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| {{cleanup|Behind-the-scenes section should be split off to a real-world page at [[Blake's 7 (series)]].}}{{retitle|''{{PAGENAME}}''}}
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| '''''Blake's 7''''' was a [[human]] [[television]] show of which the [[First Doctor]] was not fond. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[A Big Hand for the Doctor]]'') [[Tegan Jovanka]] mentioned the series once, saying that she understood the concept of [[transmat]]s — or in ''Blake's 7'' terms, [[teleportation]] — having seen it on the show. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[Cold Fusion (novel)|Cold Fusion]]'') | | {{you may|Blake's 7 (series)|n1=''Blake's 7'' from a real world perspective|Blake's 7 (terrorist group)|n2=the in-universe terrorist group}} |
| | '''''Blake's 7''''' was a [[human]] [[television]] show of which the [[First Doctor]] was not fond. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|A Big Hand for the Doctor (short story)}}) [[Tegan Jovanka]] mentioned the series once, saying that she understood the concept of [[transmat]]s — or in ''Blake's 7'' terms, [[teleportation]] — having seen it on the show. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|Cold Fusion (novel)}}) |
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| In a [[Parallel universe (TV Action!)|parallel universe]], actors from ''Blake's 7'' were [[hypnosis|hypnotised]] by [[Beep the Meep]]. ([[COMIC]]: ''[[TV Action! (comic story)|TV Action!]]'') | | In a [[Parallel universe (TV Action!)|parallel universe]], actors from ''Blake's 7'' were [[hypnosis|hypnotised]] by [[Beep the Meep]]. ([[COMIC]]: {{cs|TV Action! (comic story)}}) |
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| ''Blake's 7'' was the favourite television series of [[Gavin Oliver Scott]]. ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Least Important Man (short story)|The Least Important Man]]'') In [[2600]], [[Bernice Summerfield]] obtained two episodes of the series for him on [[VHS]]. She noted that she knew a distant acquaintance of someone who was in [[Blake's 7 (terrorist group)|Blake's 7]] – the [[terrorist]] organisation, not the [[television]] show, which "can't be right." ([[PROSE]]: ''[[The Dead Men Diaries (short story)|The Dead Men Diaries]]'') | | ''Blake's 7'' was the favourite television series of [[Gavin Oliver Scott]]. ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Least Important Man (short story)}}) In [[2600]], [[Bernice Summerfield]] obtained two episodes of the series for him on [[VHS]]. She noted that she knew a distant acquaintance of someone who was in [[Blake's 7 (terrorist group)|Blake's 7]] – the [[terrorist]] organisation, not the [[television]] show, which "can't be right". ([[PROSE]]: {{cs|The Dead Men Diaries (short story)}}) |
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| == Behind the scenes ==
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| === Shared background ===
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| ''Blake's 7'' was a {{w|dystopian}} [[science fiction]] series produced by the [[British Broadcasting Corporation]] at [[BBC Television Centre]] from 1978 to 1981. Since it was produced essentially "next door" to ''[[Doctor Who]]'', the shows shared many cast and crew members. Perhaps the most notable connection is that ''Blake's 7'' was created and often written by [[Terry Nation]], a frequent ''Doctor Who'' writer who invented the [[Dalek]]s. [[Paul Darrow]], [[Michael Keating]], [[Jacqueline Pearce]], [[Peter Tuddenham]] and [[Brian Croucher]], who all had starring roles in ''Blake's 7'', have appeared as guest stars on ''Doctor Who'', while [[Sally Knyvette]], [[David Jackson (actor)|David Jackson]], [[Jan Chappell]], [[Stephen Greif]], [[Steven Pacey]] and [[Josette Simon]] have appeared in ''Doctor Who'' [[Big Finish Productions|Big Finish]] audio stories. Notable guest stars on ''Blake's 7'' included [[Robert Beatty]], [[Leslie Schofield]], [[Brian Blessed]], [[Pamela Salem]], [[Deep Roy]], [[Peter Miles]], [[Peter Craze]], [[John Leeson]], [[David Bailie]], [[Julian Glover]], [[John Bennett (actor)|John Bennett]], [[Brian Miller (actor)|Brian Miller]], [[Jane Sherwin]], [[Morris Barry]], [[John Abineri]], [[Kevin Stoney (actor)|Kevin Stoney]], [[Tom Chadbon]], [[Aubrey Woods]], [[Denis Carey]], [[Bruce Purchase]], [[Richard Franklin]], [[Michael Sheard]], [[Michael Gough]], [[Colin Baker]], [[Valentine Dyall]], [[Ronald Leigh-Hunt]], [[Stewart Bevan]], [[Lynda Bellingham]], [[Richard Hurndall]] and [[David Collings]].
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| [[Michael E. Briant]], [[Pennant Roberts]], [[Douglas Camfield]], [[George Spenton-Foster]], [[Derek Martinus]], [[Gerald Blake]], [[Andrew Morgan]], [[Fiona Cumming]], [[Mary Ridge]] and [[Viktors Ritelis]] were among the directors, and [[Chris Boucher]] was the script editor. [[Robert Holmes]] also contributed four scripts to the series.
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| [[David Maloney]] [[producer|produced]] the first three series and [[Dudley Simpson]] exclusively [[composer|scored]] it. Most of the other departments also had significant connections to ''Doctor Who'', as well. [[Ken Ledsham]] and [[Roger Murray-Leach]] were amongst its [[production designer]]s. Its [[costume designer]]s included [[Barbara Kidd]] and [[June Hudson]]. [[Sheelagh Wells]] was a [[make-up designer]], while [[Peter Chapman]] was a major force in the camera department, and [[Brian Clemett]] was the main person providing [[studio lighting]].
