WEBVTT

NOTE
This transcript was created on 2026-06-07 at 22:25:09

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Hello, dear listener, and welcome back to Maximum Power, the only Blake 7 podcast who wants you to pass the Turing test about how paranoid you are, all while sitting on a grenade enhanced chair and wondering why the food machines on the blink.

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I'm Brendan.

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I'm Joe. I'm Mark.

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Now, gentle listener, you've asked for this, and while we can't cover all 90 plus stories in the various ranges, we can provide a taster of the new worlds of Blake 7 Adventures from Big Finish.com.

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Now, Joe and Matt, of course, I imagine all of our listeners are aware of hamster with a blood penknife, and the Nymon be praised, but also you do have a big finish podcast, which like to tell us a bit about that.

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We do, yes.

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It's called Finish Big, and very original.

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The mission is to listen through all Big Finish releases in order.

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That's all the ranges, Doctor Who.

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Earth search.

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What else have we done?

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Bloody Earth search.

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She loves Nadine.

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I mean, look, we've been going for years now.

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Just listening to Big Finish.

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I think we've only covered the 1st couple of years of actual releases so far.

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It's a slow process, but we get a long way to go.

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And, you know, we haven't even reached Blake 7 yet, have we?

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90 releases, did you say?

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Yeah.

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Oh, there was a lot, isn't there?

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There's so many, I didn't realise.

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Yeah, I sat down and so there's 40 stories in the Chronicles ranges.

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There's 40 full cast stories and now, of course, they've got the various spinoffs, which we'll be talking about a bit today as well.

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And yeah, just having a look at the finished big feed.

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Your most recent Doctor Who episode was on roof of the world medicinal purposes.

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Lovely medicinal purposes.

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I remember medicinal purposes.

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We had a Rising Star, David Tennant in it.

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I don't know what happened to him, but, you know, yeah, no, yeah.

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So yeah, you do have a long way to go because I think medicinal purposes may be pre 2005, I want to say.

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Like, might be...

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Yeah, I think it's pretty new.

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I think we're sort of 2004, 2005. just going into 2005, I think.

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Just to give you a sort of glimpse of the horror that we're currently facing.

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We're in the 2nd season of the divergent universe right now with Paul McGann and in Divisher.

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You remember those ones?

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I do, I do.

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And to be honest, I'm quite fond of those, but I do think they never quite sold the idea of a universe without time, until oddly enough, they have to get out of it, and then adapt some of the stories that were meant to be in it, to be out of it, including one where time stops, and it's like, I can't help but think.

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Well, yes, yes.

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Yeah, it's been a bit of a struggle.

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I'll be glad when we're out the other end of that.

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Could I ask a question to you though?

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Yes.

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We even go into talking about any of these, please.

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How are they still doing forecast audios?

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I mean, there's hardly anyone left with us.

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Yeah, well, that's that's the big reason for the spinoff Rangers, which, you know, we'll discuss in more detail later, but there's Avalon, Clonemasters, Babe and the Butcher, and some more sort of general releases such as heroes and villains.

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Um, and yeah, they're kind of just casting new characters.

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And then sort of one story in the box set will feature one of the original actors as well.

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I think we've had a Tarrant box set recently.

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Baby and the Butcher.

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Has he got his...

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Yeah, he has.

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And there's a full-length audiobook read by Colin Baker as well.

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That's right Colin doing it, then it's going to be gold.

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And also, he does at one point guest star in the Avalon series, which makes it very clear that he does survive being blown up by his massive penis gun at the end of...

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He was in City on the Edge of the World.

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Only a smidgenless, you know.

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Yeah, he's a bit older, so...

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Do you remember the line?

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He goes, babe, she called me babe, you know.

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Right.

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I'm very happy to be dragging you forward about 7 years in Big Finishes Ouvre.

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So the structure of today's episode is that we're going to be covering one Liberator Chronicle. 2 of the full cast audios and the 1st episode of Big Finisher's spinoff range.

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And so looking at the Liberator Chronicles first, we're going to start off with the touring test over to you, Joe. Yes, the Turing Test by Simon Gurier and directed by, and just a quick moment for Lisa Baumann, who we just adore.

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Oh, yeah.

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She's like the patron saint of Finnish Big.

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Okay, everything she touches is gold. absolutely.

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This came out in 2012 and the Companion Chronicles from Big Finish started in 2007.

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So they obviously realised they were on to something good with the Companion Chronicles and their 1st person narratives.

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Usually with just one or 2 actors.

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And so they take that format and bring it to Blake 7.

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This is an Avon and Villa story to Kickstart this range and what better place to start them with these 2 characters.

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So you've got Michael Keating in there and you've got Paul Darrow, but Darrow does most of the reading here.

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And it's just a lovely little adventure set on a base where a load of scientists are doing research into Android tech for the Federation, and it's them attempting to come away with that technology and foil the Federation's plan there a little bit and bringing this Android back to the Liberator at the end.

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And uh, I thought this was rather marvellous, actually.

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But over to you guys.

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Well, I think the Chronicles format is just perfect for. audio and perfect for sort of dipping your toe in or dipping big finishes toe in to getting these actors back into the roles before they go full car.

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So this was, they did these, didn't they, before any of the other forecast adaptations and everything like that.

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So you get inside their head.

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I could see everything.

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I could see this in the 1970s when they're landing, when he's describing them going into the base, that was on film and it was gray and industrial.

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I could just see, and then when they go into the base, I could see it sort of overlit, and the cell with the Android in was this really bright room on a studio.

85
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I could really see everything.

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It just works really well.

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And the combination of Villa and Avon is brilliant to kick off the Liberator Chronicles range.

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But you know what this has?

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What this has that the other 3 stories don't, and I'm not saying all the other 3 stories are all terrible, maybe well.

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Um, but is Paul Darrow doing the bulk of the narration and he is charming and sly and funny and idiosyncratic in a way that only Paul Darrow can be.

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I don't know if either of you have heard Paul Darrow's autobiography as read by himself.

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But the man is a racon.

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He can tell a story, right?

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This could have been a shopping list. and Darrow would have made it, they would have spun it into gold.

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Yes.

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But actually, Simon Gurier is one of the best companion chronicle writers.

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He gave us Oliver Harper.

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He gave us the Sarah Kingdom trilogy.

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He has perfected this 1st person narrative with Doctor Who, and he brings this over to Blake 7 and characterises Avon just beautifully in this.

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I had an absolute sense that Darrow had never been away.

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He's gone from recording Blake and the next week he came back and did the Turing test by Simon Gurier because he just slips into this like a glove.

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We've just been watching the final series, obviously, and Darrow's performance is as big as ever it gets.

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So it was really interesting to come back to this story because of course I've heard it before.

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But to come back to it immediately after series D, and to hear Paul Darrow rein in the performance and give us an early Avon.

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So this story takes place about halfway through the 1st series, there's lots of comments that the crew don't really know each other all that well yet, they haven't been together that long.

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And Paul Darrow does play it with more reserve than Avon has later on.

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And that's something wonderful that Big Finish does is that, you know, we as fans say with Blake Seven or Doctor Who.

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We watched the episodes tons and tons of tons and tons of times, and we think we know everything about an actor's performance.

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The actor with 20 or 30 years of hindsight comes back to that performance and goes, well, I'm more experienced as an actor now, and this is all the nuance I wanted to put in back then.

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So, yeah, I'm with you in that it's a very clever idea to give this story to Paul Darrow and Michael Keating.

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Who are the most popular, right?

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Yeah, longer serving actors on the show, um, in this, in this same box set, Michael Keating gets the story where he, where Villas, the focus.

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So Avon's the focus of this with Michael Keating supporting.

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But even then, it throws Avon's character into contrast.

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Some of the best parts of this, though, was Avon commenting on Villa, because Villas on this base, pretending to be this sort of high-tech scientist.

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And, you know, Darrow gets lions like a Villas charm makes me want to break things.

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But it worked on some.

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You know, and yes. constantly insulting it.

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The thing about Darrow is, right?

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You could give him any random line.

121
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I don't know.

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I came for a door and he would never say, he's like Tom Baker. would never say the line.

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Like you imagine it would come out, you know.

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I came through the door.

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You know, so throughout this entire thing.

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Well, we were on a walk listening to this down the beach and I was just laughing my head off every line he was saying.

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I just think he is, he is like the MVP of the 4 of these, and it's a bit sad because in the others, he really doesn't get too much to do, does he?

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But here he's the focus.

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But here as well, listening just to this format of, you know, you've just got 2 actors, it doesn't feel minimalist.

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I felt like I'd watched a full episode.

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Even when he's talking with the other scientists and everything.

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At first, I was thinking, oh, it'd be great to actually hear if there was another voice of the scientist or that conversation, but then you don't actually miss that.

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You don't need any of that.

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Just the way that it's written, all coming from Avon's point of view.

135
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And then just in terms of the story as well.

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I mean, I sort of guessed what was going to happen.

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Um, when he walks in and there's a the girl robot, I was like, 0 my god, here we go.

138
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Avon's going to fall in love with us. going to be something that I just knew that was going to happen.

139
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There was going to be something like that.

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She's going to end up dead and it's going to be a horrible ending.

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And it sort of was.

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Yeah, but then that's what's revealing about this is he does have genuine affection for 14.

143
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That's what she is.

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The 14th version of this character that gets taken away.

145
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I really liked it when he started to get very possessive of her, when he takes her back to the ship.

146
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Yeah, I had freed her.

147
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She was mine.

148
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Yeah, yeah. something we may not have mentioned is, of course, Avon himself is posing as an Android.

149
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Which he does effortlessly.

150
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Yeah, absolutely.

151
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Yeah, yeah, yeah.

152
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But something I quite liked about the Avon and 14 relationship is it actually directly says this is not a romantic relationship because Villa speculates that.

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And Avon's response is, it's not like that, I want nothing from her.

154
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And so it's his altruistic expression of emotion from Avon, which is uncharacteristic in itself.

155
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But it's so personal, isn't it?

156
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Because it's the 1st person, because we're in his head, one of the things about Avon in Blake 7 is he's kind of a bit inscrutable, you don't really know.

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And Darrow sort of lets emotions peek through in the TV show, but really there's a big mask on most of the time and you're left sort of, you know, that's why it's great to talk about maximum power because, well, is he thinking this?

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Is he thinking that?

159
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What's his motives?

160
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But here we're directly in his head and we know what he thinks, which makes this one of the most intimate looks at Avon, you're going to say.

161
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The conclusion that the story comes to, you know, the last line is just fabulous where, hang on, I wrote it down.

162
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What was it?

163
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I was logical.

164
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I wouldn't let 14 staff affect me.

165
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She wasn't alive, but we were so alike.

166
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And then he just pauses and goes.

167
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Because I was a machine.

168
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Q music, you know?

169
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And that's how he's losing himself.

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I just thought it was great, this.

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I thought this was really fun. and Lisa Baumann directed the bulk of the Companion Chronicles.

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So she is a dabber hand at bringing this stuff to life now.

