-based fan bruinhilda reviewed seven ‘favourite Liberator Chronicles’ (Solitary, Logic, Promises, Spoils, The Sea of Iron, Ministry of Peace and The Armaggeddon Storm), saying:

We love our Blake’s 7 audio dramas. Anything that will continue the adventures of our favourite gang of hero criminals is welcome, and Big Finish can certainly deliver. […] [The Liberator Chronicles] format has resulted in some of the most memorably Blake’s 7 audios, largely because of that first-person point of view. These are personal stories, and we’re privy to the narrating character’s thoughts and feelings as the story unrolls.bruinhilda in Rebels and Fools #2, p. 36

Actors’ Involvement and Comments

Many of the original actors involved in the Blake’s 7 TV series reprised in their roles for Big Finish, though arrangements had to be made for the actors who had already passed away at the start of the Big Finish range.

Paul Darrow, who played Avon, was interviewed by Big Finish for the first Liberator Chronicles. In the transcript available on the Big Finish website, he is quoted as expressing enthusiasm for the audio projects:

What’s it like being back in the role? Oh, interesting. Very interesting. The scripts are good […]Paul Darrow, interviewed by Paul Spragg

The funny thing about this interview is that PD talks about literally having asked the producer whether he still sounds the same as back in the TV show, and was told yes - which, no - which Darrow then jokes about “That’s what smoking does for you.” Somehow, I don’t think he quite believed the producer. XD

Re-casting

As several original Blake’s 7 cast members had passed away by the time Big Finish was planning the first (full-cast) audios, several characters had to be either re-cast or left out of the stories in the role of narrators.

Left out in this way was Olag Gan, actor David Jackson having died in 2005. As of August 2020, there has been no major audio content involving his character created by Big Finish - though Gan has appeared in some of the novels.

Immediately recast was the voice of the computers Orac and Zen. Originally played by Peter Tuddenham (died 2007) in the TV show, Alistair Lock took on the role for Big Finish from the first audio in which either appeared.

The role of Travis, played by two different actors in the TV series, was taken up primarily by one for Big Finish, Stephen Greif. The other, Brian Croucher, has not been involved in any of the The Liberator Chronicles, though he reprised in the role in the the first series of the Classic Adventures.

As of 2020, there has been no Big Finish audio set in series 4 of the TV show, so the character of Soolin, played by Glynis Barber in the TV show, has not yet appeared. (Something about BF not having the rights to S4 for some weird reason. I haven’t found a source for this, but word of mouth is that it’s a rights issue.) However, Glynis Barber starred as original-to-Big Finish character Magda in The Way Foward (the 40th Anniversary Special).

Also as of 2020, there seem to be no plans to recast the actors who passed since the beginning of the Big Finish range, all of whom portrayed major characters: Gareth Thomas, who played Blake, Paul Darrow, who played Avon, and Jacqueline Pearce, who played Servalan, and Stephen Greif, who played Travis. While Gareth Thomas’s death could originally be navigated by setting audio plays in series 3 or later (as Big Finish did with all Classic Audios after the first series), as Blake had left the Liberator by then in the original TV show, the subsequent death of Paul Darrow presents a larger obstacle. Big Finish have stated that ’[t]here are no plans to recast Avon with a new actor’.

=Dayna=

For the first series of Classic Adventures set in Series 3, the absence of the character of Dayna Mellanby owning to the non-involvement of actor Josette Simon was turned into a plot point.

When Dayna was set to return again for The Spoils of War and further Classic Adventures, Big Finish re-cast the role with actor Yasmin Bannerman, whose likeness was subsequently also used for Dayna in all cover arts.

Joining the cast for the first time is Yasmin Bannerman, taking the role of Dayna, a part previously played by Josette Simon. “Of course, we invited Josette to return to Blake’s 7,” says producer John Ainsworth, “and although pleased to be invited, she declined the invitation. So, we’re delighted to welcome Yasmin as the new Dayna.”

As it turns out, Yasmin was not unfamiliar with Blake’s 7, having watched the series when it was first shown. “My brothers and I were huge Blake’s 7 fans as kids and watched every single episode from the first till the last,” she says. “Dayna was my heroine. I loved her. In an era when very few people of colour were to be seen on TV and fewer in any positive light, Dayna was a young black woman who was smart, accomplished, courageous, driven and kick-ass! She made me so proud. Needless to say I was absolutely gobsmacked to be offered the role. My brothers are thrilled!”Big Finish News

References

^ The Future of Blake’s 7 at Big Finish, statement by producer John Ainsworth, 7 June 2019 (Accessed September 2020), archived link ^ Lentila on the Horizon Forum (Accessed 13 September 2020). ^ [http://www.blakes7online.com/articles.php?article_id=12 BLAKE’S 7 - THE CLASSIC AUDIO ADVENTURES - Episode 1.1: Fractures Review by Jackie E.] (Accessed 13 September 2020). ^ Tumblr post by blakes7facts and comarum, 2016-09-04 (Accessed 13 September 2020); archived link ^ Big Finish page for Liberator Chronicles Vol 1, “Backstage”; also in Vortex #36, p. 5. ^ New Blake’s 7! (18 May 2017) Big Finish News post (Accessed September 2020); archived version