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| === Crossovers ===
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| The cumulative effect of the substantial behind-the-scenes crossover between ''Blake's 7'' and late 1970s ''Doctor Who'' is that the shows look and feel very similar, almost to the extent that one could believe the two series are set in different parts of the same universe. Multiple sets and props were reused between the two shows: notably, [[w:c:blakes7:Dorian's creature|the creature]] in the series D episode ''[[w:c:blakes7:Rescue|Rescue]]'' was a modified [[Sea Devil]] costume, and Federation trooper helmets appeared in ''[[Frontios (TV story)|Frontios]]''.
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| At least twice during the televised run, writers and actors of ''Blake's 7'' adopted this perspective explicitly: Terry Nation briefly advocated for the [[Dalek]]s to appear as the major extra-galactic invading force at the end of Season B, and [[Tom Baker]] and [[Gareth Thomas]], who played [[Roj Blake]], thought it would be amusing for their characters to meet for a few seconds in a hallway on either show. However, both times the proposed connections were overruled by the producer and script editor.<ref>[https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/a790626/gareth-thomas-and-tom-baker-wanted-blakes-7-to-crossover-with-doctor-who/ Digital Spy: Gareth Thomas and Tom Baker wanted ''Blake's 7'' to crossover with ''Doctor Who'']</ref>
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| It was only after ''Blake's 7'' and ''Doctor Who'' each went off-air that crossovers between the series began to appear in non-televised [[DWU]] fiction. The [[Terran Federation]] was mentioned in the ''[[Doctor Who Magazine]]'' comic ''[[Pureblood (comic story)|Pureblood]]'' and [[John Peel]]'s [[1993 (releases)|1993]] [[The Evil of the Daleks (novelisation)|novelisation]] of ''[[The Evil of the Daleks (TV story)|The Evil of the Daleks]]'', and [[Bernice Summerfield]] referenced the [[terrorist]] group [[Blake's 7 (terrorist group)|Blake's 7]] in the [[2000 (releases)|2000]] ''[[Bernice Summerfield (series)|Bernice Summerfield]]'' story ''[[The Dead Men Diaries (short story)|The Dead Men Diaries]]''. Additionally, the ''Blake's 7'' planet of [[Gauda Prime]] was mentioned in the [[Tenth Doctor]] novel ''[[Prisoner of the Daleks (novel)|Prisoner of the Daleks]]'')
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| The most substantial crossover began in [[1999 (releases)|1999]] when [[BBC Books]] released the [[Fourth Doctor]] novel ''[[Corpse Marker (novel)|Corpse Marker]]''. It was written by [[Chris Boucher]], author of three serials in ''Doctor Who'' [[season 14]] and [[season 15|15]] and script editor of ''Blake's 7'', as a sequel to his television serial ''[[The Robots of Death (TV story)|The Robots of Death]]''; however, it also featured the psychostrategist [[Carnell]], who had first appeared in his ''Blake's 7'' episode ''Weapon''. The novel indicated that the character settled in [[Kaldor City]] two years after he first went on the run from the Federation, which would have followed his failure in ''Weapon''.
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| Carnell's story continued in [[Magic Bullet Productions]]' ''[[Kaldor City (audio series)|Kaldor City]]'' series of audio stories, which featured many further references to ''Blake's 7'' including the [[Butcher of Zircaster]] and [[Herculaneum alloy]]. Most notably, the series character [[Kaston Iago]] was played by [[Paul Darrow]] and repeatedly hinted to be Darrow's character from ''Blake's 7'', [[w:c:blakes7:Kerr Avon|Kerr Avon]], going under an assumed name to escape the authorities. This identification has never been made explicit by [[Magic Bullet Productions]]; however, in the story ''[[Metafiction (audio story)|Metafiction]]'', Iago's description of his life before arriving on Kaldor mirrored the events of the ''Blake's 7'' television series point for point, including lines explicitly designed to address discrepancies or plot holes in the original episodes.
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| [[Lance Parkin]] dedicated a section of ''[[AHistory]]'' to discussing when in the ''Doctor Who'' timeline ''Blake's 7'' could be set. The only hint at the rough time setting of ''Blake's 7'' is in the episode ''[[w:c:blakes7:Killer (episode)|Killer]]'', where the first [[human]] vessel sent to [[deep space]] is said to have been launched 700 years ago, and in promotional materials which said a galactic [[nuclear war]] had taken place a few centuries prior. This nearly aligns with a [[28th century|28th]] or [[29th century]] setting for ''Blake's 7'', with the atomic apocalypse being the [[Second Dalek War]]. Parkin notes that the [[Sixth Doctor]] audio story ''[[Three's a Crowd (audio story)|Three's a Crowd]]'', set in the 29th century, mentions a Federation and uses ''Blake's 7'' [[teleport]] sound effects, and the Terran Federation vaguely resembles the [[Earth Empire]] which was seen to govern Earth in that era in ''[[The Mutants (TV story)|The Mutants]]'' and other stories.
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| == External links == | | == External links == |
| {{bigfinish|hubs/v/blake-s-7|Blake's 7}}
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| {{iwx|Blake's 7|''Blake's 7''|wiki=blakes7|wiki name=the ''Blake's 7'' Wiki}} | | {{iwx|Blake's 7|''Blake's 7''|wiki=blakes7|wiki name=the ''Blake's 7'' Wiki}} |
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| == Footnotes ==
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| {{reflist}}
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| [[Category:Television series from the real world]] | | [[Category:Television series from the real world]] |