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You would swear she'd been directing Blake 7 her whole life because it's so authentic.

174
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And the Doctor Who ones have been going for a while, so they've learnt how to build that narrative and to do the 2 voices, they've learned quite a lot.

175
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So by the time they get to Blake 7, I think, it's pretty much perfected.

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It was so clever, wasn't it?

177
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Because you had Paul Darrow sort of narrating what the other characters were saying and then you had Michael Keating within those scenes reacting live.

178
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So it sounds like it's a forecast audio despite the fact that there's only 2 actors.

179
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Yeah really clever.

180
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Really good.

181
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And it's nice that Gang gets a mention, I think.

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Yes, You know, it's good to, you know, and this is the only way you can do those really early stories, you know, with that cast dimension.

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Ganzov doing something while we're doing this, you know, it's just nice that, you know, you can slot it in there, then, you know, at the beginning.

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Like most 1st season episode.

185
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Well, yeah, everyone, Gad, just gets a mention.

186
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Yeah, exactly.

187
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Yeah.

188
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In this is literally like someone notes that Gan is very tall.

189
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What it really shows to me was before series four.

190
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Avon led series of Blake 7.

191
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That is just the template, right?

192
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That is, that's the gold of Blake Zen, I think.

193
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Who do the other four, the this set then?

194
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I know you said Michael Keaton does one.

195
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Oh yeah, so the villa one and then, oh, it's Blake, isn't it?

196
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Oh, and then Blake as well.

197
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Okay.

198
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How could you forget Blake?

199
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Oh, it's Nigel Fairs.

200
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So what are the titles of the other 2 on that?

201
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There's a solitary, which is the villa one?

202
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Yes.

203
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And then counterfeit, which is looks like Avon and Blake.

204
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Yes, yeah, and that's the that's the Blake Led one.

205
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Yeah.

206
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Telling, isn't it, that they started with Avon and not with Blake?

207
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I remember when I 1st got it and 1st listened to it, I thought, that's an interesting choice. controversial opinion number one on this call.

208
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Blake is a bit boring, isn't he?

209
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I don't think that's that controversial.

210
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Oh, right, good.

211
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You better wait for some of the opinions coming later then.

212
00:16:06.240 --> 00:16:16.980
But yeah, it's a really strong start, not only to the Blake 7 run, but to the Chronicles, which run for 12 volumes, plus an individual episode as well.

213
00:16:17.039 --> 00:16:20.460
Our volumes. 12 volumes.

214
00:16:20.519 --> 00:16:23.100
So 37 chronicles in all.

215
00:16:23.159 --> 00:16:23.639
Hang on.

216
00:16:23.700 --> 00:16:29.039
Do they start to get a bit desperate at the end and do like all sort of random subcharacters that are just in one scene or...

217
00:16:29.759 --> 00:16:30.960
No, no, they really don't.

218
00:16:31.019 --> 00:16:33.600
Like, it really does focus on the main cast.

219
00:16:33.659 --> 00:16:39.899
There's one episode that is Serverland and Peter Miles, a.k.a.

220
00:16:39.899 --> 00:16:40.440
Nider.

221
00:16:42.120 --> 00:16:44.039
He's a Federation official in 2 episodes.

222
00:16:44.100 --> 00:16:47.340
That must be the topist audio of all time.

223
00:16:47.460 --> 00:16:49.080
Oh, it's so good.

224
00:16:49.139 --> 00:16:50.460
It's so good.

225
00:16:50.519 --> 00:16:52.019
It's an interrogation.

226
00:16:52.080 --> 00:16:58.200
He's in a cell, just as Servolan has deposed the president, and she's going to try him for sedition.

227
00:16:58.259 --> 00:17:01.860
And he says, well, we both know I didn't do it, but we both know I'm not leaving here alive.

228
00:17:01.919 --> 00:17:03.659
So Servoland, tell me how you did it.

229
00:17:04.079 --> 00:17:07.380
Oh, that sounds great.

230
00:17:07.440 --> 00:17:13.259
The Serverland and Peter Miles play president is written by Simon Guria.

231
00:17:13.319 --> 00:17:15.960
Oh, he is the best.

232
00:17:16.019 --> 00:17:17.759
He does all the best Doctor Who ones.

233
00:17:17.819 --> 00:17:20.460
Just David Warner guest in one.

234
00:17:20.519 --> 00:17:23.039
Have I just have I imagined I've seen him on the cover of one.

235
00:17:23.099 --> 00:17:24.359
You know, you're absolutely right.

236
00:17:24.599 --> 00:17:27.000
David Warner is in...

237
00:17:27.059 --> 00:17:31.140
I think he's in 3 or 4 in total as Villa's dad.

238
00:17:31.200 --> 00:17:33.180
Oh, God, right.

239
00:17:34.200 --> 00:17:36.240
Is there a crook?

240
00:17:36.299 --> 00:17:39.059
No, no, he was the governor of Mars.

241
00:17:39.119 --> 00:17:47.460
But Villa was Villa was the illegitimate son he had with, you know, a degrade, a delta grade.

242
00:17:47.519 --> 00:17:50.039
So he never he never really acknowledged him.

243
00:17:50.099 --> 00:17:54.480
Oh, I love about Big Finish, filling out all this backstory for the characters.

244
00:17:54.539 --> 00:18:00.839
Yeah, but it means you get these wonderful cracking scenes of David Warner and Michael Keating.

245
00:18:01.740 --> 00:18:04.559
We're terribly embarrassed about Villa.

246
00:18:04.619 --> 00:18:08.099
Oh, he is scornful of Villa.

247
00:18:10.079 --> 00:18:12.480
So he's not he's he's thoroughly unrepentant.

248
00:18:15.539 --> 00:18:15.900
Yeah.

249
00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:18.900
No, it's it's really electric stuff.

250
00:18:18.960 --> 00:18:20.880
He's not a good he's not a nice man.

251
00:18:20.940 --> 00:18:28.619
With the Liberated Chronicles, I was being facetious then when I said I was at all these random sort of one scene or one episode of characters.

252
00:18:28.680 --> 00:18:39.299
I think there's something in that, though, you know, because then suddenly I started sort of rolling through the episodes and thinking, like, I know Ireland has just had a say.

253
00:18:39.359 --> 00:18:52.859
Yes, but a character like that or I love the 2 guards in rumours of death, I could just imagine a great, just one companion chronicle with just them, you know, David Hague's character in rumours of death, and just people like that, you know.

254
00:18:52.920 --> 00:18:58.740
Just giving, just fleshing out that universe, just a little bit more through the eyes of other characters.

255
00:18:59.279 --> 00:19:10.140
Yeah, but I suppose with, yeah, I mean, you've only got a certain number of cast members, I suppose with the Doctor Who companion chronicles, you've got many more options, haven't you?

256
00:19:10.200 --> 00:19:18.599
So you do need to find these other characters, but yeah, I think this is a really great way of exploring more of the Blake Sedden universe. absolutely.

257
00:19:18.660 --> 00:19:22.440
And just in a way where you're very close to the characters.

258
00:19:22.500 --> 00:19:31.259
And I think with audio, I think 1st person works far better than forecast and more on that later.

259
00:19:31.319 --> 00:19:39.240
But I think, yeah, when you are alongside that person looking through their eyes that is as close to the story as you can possibly get.

260
00:19:39.299 --> 00:19:40.980
And it's riveting.

261
00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:46.799
And you don't miss the others because, you know, in the, you know, in a standard TV episode, I'm generalising here.

262
00:19:46.859 --> 00:19:51.420
It is usually like 2 or 3 that go down and do a mission and the others are just sitting up there anyway.

263
00:19:51.480 --> 00:19:58.500
So you might as well just have a story that really does concentrate on these one or 2 because that's that's sort of what happened anyway, didn't it?

264
00:19:58.559 --> 00:19:59.579
Was there a line in there?

265
00:19:59.700 --> 00:20:02.099
You know, that Jenna and Cali were at the teleport.

266
00:20:02.099 --> 00:20:04.500
Wait, it's played the button with a couple of copies.

267
00:20:04.559 --> 00:20:06.059
I'm going down to stay here.

268
00:20:07.140 --> 00:20:09.059
Oh, Jenna.

269
00:20:09.180 --> 00:20:15.900
When he brings 14 back to the ship, Jenna and Kelly are described as fussing over her and finding her clothes and things to eat.

270
00:20:16.799 --> 00:20:18.359
Oh, yeah.

271
00:20:18.359 --> 00:20:24.059
And with the skilled writer that CyberGuria is, I think that's actually a dig ass.

272
00:20:24.059 --> 00:20:24.839
That's deliberate.

273
00:20:24.900 --> 00:20:27.240
Yeah, that yeah, that's a dick.

274
00:20:27.299 --> 00:20:27.900
That's a dick.

275
00:20:27.960 --> 00:20:32.700
We just happen to have a whole rack of June Hudson's costumes that you could try on.

276
00:20:32.759 --> 00:20:33.240
Come on now.

277
00:20:33.420 --> 00:20:36.720
A blamboyant cocktail dress for you.

278
00:20:39.779 --> 00:20:50.759
It's worth noting as well that all of the Liberator Chronicles, with the exception of Remnants, which was a standalone special, are available for free on Spotify to listen.

279
00:20:50.880 --> 00:20:52.440
So if anyone wants to give these a try.

280
00:20:52.500 --> 00:20:53.880
All of them finish.

281
00:20:53.940 --> 00:20:55.440
You won't get a penny out of them.

282
00:20:55.500 --> 00:21:08.460
Well, no, that's the thing is I bought a few of them, but they're all sort of out of print on CD and I like having the CD, so I'm on eBay looking for them for ridiculous amounts of money, but our house is not built of bricks.

283
00:21:08.519 --> 00:21:10.859
It's built of finished CDs, all right?

284
00:21:11.700 --> 00:21:19.799
People walk in right and they see the impressive, enormous floor to ceiling bookcase of big finish CDs.

285
00:21:19.859 --> 00:21:23.279
I mean, there are 100s of them in there and they go, oh, what's all of that?

286
00:21:23.339 --> 00:21:27.960
And then you go, oh, the Doctor Who's CDs, and they go, oh, you've wasted your whole life, haven't you?

287
00:21:28.019 --> 00:21:28.680
Yeah, yeah.

288
00:21:28.740 --> 00:21:30.779
It's like, it's all tat, really.

289
00:21:30.839 --> 00:21:37.079
I mean, I say it's all tat, sitting in front of a literal wall of seeing a master system cartridges.

290
00:21:37.140 --> 00:21:40.740
So, you know, I'm not, I feel better about my life.

291
00:21:40.859 --> 00:21:41.759
Thank you very much.

292
00:21:52.980 --> 00:21:59.759
Well, I thoroughly recommend checking out any of the Blake 7 Chronicles.

293
00:21:59.819 --> 00:22:09.839
But within a year of the Chronicles starting, they did actually manage to get the full band back together and start making full cast audios.

294
00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:13.019
Now we have already covered Warship, which came out in 2013.

295
00:22:13.319 --> 00:22:25.019
A year later, they started more regular releases, and our next story that we're discussing is the 1st full cast audio in that range, which is fractures. over to you, Mark.

296
00:22:25.079 --> 00:22:27.420
Yeah, so this is, yeah, the 1st one.

297
00:22:27.480 --> 00:22:28.380
I was going to mention this.

298
00:22:28.440 --> 00:22:30.359
So they had already Yeah, they'd already done warship.

299
00:22:30.539 --> 00:22:36.720
So this is the 2nd sort of full cast, but it's the 1st in this in this series, this ongoing series.

300
00:22:36.779 --> 00:22:44.039
And it's an interesting one because it's the main cast and it's all set on the Liberator.

301
00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:49.980
And it's just the forecast, bar, a brief cameo from Travis.

302
00:22:50.039 --> 00:22:55.559
Um, and it's a, it's a, well, I'll describe it as a character piece. see what you think.

303
00:22:55.619 --> 00:22:57.000
It's a bit of a character piece.

304
00:22:57.059 --> 00:22:58.140
They're all stuck on the show.

305
00:22:58.200 --> 00:23:00.240
Joe, it looks up all to do.

306
00:23:00.539 --> 00:23:03.240
It should have been a character picture.

307
00:23:03.359 --> 00:23:04.980
Well, that was maybe that was the intention.

308
00:23:05.039 --> 00:23:07.019
They're all stuck on the liberator.

309
00:23:07.079 --> 00:23:20.519
There's power drainage, and they're all in various parts of the ship, trying to fix things, and there's lots of conversations over the, over the con system, but then there's something that's infiltrated the ship.

310
00:23:20.640 --> 00:23:22.680
People aren't who they seem.

311
00:23:22.740 --> 00:23:27.960
It brings to the fore, their distrust of each other and the paranoia of each other.

312
00:23:28.019 --> 00:23:35.880
And so it's really trying to look at the crew and how they relate to each other, but just in this sort of, well, not based under siege.

313
00:23:35.940 --> 00:23:39.660
But liberator, liberator under siege setting.

314
00:23:40.079 --> 00:23:42.240
I really like this.

315
00:23:42.299 --> 00:23:45.119
I know you're looking at me like, this is the worst thing ever.

316
00:23:45.180 --> 00:23:46.980
But I love the liberator.

317
00:23:47.039 --> 00:23:48.660
That is the main thing.

318
00:23:48.720 --> 00:23:53.099
It's my favourite ship in any series, anything ever. absolutely love it.

319
00:23:53.160 --> 00:23:55.140
A favourite ship in anything.

320
00:23:55.259 --> 00:23:57.660
There's something about...

321
00:23:57.720 --> 00:24:00.779
I could have all of these sort of things. lactica. any ship.

322
00:24:00.900 --> 00:24:02.880
It would be the liberator.

323
00:24:02.940 --> 00:24:05.819
I love that front lounge room thing, chatting to Zen.

324
00:24:05.880 --> 00:24:07.920
It would be amazing. absolutely love it.

325
00:24:07.980 --> 00:24:09.420
You must hate serious falling.

326
00:24:09.480 --> 00:24:14.039
And this was the 1st forecast that I listened to from Big Finish.

327
00:24:14.400 --> 00:24:19.259
And I think maybe we should start just addressing.

328
00:24:19.440 --> 00:24:23.519
When I 1st listened to it, I was like, where's Blake?

329
00:24:23.579 --> 00:24:25.740
somebody's talking here.

330
00:24:25.799 --> 00:24:27.779
Who is this old man?

331
00:24:28.920 --> 00:24:33.539
I actually had difficulty working out who was who to begin with.

332
00:24:33.599 --> 00:24:35.819
No, no, no, not to begin with.

333
00:24:35.880 --> 00:24:38.940
In the 2nd one and the 3rd one we're going to cover today.

334
00:24:39.000 --> 00:24:40.740
This is controversial opinion number two.

335
00:24:40.799 --> 00:24:46.319
I had no idea when Gareth Thomas was talking when Stephen Pacey was talking.

336
00:24:46.380 --> 00:24:48.839
Certainly when Yasmine Bannerman was talking.

337
00:24:48.900 --> 00:24:50.880
I kept saying to Mark, who is that?

338
00:24:50.940 --> 00:24:52.380
Who am I listening to?

339
00:24:52.440 --> 00:24:53.700
That's a problem.

340
00:24:53.819 --> 00:24:55.619
Maybe that's a bit of a conversation to have now then.

341
00:24:55.680 --> 00:24:57.420
Does it does it matter that much?

342
00:24:58.140 --> 00:25:00.059
Yes, I, yeah.

343
00:25:00.119 --> 00:25:07.140
The thing is, I think, um, In the in the case of Gareth Thomas, and I don't think this is controversial to say.

344
00:25:07.200 --> 00:25:13.619
Gareth Light is cigarettes, and he liked his beer, and it has taken a toll on his voice.

345
00:25:13.680 --> 00:25:16.019
And it is a bit of a problem.

346
00:25:16.079 --> 00:25:20.400
And, you know, I found it a problem listening to the Liberator Chronicles with him in.

347
00:25:20.400 --> 00:25:25.200
I think he still gets the heart of the performance.

348
00:25:25.259 --> 00:25:37.859
But yeah, sometimes the voice is distracting, especially because his voice is down much lower, and he tries to go higher sometimes, and it sounds like he's straining himself, which makes it a bit, which makes it a bit hard.

349
00:25:37.920 --> 00:25:47.579
Whereas I think sort of Michael Keating, Paul Darrow, Jan Chappell, Sally Nevette, their voices are all still quite close to what they were.

350
00:25:47.640 --> 00:25:50.460
I had a little trouble with Jan Chappelle as well.

351
00:25:50.519 --> 00:25:52.740
I was like, is that Kelly?

352
00:25:52.799 --> 00:25:53.819
Yeah, you can tell.

353
00:25:53.880 --> 00:25:54.900
You can tell me.

354
00:25:54.900 --> 00:25:56.279
These are audios, right?

355
00:25:56.339 --> 00:25:57.839
So you it's sound only.

356
00:25:57.900 --> 00:26:00.359
So the sound has to be authentic.

357
00:26:00.480 --> 00:26:01.799
Otherwise, what's the point?

358
00:26:01.859 --> 00:26:11.700
And I personally, I would have recast Gareth Thomas, I would have recast Stephen Pacey, and I would have found somebody else to play Dana.

359
00:26:11.759 --> 00:26:15.119
Well, I think, but I think the Blake 7 cast have suffered.

360
00:26:15.240 --> 00:26:19.559
If you compare it to some of the others like we've been listening to like the Doctor Who's or the Tomorrow people.

361
00:26:19.619 --> 00:26:21.059
Really only.

362
00:26:21.119 --> 00:26:22.799
It's Deborah Watling from Doctor Who.

363
00:26:22.859 --> 00:26:25.200
That's the same Gareth Thomas issue here.

364
00:26:25.259 --> 00:26:28.799
I mean, we're quite lucky that that lot haven't suffered in.

365
00:26:28.859 --> 00:26:32.339
I just feel like the Blake 7 cast, but I'm...

366
00:26:32.400 --> 00:26:38.940
Yeah, but the Blake 7 car sort of suffered more from drinking drugs that all the other cars and TV shows, I feel.

367
00:26:39.119 --> 00:26:42.119
They just had weird opinion, right?

368
00:26:42.240 --> 00:26:45.420
But the late 7 parts of living a life of the box.

369
00:26:45.480 --> 00:26:46.500
I'm only going by the boys.

370
00:26:46.500 --> 00:26:47.339
Drugs and drinks.

371
00:26:47.400 --> 00:26:48.599
They've just had more hard lives.

372
00:26:48.720 --> 00:26:52.019
I was just going to say, I don't think they suffered.

373
00:26:52.079 --> 00:26:53.940
I think they enjoyed it immensely.

374
00:26:54.059 --> 00:26:55.920
You're totally right.

375
00:26:55.980 --> 00:27:00.539
But it was a definite problem.

376
00:27:00.599 --> 00:27:04.559
And, you know, can I, can I, this was a terrible...

377
00:27:04.619 --> 00:27:06.599
But maybe, sorry, I'm not allowed to.

378
00:27:06.660 --> 00:27:06.839
Sorry.

379
00:27:06.900 --> 00:27:08.279
No, I might want to.

380
00:27:08.339 --> 00:27:10.200
No, no, before you'd say how terrible it is.

381
00:27:10.259 --> 00:27:29.519
Oh, also, as this, as this is the first, you know, in this series, maybe, is that the I, maybe having this, just the cast, at least that helps because there's no other characters to get confused with and you're sort of reacquainting yourself with these new voices going forward, maybe, maybe that does help having a story like this.

382
00:27:29.579 --> 00:27:44.460
I mean, I think the idea of setting it on the liberator, having just the crew, and like you say, reacquainting yourselves with them, in a story that's about paranoia that reestablishes their relationships and what they mean to each other, that's genius.

383
00:27:44.519 --> 00:27:46.319
Unfortunately, that doesn't happen here.

384
00:27:46.380 --> 00:27:56.579
Because I was making notes of whatever actual character development or beats were said in this, and there was two.

385
00:27:56.640 --> 00:28:04.200
There was somebody saying, perhaps Blake is still under Sivan's control at one point, and why would we ever want to remember Sivan?

386
00:28:04.259 --> 00:28:07.380
I'm sure Kelly knew that Sivan was Travis.

387
00:28:07.440 --> 00:28:10.740
I'm not going back to watch to check, but I'm sure she saw that reveal.

388
00:28:14.099 --> 00:28:21.119
And the 2nd carat beat was them saying at the end, you know, we're stronger together than we are apart.

389
00:28:21.180 --> 00:28:37.559
But during the actual nuts and bolts of the story, where they're being sort of hunted through the ship and this shape changer is taken on and all of this, all they're doing is is having sort of hysterical moments where they're paranoid and they're sort of screaming at each other over intercoms.

390
00:28:37.619 --> 00:28:39.240
Do you know what it felt like?

391
00:28:39.240 --> 00:28:41.339
A bad Star Trek episode to me.

392
00:28:41.400 --> 00:28:56.700
The ship has wandered into a bizarre derelict area of spaceships and there's an evil alien force on board that sucks out all the paranoia and hate from people and is trying to stir them up.

393
00:28:56.759 --> 00:28:58.619
It was like a really bad.

394
00:28:58.680 --> 00:29:01.259
The trouble is Justin Richards wrote this.

395
00:29:01.319 --> 00:29:13.920
And I think Justin Richards is a fantastic writer of Doctor Who novels and he is a very meat and potatoes writer of audios, whether that's Doctor Who or whether that's Blake 7.

396
00:29:13.980 --> 00:29:20.160
The 1st half of this story was the crew, obviously the liberator's broken down.

397
00:29:20.220 --> 00:29:22.980
It was the crew talking a load of tech, a babble to each other.

398
00:29:23.039 --> 00:29:27.720
They're like, oh, pass through the spanner, go to this place, do this, and then I was like, what is this?

399
00:29:27.779 --> 00:29:30.960
This is like an episode, a bad episode of Star Trek.

400
00:29:31.019 --> 00:29:32.339
But this is a Blake 7.

401
00:29:32.400 --> 00:29:37.200
Bring, please, as for bringing back Brian Croucher, as the worst Travis.

402
00:29:37.259 --> 00:29:40.559
I kept waiting for him to turn up at the end of this.

403
00:29:40.559 --> 00:29:43.380
Because I was like, why was he at the start?

404
00:29:43.440 --> 00:29:46.019
It wasn't at least it's a little fun thing, isn't it?

405
00:29:46.079 --> 00:29:47.400
Just as a little surprise.

406
00:29:47.579 --> 00:29:48.839
Still got it though, hasn't it?

407
00:29:48.900 --> 00:29:49.500
He was terrible.

408
00:29:49.559 --> 00:29:50.819
Hello, Blake.

409
00:29:50.880 --> 00:29:52.500
Hello Blake.

410
00:29:52.559 --> 00:29:54.960
There's nowhere to run, Blake.

411
00:29:55.019 --> 00:30:02.160
Like, he puts, he puts about 3 Y's into Blake. all in different places.

412
00:30:02.220 --> 00:30:09.180
Now, look, I get I get what you're saying, Joe. And I think sort of by about the 35 minute mark.

413
00:30:09.240 --> 00:30:15.779
I'm going, okay, this is very leather rinse repeat, but I still really enjoy this one.

414
00:30:15.839 --> 00:30:22.440
I think I possibly enjoy it on on the level of what Nathan describes as this is weird, Blake 7.

415
00:30:23.579 --> 00:30:29.940
It's not on the same level of sarcophagus, but it's dealing with some of the famed themes as sarcophagus.

416
00:30:30.000 --> 00:30:32.099
I did this, didn't they, with sock officer?

417
00:30:32.160 --> 00:30:32.640
the same thing.

418
00:30:32.700 --> 00:30:36.599
There's an alien entity on the ship with genuine character development of Cali.

419
00:30:37.079 --> 00:30:53.279
But I think I think it's a bit of a long walk to get there, but I think where we get to is the crew outright saying, no, no, like we weren't chasing each other, saying come back calm down because we were angry.

420
00:30:53.339 --> 00:30:58.019
We were chasing each other because we cared and we didn't want the other person to get hurt.

421
00:30:58.019 --> 00:31:14.819
And when they actually say that, I think it has been directed earlier on that there is a degree of ambiguity, not that you think they want to harm each other, but certainly say in Villa's case, yes, he wouldn't want Kelly to get hurt, for instance, but he is more afraid for himself.

422
00:31:14.880 --> 00:31:19.019
But, you know, Blake Jenner and Callie are all like, no, no, no, we were concerned about each other.

423
00:31:19.079 --> 00:31:20.759
And of course, Villa is then like, are we?

424
00:31:20.819 --> 00:31:21.839
Oh, we were.

425
00:31:21.900 --> 00:31:22.079
Yes.

426
00:31:22.140 --> 00:31:23.160
I was very concerned.

427
00:31:23.579 --> 00:31:35.339
But there's, I think there's another version of this story out there where when they're paranoia starts heightening and raising that these are really interesting characters, the Blake 7 crew.

428
00:31:35.400 --> 00:31:38.519
They've all got a past and they've all got beef with each other.

429
00:31:38.579 --> 00:31:53.099
So within this story, you could start to explore the things that they don't like about each other in some really sort of pointed exchanges, but instead it's just sort of Sally Nevet, screaming a red off, going, you tried to kill me.

430
00:31:53.160 --> 00:31:55.859
You know, I'm like, what is this?

431
00:31:55.980 --> 00:31:57.299
Oh, I don't know.

432
00:31:57.359 --> 00:31:59.160
It depends if you look at this.

433
00:31:59.220 --> 00:32:07.859
If, as a series, because they do, from the end of this one, it feeds into the next one and so forth for this whole 1st series.

434
00:32:07.920 --> 00:32:08.940
You could see it as part one.

435
00:32:09.000 --> 00:32:10.200
There's a bit of a warm-up.

436
00:32:10.259 --> 00:32:16.019
They're warming up their vocal cords, ready to do the rest of the series.

437
00:32:16.079 --> 00:32:23.579
I was disappointed at the ending of where this entity or this, this thing.

438
00:32:23.640 --> 00:32:25.440
There's a very brief explanation.

439
00:32:25.500 --> 00:32:27.059
Well, very brief.

440
00:32:27.119 --> 00:32:27.720
It looks good.

441
00:32:27.839 --> 00:32:29.819
It's just over and it's done.

442
00:32:29.880 --> 00:32:36.599
I was waiting for something a bit more at the end after going through all of this and that just wasn't there.

443
00:32:36.660 --> 00:32:45.299
So that was a disappointment, but I'm quite happy to hear them chat and distrust each other over the comms for, you know, a good half an hour.

444
00:32:45.359 --> 00:32:49.740
I'm absolutely happy with that Listen to this line as the moral of the story, okay?

445
00:32:49.799 --> 00:32:54.660
The fractures that you sense are the tires that Biden does and make us stronger.

446
00:32:54.720 --> 00:32:58.319
You know, like that is like a Star Trek moral as well.

447
00:32:58.380 --> 00:33:05.759
And maybe this would be, I mean, I know we've had warship, but maybe, you know, people are getting on board maybe with this.

448
00:33:05.819 --> 00:33:12.960
So this, as I say, it's a bit of a reacquaintance if this is the 1st one you're going to get of the series, you know, for new listeners.

449
00:33:13.019 --> 00:33:14.400
Maybe that's what it's designed for.

450
00:33:14.460 --> 00:33:15.779
Yeah.

451
00:33:15.839 --> 00:33:19.319
I think also, as you say, Mark, this is part of a piece.

452
00:33:19.380 --> 00:33:35.940
It is part of a 6 episode season, and towards the end of the season, we do start to come back to the distrust, and there is actually a scene in a later episode where Jenner takes Blake to Tasco, the Gans death, which isn't, you know, isn't even alluded to here.

453
00:33:36.059 --> 00:33:37.980
You know, they don't talk about pressure point.

454
00:33:38.039 --> 00:33:40.019
They talk about voice from the past for some reason.

455
00:33:41.039 --> 00:33:43.980
You just said, you know, we did do nothing anyway.

456
00:33:44.039 --> 00:33:47.460
We don't really miss him, Gam. nice in that episode.

457
00:33:47.519 --> 00:33:50.640
Yeah, it's actually taken Jenna. 9 weeks to remember.

458
00:33:50.700 --> 00:33:52.259
Oh yeah, Dan used to sit over there.

459
00:33:53.039 --> 00:33:55.680
He hasn't said anything for a while.

460
00:33:56.039 --> 00:33:59.279
He hasn't grabbed his head and stared out the screen.

461
00:33:59.339 --> 00:34:10.320
Yeah, I mean, I think we said this at the time when we recorded it, but killer, the 2nd series episode was recorded with Gan.

462
00:34:10.380 --> 00:34:14.039
And he had one scene where he operated the teleport.

463
00:34:14.039 --> 00:34:20.159
And then they decided to move it to the back end of the season after his death and all they had to do was take that scene out.

464
00:34:20.219 --> 00:34:26.159
Yeah, he is the councillor Troy of Blake 7. easily removable from any episode.

465
00:34:26.280 --> 00:34:29.219
Talk about like recast.

466
00:34:29.280 --> 00:34:33.659
Do you think Big Finish could have recast Gan by this point?

467
00:34:33.659 --> 00:34:35.400
Or do you think what is the reason they haven't?

468
00:34:35.460 --> 00:34:44.639
I think possibly the reason they haven't is there's still the same writing problem around him in that, you know, you, you know, you introduce him, he's a fighter.

469
00:34:44.699 --> 00:34:48.000
He's a brawler, but also he can't fight and he can't brawl.

470
00:34:48.059 --> 00:34:57.960
And it's like early in the 2nd series, they sort of try and retarget him as the moral centre, but that's also kind of Callie, you know, so it's just like, uh, what are you doing?

471
00:34:58.019 --> 00:34:59.099
Life beater as well.

472
00:34:59.159 --> 00:35:00.780
That's a very old character.

473
00:35:01.019 --> 00:35:07.559
Okay, so he he killed a federation guard who killed his partner.

474
00:35:07.619 --> 00:35:10.380
Oh, well, I don't know where I got that from then.

475
00:35:10.440 --> 00:35:16.800
He does try to strangle Callie at one point, but that's when his that's when his brain implant goes wrong.

476
00:35:16.860 --> 00:35:19.860
There's a lot of attacking the women in Blake 7.

477
00:35:19.920 --> 00:35:20.760
Yeah, there is.

478
00:35:20.880 --> 00:35:21.239
There is.

479
00:35:21.300 --> 00:35:24.420
On the topic of recasting, going back to the voices.

480
00:35:24.599 --> 00:35:30.179
It becomes a lot easier to accept the differences in the voices once you've listened to a few of them.

481
00:35:30.360 --> 00:35:36.840
And I'm just saying that for anyone out there who's thinking of giving these a go and listening to one and yeah, absolutely.

482
00:35:36.900 --> 00:35:41.940
The 1st time you hear Gareth Thomas's voice as was 10 years ago, it's it's a shock.

483
00:35:42.000 --> 00:35:43.320
It's a shock to the system.

484
00:35:43.380 --> 00:35:48.300
You listen to 2 or 3 with him and it's like, oh, okay, that's Blake's voice now.

485
00:35:48.599 --> 00:35:50.039
I know.

486
00:35:50.039 --> 00:35:58.559
I, uh, obviously, talk quite a bit with Syhar, and I know his favourite is warship, which was the one just before this, wasn't it?

487
00:35:58.619 --> 00:36:02.219
Actually, I have to say, he was appalled that we weren't covering this for this episode.

488
00:36:02.280 --> 00:36:03.599
He said, why are you doing that one?

489
00:36:03.659 --> 00:36:04.440
It's a warship.

490
00:36:04.559 --> 00:36:06.780
So I'm putting this on your shoulder.

491
00:36:06.780 --> 00:36:08.219
We did a whole episode on bullshit.

492
00:36:08.280 --> 00:36:10.619
We did a whole episode of warship.

493
00:36:10.679 --> 00:36:15.539
But he said to me, my God, in warship, they all sounded like they'd never been away.

494
00:36:15.599 --> 00:36:16.500
Really?

495
00:36:17.460 --> 00:36:19.199
Yeah, yeah.

496
00:36:19.260 --> 00:36:21.179
And I agree.

497
00:36:21.239 --> 00:36:29.880
Yeah, Gareth Thomas is some not, sometimes not recognisably, Blake, maybe that's why in the Companion Chronicles, his one goes last on the 1st one.

498
00:36:29.940 --> 00:36:37.079
So it's kind of like, you know, here's Paul Darrow, Michael Keating, who do sound like we've just taken them out of the cupboard and dusted them off.

499
00:36:37.139 --> 00:36:38.940
Identical, doesn't he?

500
00:36:39.000 --> 00:36:42.780
Michael Kidd sounds older, but he's still got that sort of plummy voice.

501
00:36:42.840 --> 00:36:44.579
Yeah, yeah.

502
00:36:44.639 --> 00:36:46.139
It was a distraction.

503
00:36:46.199 --> 00:36:56.940
And like, yeah, I'm sure if I listen to loads of these that, yeah, I would absolutely relax into those voices, but like as a snapshot, I was just saying a lot, who is that?

504
00:36:57.000 --> 00:36:58.739
Who am I listening to?

505
00:36:58.800 --> 00:37:01.980
That's a problem when I'm trying to listen to a story, you know, get involved in it.

506
00:37:02.039 --> 00:37:03.119
Yes.

507
00:37:03.179 --> 00:37:05.699
I also like about this.

508
00:37:05.699 --> 00:37:10.679
And obviously, I've seen all of Blake Seven.

509
00:37:10.739 --> 00:37:16.380
I've only sort of seen maybe the last, like, 2 series, like once before.

510
00:37:16.440 --> 00:37:18.239
So I'm not like an expert.

511
00:37:18.239 --> 00:37:19.860
You never certainly, Blake Silver, don't you?

512
00:37:19.980 --> 00:37:22.980
But I like earlier, Blake 7.

513
00:37:23.039 --> 00:37:51.059
But also, I like this as a beginning of a series where it's not full of all the continuity, you're not plonked. you know, there's a couple of mentions, but a lot of all the other, if there's lots of other mentions, other characters and things that I might not have remembered from before, I quite like this as a bit of a fresh start to go into and then I can follow the series rather than contradict you, but you're literally going to say the opposite of that in the last story we're coming.

514
00:37:51.119 --> 00:37:52.079
Well, no, wait, wait, wait.

515
00:37:52.139 --> 00:37:59.400
We wait till we get well, yeah, compared to how they go a bit later on, how they go a bit later on to the box sets.

516
00:37:59.460 --> 00:38:11.820
I appreciate this as the first, you know, I can get the 6 in a row, once a month or whatever, and follow that story rather than be plonked into the middle of a war or something else like that.

517
00:38:11.880 --> 00:38:24.059
My issue is I find the 1st series of Blake 7 incredibly earnest and serious for the most part and quite dull.

518
00:38:24.119 --> 00:38:26.340
Whereas when Blake goes at the end of two.

519
00:38:26.400 --> 00:38:33.179
I think 2s are very consistent year. 3 and 4 where it gets a bit more camp and it's like gangsters in space.

520
00:38:33.239 --> 00:38:36.719
That's my Blake 7, you know, and it's a lot more fun.

521
00:38:36.780 --> 00:38:42.599
And so, so perhaps stories set in this period aren't for me.

522
00:38:42.659 --> 00:38:44.460
So maybe don't listen to me, all right?

523
00:38:44.579 --> 00:38:49.440
Also, that's the good thing about all these the big finishes, you've got this, and then the next series they do.

524
00:38:49.500 --> 00:38:51.059
So there's like 6 of these.

525
00:38:51.119 --> 00:38:53.340
The next series is set later on.

526
00:38:53.760 --> 00:38:58.980
And isn't that the one, which is the one where they're like, oh, we've woken up and data just left.

527
00:38:59.039 --> 00:39:03.119
She's not here. because we don't have the actress.

528
00:39:03.179 --> 00:39:05.579
So we've written that. they're like, oh, where did she?

529
00:39:05.639 --> 00:39:07.500
Oh yes, she just got up early one morning and left.

530
00:39:07.559 --> 00:39:08.699
We got fired now.

531
00:39:08.760 --> 00:39:12.000
I know what happened between series 2 and three, wasn't it?

532
00:39:12.420 --> 00:39:14.699
Where's Jenna and Blake?

533
00:39:14.760 --> 00:39:15.300
Oh, who knows?

534
00:39:15.360 --> 00:39:16.139
Let's go.

535
00:39:16.199 --> 00:39:17.400
We'll just keep having adventures.

536
00:39:17.460 --> 00:39:19.559
Jenna's gone with Blake.

537
00:39:19.619 --> 00:39:20.039
Yeah.

538
00:39:21.059 --> 00:39:22.739
All right.

539
00:39:22.800 --> 00:39:24.900
Because they bring in um, what's his name?

540
00:39:24.960 --> 00:39:26.579
Tom Chapman, don't they?

541
00:39:26.579 --> 00:39:27.719
Tom Chapman.

542
00:39:27.780 --> 00:39:30.300
That's like a regular in the full cast.

543
00:39:30.360 --> 00:39:32.460
Oh, is it Anna Grant's brother?

544
00:39:32.579 --> 00:39:33.719
Yes.

545
00:39:33.780 --> 00:39:34.679
Yes, yes.

546
00:39:34.739 --> 00:39:36.179
As Anna Grant's brother.

547
00:39:36.239 --> 00:39:38.460
After Anna Grant's death.

548
00:39:38.519 --> 00:39:42.480
And I think it's the 3rd or 4th story before Avon tells him what happened.

549
00:39:42.539 --> 00:39:45.719
I mean, there's a character that's worth exploring, right?

550
00:39:45.780 --> 00:39:46.500
Anna Grant.

551
00:39:49.019 --> 00:39:52.199
Coming soon from Big Finish production.

552
00:39:52.260 --> 00:39:53.340
Yeah, no, us.

553
00:39:53.340 --> 00:39:56.159
I don't think they have.

554
00:39:56.219 --> 00:39:56.820
I don't think they have.

555
00:39:57.000 --> 00:39:58.860
Oh, play her.

556
00:39:58.920 --> 00:40:01.260
Why do you look at me like that, Avon?

557
00:40:07.320 --> 00:40:10.260
Right, anything more to say on fractures?

558
00:40:10.380 --> 00:40:13.320
No, don't, no, don't let this be your first.

559
00:40:13.380 --> 00:40:13.800
Let it go.

560
00:40:13.860 --> 00:40:14.639
Yeah, no, give it a go.

561
00:40:14.699 --> 00:40:20.039
Listen to the touring test, which was a more relaxing ease into the Blake 7.

562
00:40:20.159 --> 00:40:21.840
Just don't be shocked about Gareth Thomas's voice.

563
00:40:22.260 --> 00:40:24.599
Just prepare yourself, everyone.

564
00:40:24.659 --> 00:40:33.179
Yeah, I will point out that fractures as well as the other 5 stories that make up this season are available on Spotify as well.

565
00:40:34.019 --> 00:40:37.380
Do you have to pay for any of the Blake 7 audios?

566
00:40:39.000 --> 00:40:47.880
Along with the Danaless season with Tom Chadmin and the rest of the Liberator Chronicles, but that's all that's on Spotify.

567
00:40:47.940 --> 00:40:49.980
Everything else is from Big Finish.

568
00:40:50.039 --> 00:40:54.239
Fractures can be bought separately on at Big Finish or as part of this season box set.

569
00:41:01.320 --> 00:41:03.300
Retention!

570
00:41:03.360 --> 00:41:06.480
This is another one to this merge.

571
00:41:06.539 --> 00:41:09.780
This is an unlawarded to dispatch.

572
00:41:09.840 --> 00:41:12.119
Can you is now?

573
00:41:12.179 --> 00:41:22.739
But, Mark, with what you were saying about the setup for the following season of full cast, We aren't covering any from there, and I'll explain why.

574
00:41:22.800 --> 00:41:24.719
So, yes, you're right, in the 2nd season.

575
00:41:24.780 --> 00:41:28.679
It set during, um, the 3rd series of Blake 7.

576
00:41:29.340 --> 00:41:37.139
Tom Chadbon's character of Dell Grant was reintroduced in a companion chronicle called The Armageddon Storm.

577
00:41:37.679 --> 00:41:48.840
And then in these stories, he stayed on the ship afterwards, Dana has disappeared in a search for her mother, who she believes is a federation collaborator.

578
00:41:48.900 --> 00:41:55.440
The behind the scenes reasons for this is that Gisette Simon has rarely wanted to return to any Blake 7 projects.

579
00:41:55.559 --> 00:42:01.260
But at that stage, Big Finish didn't feel comfortable recasting an actor who was still with us, understandably.

580
00:42:01.920 --> 00:42:05.039
Simon sat down and was like, do you know what?

581
00:42:05.099 --> 00:42:07.860
That's been a long time since I thought about Blake 7.

582
00:42:07.920 --> 00:42:15.000
I'll just stick on one of my episodes and see if it's really, and then she put on animals and went, oh, no, she has been thinking about that again.

583
00:42:15.059 --> 00:42:16.500
She has worked with Big Finish, though.

584
00:42:16.559 --> 00:42:17.699
She did a Doctor Who.

585
00:42:17.760 --> 00:42:19.079
Exactly.

586
00:42:19.139 --> 00:42:29.099
And I think the timelines pretty much line up that she probably came and did that, Doctor Who, and they discussed doing Blake 7 and I imagine she turned them down again and they said, well, look, do you mind if we recast?

587
00:42:29.099 --> 00:42:32.219
And she probably said, oh, no, absolutely not. have my blessing.

588
00:42:32.280 --> 00:42:40.139
And so that brings us to the 1st story of the 3rd season of Blake 7 forecast audios.

589
00:42:40.260 --> 00:42:42.480
So at this point, Gareth Thomas had passed away.

590
00:42:42.539 --> 00:42:47.099
So stories in the 1st half are off limits for full cast, basically.

591
00:42:47.159 --> 00:42:57.119
And so the 3rd season opens with a box set called the Spoils of War, which is all about the fallout from the intergalactic war at the end of the 2nd series, beginning of the 3rd series.

592
00:42:57.179 --> 00:43:04.559
This 1st episode, liberation, takes place after power play, but before volcano.

593
00:43:04.619 --> 00:43:13.980
And kind of, it deals with the liberator crew attempting to help a revolution on a federation world in 2 teams.

594
00:43:14.039 --> 00:43:18.360
Dana and Villa, Tarrant and Cali.

595
00:43:18.420 --> 00:43:22.380
Well, Avon stays behind on the ship with Aurac.

596
00:43:22.380 --> 00:43:33.000
And the recast Dana is played by Yasmin Bannerman, who may be familiar to Doctor Who fans as Jabe of the Forest of Cheem from the end of the world.

597
00:43:33.239 --> 00:43:36.539
Ross Forrester as well from the new adventure.

598
00:43:36.599 --> 00:43:38.460
Oh, yes, Ros Forrester, of course.

599
00:43:38.519 --> 00:43:41.159
Yeah, I haven't heard many of Ross Forrester's stuff.

600
00:43:41.219 --> 00:43:44.099
I completely stalled on the last day.

601
00:43:44.159 --> 00:43:45.840
Oh my god.

602
00:43:45.900 --> 00:43:46.980
Anyway.

603
00:43:47.519 --> 00:43:48.480
What's the last name?

604
00:43:48.539 --> 00:43:49.559
Sarah's doctor.

605
00:43:49.619 --> 00:43:53.039
Oh, 6 hours of your life, you're never gonna get back.

606
00:43:53.099 --> 00:43:56.519
Well, I haven't done the last 2 episodes, so I'm ahead.

607
00:43:56.940 --> 00:44:00.360
Five hours of life, but you're never going to get...

608
00:44:00.360 --> 00:44:02.039
What a terrible set.

609
00:44:02.159 --> 00:44:04.619
Sylvester McCoy is my doctor.

610
00:44:04.679 --> 00:44:08.159
Anyway, this isn't the...

611
00:44:08.280 --> 00:44:09.719
No, you're not missing anything.

612
00:44:09.780 --> 00:44:10.320
Right?

613
00:44:10.380 --> 00:44:10.739
Thank you.

614
00:44:10.800 --> 00:44:12.059
Yes, this is a problem.

615
00:44:12.119 --> 00:44:12.480
Anyway.

616
00:44:12.539 --> 00:44:14.039
Oh, yeah, sorry, liberation.

617
00:44:14.099 --> 00:44:15.719
It can't hurt me anymore.

618
00:44:15.780 --> 00:44:16.380
Yeah.

619
00:44:16.440 --> 00:44:30.480
So liberation, for me, kind of plugs a continuity gap, but we brought up on the podcast at the time, which is PowerPlay ends with Dana and Tarant being officially welcomed on board, which Paul Darrow behind the scenes objected to.

620
00:44:30.539 --> 00:44:34.199
He basically said Avon would not allow these people to have computer control.

621
00:44:34.260 --> 00:44:39.179
And David Maloney says, we're not having them run all their orders through you, so you can have extra lines, Paul.

622
00:44:39.300 --> 00:44:41.519
No, you love Darrow.

623
00:44:41.579 --> 00:44:42.179
I love him.

624
00:44:42.480 --> 00:44:51.599
But it does mean that the very next episode, we have Tarrant and Dana being sent on a mission together unsupervised and it's just like, what?

625
00:44:51.659 --> 00:44:55.440
We're sort of testing the waters, you know, to see if they're really on size.

626
00:44:55.500 --> 00:45:03.420
Yeah, but this is sort of a natural midpoint in that instead, Avon sends them each with someone he can trust.

627
00:45:03.480 --> 00:45:15.599
And I think as fractions sort of explored the trust between the crew, in one way, this explores it in another, because you've got Dana and Tarrant, who are both 2 very independent, headstrong characters.

628
00:45:15.719 --> 00:45:23.039
Tarant is paired up with someone very contemplative and thoughtful, who thinks through their actions before they do them.

629
00:45:23.159 --> 00:45:27.840
Dana is paired up with someone very cautious and reluctant.

630
00:45:28.079 --> 00:45:31.019
And it all goes horribly wrong.

631
00:45:31.079 --> 00:45:36.119
He's very pleased that she is paying up with Villa because she trusts Villa because he is a coward.

632
00:45:36.179 --> 00:45:37.500
So she knows what is most.

633
00:45:37.559 --> 00:45:40.019
She doesn't want to be paired out with Taryn because he's ex-federation.

634
00:45:40.079 --> 00:45:45.719
Yeah, I actually quite like her rationale there, but also she won't say that in front of Villa.

635
00:45:45.840 --> 00:45:47.400
She's not going to compliment Villa to his face.

636
00:45:48.239 --> 00:45:51.239
No, she just insults Taron instead.

637
00:45:51.300 --> 00:45:53.400
It's all about, isn't it?

638
00:45:53.579 --> 00:46:01.019
thought this was more effective than the 2nd one, especially as a character piece.

639
00:46:01.079 --> 00:46:05.940
I think Yasmin Bannerman gives a very good performance.

640
00:46:06.179 --> 00:46:08.519
I wasn't getting Dana.

641
00:46:08.699 --> 00:46:16.619
And again, that was a problem for me in that I'm just, Joseph Simon's voice is so distinctive, isn't it?

642
00:46:16.679 --> 00:46:17.400
Yeah, yeah.

643
00:46:17.460 --> 00:46:22.860
Well, it could have been worse because in the BBC ones, Dana's played by Angela Bruce.

644
00:46:22.920 --> 00:46:23.820
Oh, God.

645
00:46:23.820 --> 00:46:26.280
Yeah, another, yeah.

646
00:46:26.340 --> 00:46:28.679
Another very talented actor, but is she right for the part?

647
00:46:28.739 --> 00:46:29.280
Yeah.

648
00:46:31.139 --> 00:46:36.900
I know we keep coming back to this, but it is, I think, I couldn't work out who Tarant was for a while.

649
00:46:36.960 --> 00:46:38.219
No, I couldn't either in this one.

650
00:46:38.280 --> 00:46:38.880
Oh, God.

651
00:46:38.940 --> 00:46:39.539
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

652
00:46:39.599 --> 00:46:45.239
Stephen Pacey's voice is even more far departed from than Gareth Thomas's, in my opinion.

653
00:46:45.300 --> 00:46:48.780
And he does say, what are the making of somewhere?

654
00:46:48.780 --> 00:46:57.059
He said, you know, I came in and he said it was his choice not to do the high pitched voice because that was never his voice.

655
00:46:57.119 --> 00:47:03.420
You know, that was always performance, said, you know, I can kind of go, okay, you know, you're 50 odd, 60 now.

656
00:47:03.480 --> 00:47:04.800
Yes, you can come in and do what you want.

657
00:47:04.860 --> 00:47:07.079
But at the same time, yeah, it does make it difficult.

658
00:47:07.800 --> 00:47:14.880
Steve Lyons, though, who writes this, I think he is a massively underrated writer.

659
00:47:14.940 --> 00:47:24.900
Pretty much everything he has written, whether that's a Doctor Who book, a Doctor Who audio, a Blake 7 audio now, because he does the last 2 here that we're covering, doesn't he?

660
00:47:24.960 --> 00:47:28.679
I think I think he always tells an entertaining story.

661
00:47:28.739 --> 00:47:32.400
He always pushes on the characters a little bit.

662
00:47:32.460 --> 00:47:44.159
Whoever he's dealing with and he always captures the voices of the characters he's writing extremely well, but not in a pretentious way, not in an obvious way, in a sort of unobtrusive way.

663
00:47:44.219 --> 00:47:53.219
And I really liked how this story focussed on Dana as a warrior, you know, pulling this ragtag rebellion together.

664
00:47:53.280 --> 00:48:06.780
It's all of her strengths, but then showing that she can go too far and that maybe she's got too much of an axe to grind and that that could possibly be a problem, that she doesn't just, that she doesn't trust Taron, you know, and they are all on the same side.

665
00:48:06.840 --> 00:48:10.079
She's got to learn the lessons that they are all on the same side now.

666
00:48:10.139 --> 00:48:16.260
So I thought all of the character stuff there was really interesting on Dana's side of the story.

667
00:48:16.320 --> 00:48:20.940
I was less keen on the Taron and Callie side of this.

668
00:48:21.000 --> 00:48:24.179
Was Taryn pretending to be bad in this.

669
00:48:24.239 --> 00:48:27.480
Yeah, he was pretending to be on the Stella Federation.

670
00:48:27.539 --> 00:48:29.340
Yeah, still a Federation. thing.

671
00:48:29.400 --> 00:48:31.199
Yeah, because he's in the uniform and everything, isn't he?

672
00:48:31.260 --> 00:48:36.300
There was a great performance of the woman who used to be in charge of this well, you know, the ruler.

673
00:48:36.360 --> 00:48:37.739
I don't know what they actually...

674
00:48:37.800 --> 00:48:40.320
Yeah, Sarah Powell is roll call.

675
00:48:40.380 --> 00:48:41.699
A roll call.

676
00:48:41.760 --> 00:48:41.940
Okay.

677
00:48:42.000 --> 00:48:48.119
Which was a great performance, but I kept thinking, have we met this character on Blank 7 before?

678
00:48:48.179 --> 00:48:51.599
Like, I feel like... this is just for this story.

679
00:48:51.659 --> 00:48:57.960
See, that's where I got a bit lost in this because I didn't have any of the back, didn't know where this was set.

680
00:48:58.019 --> 00:49:00.420
I expected just to go into it.

681
00:49:00.480 --> 00:49:04.320
This is where you just sort of dropped into it and then they're looking for Jenna and there's all this.

682
00:49:04.380 --> 00:49:05.460
I'm like, what's happened?

683
00:49:05.519 --> 00:49:06.840
I don't know what's happened before.

684
00:49:06.900 --> 00:49:10.860
So I'm already sort of on the back foot trying to catch.

685
00:49:10.920 --> 00:49:18.539
I just felt like I was just trying to catch up with where everyone was for this one because like, yeah, I know, but I like a more straightforward story.

686
00:49:18.599 --> 00:49:23.760
That's just my personal taste, but when there's all this sort of continuity stuff in there and like what has been going on.

687
00:49:24.239 --> 00:49:30.539
Would you like a scene at the start where they said, well, we've just had those, you know, that fight with those great space cologners...

688
00:49:30.539 --> 00:49:34.500
Yeah, I knew I knew... space and now Jenny's gone off at Jenny.

689
00:49:34.559 --> 00:49:36.360
Jenny's gone off.

690
00:49:36.420 --> 00:49:37.679
We're going to go off after.

691
00:49:37.739 --> 00:49:38.880
I mean, that would be a bit...

692
00:49:38.940 --> 00:49:44.519
No, I know, but just some, it just takes a bit more if, as I'm not as familiar with it, that's all.

693
00:49:44.940 --> 00:49:47.760
No, no, I definitely take your point.

694
00:49:47.820 --> 00:49:55.380
It's like, I'm someone who read his copy of the Doctor Who discontinuity guide so much that the cover and the 1st few pages fell off.

695
00:49:55.440 --> 00:50:01.199
So my ear is specifically tuned to lines like, trust him.

696
00:50:01.260 --> 00:50:02.579
I've only known him for 3 days.

697
00:50:02.639 --> 00:50:04.199
It's like, right, it's only been 3 days.

698
00:50:04.260 --> 00:50:04.980
Oh, go.

699
00:50:05.039 --> 00:50:08.400
PowerPlay was just the other, you know, I'm...

700
00:50:08.400 --> 00:50:10.559
Anally retentive, I think is the word.

701
00:50:10.619 --> 00:50:14.099
Or about a few little subtle hints and pointers.

702
00:50:14.159 --> 00:50:15.960
And then you're left to work things out.

703
00:50:16.380 --> 00:50:17.940
Oh, yeah.

704
00:50:18.000 --> 00:50:26.940
And the thing is, we get, you know, we get those because in, I think it's PowerPlay Zen mentions that Jenna was last heard of on morphenial.

705
00:50:27.000 --> 00:50:30.239
Her situation is regarded as non-critical.

706
00:50:30.300 --> 00:50:35.219
So, you know, that's why they're on more finial and yeah, we've only known each other a few days.

707
00:50:35.280 --> 00:50:37.800
That was incredibly known that. voice.

708
00:50:37.860 --> 00:50:40.139
Alistair Lock, you are out.

709
00:50:40.199 --> 00:50:41.639
Brendan Jones is here now.

710
00:50:41.699 --> 00:50:43.559
And can I do Aurak, please?

711
00:50:43.619 --> 00:50:44.880
You do the noise, gone.

712
00:50:48.360 --> 00:50:53.820
Villa weighs 72 kilos. can do that.

713
00:50:54.119 --> 00:50:57.719
Sorry, I'll totally, you're trying to fall.

714
00:50:57.900 --> 00:51:08.219
No, no, I was I was just gonna say, it's it's a difficult balance to strike, putting in the lines for the fans to kind of go, okay, this is where we are.

715
00:51:08.280 --> 00:51:13.199
And as you said, Joe, you know, you don't want a scene at the start, which is, right, here's the briefing scene.

716
00:51:13.260 --> 00:51:17.099
As we know, Blake and Jenna have gone missing and Jenna was last reported on morphenial.

717
00:51:17.159 --> 00:51:19.079
Dana and Terence have just joined us.

718
00:51:19.139 --> 00:51:21.659
This is not Star Trek Voyager, you know.

719
00:51:22.380 --> 00:51:24.659
No, no, there's consequences.

720
00:51:24.719 --> 00:51:35.219
One thing that happened at the end of this show, though, truly shocked me, and it shouldn't because they're a bunch of rebels, right, that are trying to take down the Federation in violent ways.

721
00:51:35.280 --> 00:51:39.300
Plus, they hand them a load of weapons and said, go on, blow those people up.

722
00:51:39.360 --> 00:51:39.840
It's fine.

723
00:51:39.900 --> 00:51:41.280
And then off they win.

724
00:51:41.340 --> 00:51:46.739
And it was truly like a bloody revolution where what was the woman's name?

725
00:51:46.800 --> 00:51:47.159
roll call?

726
00:51:47.340 --> 00:51:49.320
They were killed, weren't they?

727
00:51:49.380 --> 00:51:52.380
I thought, yeah, they really are without morals.

728
00:51:52.440 --> 00:51:55.260
She's tied to an exploding chair at the end.

729
00:51:55.380 --> 00:52:02.880
I don't know that violence like that is, you know, violence as a response to violence.

730
00:52:02.940 --> 00:52:04.860
I mean, is a big moral issue there.

731
00:52:04.920 --> 00:52:06.599
I didn't have fits in with Blake seven.

732
00:52:06.719 --> 00:52:08.400
Yeah, and that's the interesting thing.

733
00:52:08.460 --> 00:52:09.780
That thing with I was wrong.

734
00:52:09.840 --> 00:52:11.400
Her name is Rokon, not Rokon.

735
00:52:11.460 --> 00:52:12.719
But, um...

736
00:52:12.719 --> 00:52:14.579
The name was character in Hand of Fear as well.

737
00:52:14.639 --> 00:52:16.019
I know exactly.

738
00:52:16.079 --> 00:52:27.480
But I think that thing with Rokon's chair is it's actually Tarcoal, the very plummy new leader of the rebels, says to Avon.

739
00:52:27.539 --> 00:52:29.039
Can you send me back there?

740
00:52:29.099 --> 00:52:32.039
Because I've got a grenade from my supply.

741
00:52:32.099 --> 00:52:37.019
So it's made very clear that it's not an explosive from the liberator.

742
00:52:37.079 --> 00:52:39.840
You know, it's an explosive from these people.

743
00:52:39.840 --> 00:52:45.719
And I think that's a deliberate thing to, Have it as a morally gray thing.

744
00:52:46.079 --> 00:52:51.659
But also, it's then not another morally gray thing for our crew.

745
00:52:51.719 --> 00:52:53.820
It's a morally great thing for the people they're helping.

746
00:52:53.880 --> 00:53:00.840
But they are involved in the story. they could arrange a negotiation or something like that, you know.

747
00:53:00.900 --> 00:53:04.559
Instead, they just go, oh, well, let them sort it out. lets go.

748
00:53:04.679 --> 00:53:06.420
Yeah, yeah.

749
00:53:06.480 --> 00:53:15.539
Well, I think, yeah, there is a sort of earlier point on the TV show where Avon actually points out to Blake, okay, yeah, you liberate one world, what then?

750
00:53:15.599 --> 00:53:16.559
Are you going to stay and run it?

751
00:53:16.619 --> 00:53:21.480
No, you're just going to go off because you have to just go off because that's what a rebellion is.

752
00:53:21.539 --> 00:53:31.800
That ending as well, when they actually find Aquila and, you know, he's been subjected to torture and he's not in a good way.

753
00:53:31.860 --> 00:53:38.219
Dana's lament really sold Yasmin Bannerman's interpretation of the character.

754
00:53:38.280 --> 00:53:49.079
And it also made me realise that as much as she respects what came before and she talks about this in the special features, she was a little girl watching a strong black woman on television.

755
00:53:49.139 --> 00:53:51.239
And going, she's like me.

756
00:53:51.300 --> 00:53:53.340
You know, she was a fan of the show.

757
00:53:53.400 --> 00:53:55.380
It was fabulous, wasn't she?

758
00:53:55.440 --> 00:53:56.099
Just outside.

759
00:53:56.159 --> 00:53:56.460
Yeah.

760
00:53:56.579 --> 00:53:57.539
Amazing.

761
00:53:57.599 --> 00:53:58.320
And still is.

762
00:53:58.380 --> 00:54:04.260
I do appreciate that Yasmin doesn't come in and go, I'm going to, like, attempt to copy Gisette's voice.

763
00:54:04.320 --> 00:54:12.300
I think what she gets is the cadence and the emotion and the little upwards inflection whenever she's insulting someone.

764
00:54:12.300 --> 00:54:18.719
And you hear it very early on with Villa, where Dana, if she's insulting someone, it just goes up at the end.

765
00:54:18.780 --> 00:54:21.059
Unlike the 2nd one, right?

766
00:54:21.119 --> 00:54:24.119
You know, I was lamenting the lack of carrot moments in the 2nd one.

767
00:54:24.119 --> 00:54:33.780
There was loads scattered throughout this, but my favourite was where Dana finally loses her temper with Villa and she showers him.

768
00:54:33.840 --> 00:54:36.420
I thought I was joining a group of revolutionaries.

769
00:54:36.480 --> 00:54:42.719
Like when things get violent and she goes to him, you must have known, eventually your fight was going to come to this.

770
00:54:42.780 --> 00:54:46.500
And Bill's like, no, I just want to get out of it.

771
00:54:46.559 --> 00:54:49.739
I don't want to get involved in a fight, you know.

772
00:54:49.860 --> 00:54:53.340
But as a character study of Dana.

773
00:54:53.400 --> 00:55:03.960
And I, one of the things I love in series 3 is the Avon Dana relationship, I think that 1st episode of series 3 is one of the best episodes of Blake 7 and it establishes a mutual respect.

774
00:55:04.019 --> 00:55:05.760
Well, I mean, they snorke, don't they?

775
00:55:05.820 --> 00:55:21.179
But a mutual respect between Avon and Dana, and the last scene of this was beautiful, where, and it's a shame, actually, we wait until the last scene to get the 2 of them together. where he says these people are worth leaning on.

776
00:55:21.179 --> 00:55:29.400
Although, sorry, as a side note, there's a wonderful scene in this where he's talking to Aurak and he goes, you know, are these people worth my trouble?

777
00:55:29.460 --> 00:55:30.599
Oh, should I just go?

778
00:55:30.659 --> 00:55:38.460
He asked or act to do the statistical probability of whether it was worth saving his friends or not, which is very agon.

779
00:55:38.579 --> 00:55:42.300
But yeah, he basically says you need to integrate with his crew.

780
00:55:42.360 --> 00:55:43.380
You need to trust these people.

781
00:55:43.440 --> 00:55:45.840
There was a point to this story, I thought.

782
00:55:45.900 --> 00:55:47.039
Yeah.

783
00:55:47.699 --> 00:55:50.400
Yeah, I can I can appreciate that.

784
00:55:50.460 --> 00:55:54.000
I just, yeah, I didn't enjoy it as much as fractures is more my thing.

785
00:55:54.059 --> 00:55:55.019
I know.

786
00:55:55.079 --> 00:55:55.559
I know.

787
00:55:55.679 --> 00:56:07.320
No, no, it's it's a good point though, because fractures is something you can come to and having a knowledge of the characters, you can appreciate it more, but everything you need to know is in there anyway.

788
00:56:07.440 --> 00:56:09.480
Where, where is this?

789
00:56:09.539 --> 00:56:18.539
Yeah, it does help to know where we are in the season, how well do these people know each other, which you can surmise, but if you miss a line of dialogue.

790
00:56:18.599 --> 00:56:25.679
Like, you know, Cali says literally once, well, that federation, a uniform suits you, Tarrant.

791
00:56:25.860 --> 00:56:30.719
But if you miss that dialogue, you don't know he's in a Federation uniform, for instance.

792
00:56:30.780 --> 00:56:31.619
Yeah.

793
00:56:31.679 --> 00:56:41.579
I mean, I don't want to contradict the pair of you, but I am going to, because in fractures, you get a mention of Star one, you get a mention of Sivan, you get a mention of Travis.

794
00:56:41.639 --> 00:56:43.380
There's plenty of continuity in there.

795
00:56:43.440 --> 00:56:45.840
It's just you know that continuity quite well.

796
00:56:45.900 --> 00:56:49.980
So as well, maybe because the more minimalist style of fractures.

797
00:56:50.039 --> 00:57:03.960
And I'm just trying to think because we're now in the, this is like the box set time of big finish where, same as what we've talked about, about the Doctor Who's where the music is trying to be more of a TV soundtrack.

798
00:57:04.079 --> 00:57:14.039
It's trying to be more of a lot more thrown in, whereas earlier on, it was more like an audio play, you know, there's not tons of music.

799
00:57:14.099 --> 00:57:21.480
It's just more of the cat, that's just the style that I prefer rather than the big battles and it's trying to be an epic.

800
00:57:21.599 --> 00:57:24.599
If you rearrange the words minimalist.

801
00:57:24.659 --> 00:57:27.420
Can you get unimaginative out of that?

802
00:57:27.480 --> 00:57:30.360
No, you could do creative stuff.

803
00:57:30.420 --> 00:57:36.300
With the recast of Dana, has that gone down well with Blake 7 fans?

804
00:57:36.300 --> 00:57:37.920
Is she accepted as a...

805
00:57:37.920 --> 00:57:40.199
It's a really good, you know, it's a...

806
00:57:40.199 --> 00:57:41.460
It's just distracting...

807
00:57:41.460 --> 00:57:44.639
Appreciated, is she, you know, people aren't against it or...

808
00:57:44.639 --> 00:57:46.500
I haven't seen pushback.

809
00:57:46.559 --> 00:57:47.880
You know?

810
00:57:47.940 --> 00:57:52.260
I'm just trying to think, because, you know, big finish have done a few recasts now.

811
00:57:52.320 --> 00:57:56.639
And I can't really think of any that have been poorly received.

812
00:57:56.940 --> 00:58:06.300
I think there was a bit of murmuring when Michael Troughton came on as a 2nd doctor. has Fraser Heinz been pushed out, but then Fraser comes back to play Jamie anyway.

813
00:58:06.360 --> 00:58:07.019
You know?

814
00:58:07.019 --> 00:58:08.880
Well, Ace is the role.

815
00:58:08.940 --> 00:58:13.920
Yeah, I think some of the some of the doctor who recasts, I think there's people that are like, I'm not getting those because they're recasts.

816
00:58:13.920 --> 00:58:18.480
I just wondered if that was the same with Blake 7, but...

817
00:58:18.480 --> 00:58:20.280
It doesn't, it doesn't seem to have been.

818
00:58:20.340 --> 00:58:21.599
I haven't I haven't heard it.

819
00:58:21.659 --> 00:58:31.199
And on the sort of making of the, the rest of the original cast, you know, compliment Yasmin's performance and she says she has great fun working with them as well.

820
00:58:31.260 --> 00:58:35.820
I mean, she's a very good competent actress.

821
00:58:35.940 --> 00:58:36.719
Oh, she's great.

822
00:58:36.719 --> 00:58:42.960
So if you're only complaint is, so I'm talking to myself now, is you're not just at Simon, but the performance is great.

823
00:58:43.019 --> 00:58:44.760
Well, shut up, Joe, all right?

824
00:58:44.820 --> 00:58:45.840
It's a good performance.

825
00:58:45.960 --> 00:58:47.280
Yeah.

826
00:58:47.340 --> 00:58:50.460
Well, yeah, I'm better than better than Angela Bruce anyway.

827
00:58:50.519 --> 00:58:53.519
And Paula Wilcox is Sulin as well.

828
00:58:53.579 --> 00:59:04.079
I just think I just think it really spotlights just how unique Gisette Simon was back in the day, though, and the impact that she made for that character.

829
00:59:04.079 --> 00:59:14.940
But it's a good introduction to Dana because it explores her strengths and her weaknesses and it starts integrating her into the crew.

830
00:59:15.000 --> 00:59:22.800
So as like a, as a bringing her in to the audio range, I think it absolutely, you know, it does its real bit perfectly.

831
00:59:22.860 --> 00:59:31.260
And, you know, as much as Terrence plotline in it is less interesting and sort of tells us less about the character.

832
00:59:31.260 --> 00:59:37.139
And, yeah, Stephen Pacey's vocal performance, as we've touched upon, makes things a bit confusing.

833
00:59:37.199 --> 00:59:43.260
I do think his additional years as an actor since Blake 7 do come out.

834
00:59:43.320 --> 01:00:03.000
I think he gives a more nuanced performance than Tash just being sort of brash and and what have you, because here when he's brash, it works against him a little bit, you know, because, because Rokon is so disillusioned that just, you know, being told off by a federation officer, she's just like, yes, so what?

835
01:00:03.059 --> 01:00:05.159
You want to call the president?

836
01:00:05.219 --> 01:00:05.579
Please do.

837
01:00:05.639 --> 01:00:06.780
I can't get a line.

838
01:00:07.500 --> 01:00:10.679
Actually, well, when we're talking about Stephen Pacey.

839
01:00:10.739 --> 01:00:21.300
When I met him, I was doing my watch through of Blake 7 and I said to him, I was like, they're so horrible to each other, why is this crew together?

840
01:00:21.360 --> 01:00:23.039
And he was like, yeah, I know, I can't believe it.

841
01:00:23.099 --> 01:00:24.599
I don't know why they hung around with each other.

842
01:00:24.659 --> 01:00:26.460
So yeah, he agreed with me.

843
01:00:26.519 --> 01:00:28.500
These bizarre people are fine.

844
01:00:28.559 --> 01:00:29.039
He was lovely.

845
01:00:29.099 --> 01:00:31.440
Paul Darrow attractive in the TV show.

846
01:00:31.500 --> 01:00:33.960
I mean, what is wrong with you, people, this middle-aged man?

847
01:00:34.019 --> 01:00:36.420
Stephen Pacey on the other hand?

848
01:00:36.599 --> 01:00:39.000
He is hot as hell, isn't he?

849
01:00:39.360 --> 01:00:42.599
You know, they're already drugged up in gold.

850
01:00:42.659 --> 01:00:45.300
You know, well, what could I do for her, doctor?

851
01:00:45.360 --> 01:00:48.179
Man, I wanted to have him so badly and that's like.

852
01:00:48.239 --> 01:00:49.980
Anyway, sorry, back to the audience.

853
01:00:54.119 --> 01:01:00.599
The forecast Blake 7 Audios did continue until 2020.

854
01:01:00.900 --> 01:01:11.880
However, the untimely passing of Paul Darrow coupled with the previous passing of Gareth Thomas meant it, they really couldn't continue for much longer after that.

855
01:01:11.940 --> 01:01:19.920
In fact, uh, the last box set had to be sort of rewritten and sort of off cut to ball.

856
01:01:20.039 --> 01:01:24.360
Darrow's performances had to be used to give Avon a presence, et cetera, et cetera.

857
01:01:24.480 --> 01:01:47.039
So, Big finish have moved on to producing spinoff ranges. including audios for Babe and the Butcher, with a returning Colin Baker, the Terra Nostra, with a returning Carl Howman, the Clone Masters, and Avalon from Project Avalon.

858
01:01:47.159 --> 01:01:55.619
So we are talking now about the 1st episode of Avalon, which was also the 1st of these spinoffs to be released, terra firma.

859
01:01:55.679 --> 01:02:01.559
So in Avalon, we don't have Julia Vidler back, I have looked it up online.

860
01:02:01.619 --> 01:02:03.599
I'm not sure if the actress is still with us.

861
01:02:03.659 --> 01:02:09.539
And interestingly enough, Julia Vidler does play a role in PowerPlay.

862
01:02:09.659 --> 01:02:14.039
She is Bar, one of the girls who lures Villa into the organ bank.

863
01:02:14.280 --> 01:02:18.239
Isn't the other one, um, what's her face from Para Planet?

864
01:02:18.300 --> 01:02:19.380
Yes.

865
01:02:19.440 --> 01:02:22.380
Yeah, the one who goes, why, why, why?

866
01:02:22.440 --> 01:02:23.760
Why?

867
01:02:23.760 --> 01:02:24.300
Yeah.

868
01:02:24.360 --> 01:02:26.880
My father wasn't taken by the Mediads.

869
01:02:26.940 --> 01:02:29.699
He was shot by the captain's guards to save him from the Media.

870
01:02:29.760 --> 01:02:30.000
Yes.

871
01:02:30.360 --> 01:02:45.599
No, instead, we have Olivia Poulet as Avalon, Olivia Poulet, probably more recognisable to big finished listeners as Mrs. Emma Peel in their Avengers Rangers, where she does a very, very good job.

872
01:02:45.900 --> 01:02:51.360
And I know the 1st thing we want to talk about with Avalon.

873
01:02:51.420 --> 01:02:53.639
Yes, it's the recast of the theme tune.

874
01:02:53.760 --> 01:02:54.480
Aha.

875
01:03:12.719 --> 01:03:15.119
Oh, my God, it's amazing.

876
01:03:15.239 --> 01:03:19.800
Is Dudley Simpson in with this fabulous, porny music letter?

877
01:03:19.860 --> 01:03:20.340
Oh, brilliant.

878
01:03:20.400 --> 01:03:21.960
Da, da, da, da.

879
01:03:22.019 --> 01:03:24.480
Can I say Mark and I did a whole dance?

880
01:03:24.599 --> 01:03:26.159
Title sequence for this.

881
01:03:26.219 --> 01:03:29.639
I was running around with a fabulous pair of jugs in slow motion.

882
01:03:29.699 --> 01:03:31.860
He had an enormous laser rifle.

883
01:03:32.219 --> 01:03:34.679
I mean, it's brilliant.

884
01:03:34.739 --> 01:03:37.380
And actually the music throughout is excellent.

885
01:03:37.440 --> 01:03:38.219
It really stood out.

886
01:03:38.579 --> 01:03:47.219
And I believe the music was done by Simon Power, who also does the sound design for the Doctor Who novelisation readings from BBC books.

887
01:03:47.280 --> 01:03:57.840
The music brief to me seems to be, what if this series was actually developed as a replacement for Blake 7 and went out in 1982?

888
01:03:57.900 --> 01:04:01.199
Like, this sounds like Blade Runner.

889
01:04:01.260 --> 01:04:17.039
It sounds like Battlestar Galactica, it sounds like the Disco Star Wars theme, you know, it's really embracing the era in which this could have been made, which is such a bizarre and quite wonderful decision.

890
01:04:17.159 --> 01:04:19.260
A genuine thing.

891
01:04:19.320 --> 01:04:24.119
This was the best of the 4 that we did, I thought it was absolutely riveting.

892
01:04:24.179 --> 01:04:27.179
I think this is so much more interesting.

893
01:04:27.239 --> 01:04:32.159
I know I'm going to lose everybody that's still listening after that controversial thing said already.

894
01:04:32.219 --> 01:05:06.480
So much more interesting than just hanging out with the crew of Blake 7 from the TV series, exploring the universe, going back to Earth, seeing what the situation is there, you know, exploring that people are being drugged, you know, there's stuff in their food, that sort of Orwellian 1984 field on Earth, um, side characters that have were in one episode of the TV series, just being given a huge amount of development, uh, showing Jenna before she Blake, that great reference when she goes, 0 yeah, I've heard of him.

895
01:05:06.539 --> 01:05:07.920
Just an offhand.

896
01:05:07.980 --> 01:05:09.420
I don't know, that guy is.

897
01:05:09.960 --> 01:05:13.019
Yeah, just absolutely brilliant.

898
01:05:13.079 --> 01:05:14.880
But the whole production.

899
01:05:14.940 --> 01:05:22.739
This was a huge lift from the other 3 in terms of the music in terms of the sound effects, the pacing, all of it.

900
01:05:22.800 --> 01:05:32.460
This sounded like a really, whereas, I'm not saying the other sound like fan films, but I could see, you know, what are those fan film people called?

901
01:05:32.519 --> 01:05:33.599
BBV, yeah.

902
01:05:33.659 --> 01:05:36.420
Fractures could basically be a BBV production.

903
01:05:36.480 --> 01:05:40.679
This was like a, you know, a proper prestige BBC production.

904
01:05:40.739 --> 01:05:45.780
Well, for me, I mean, I was a bit apprehensive going in because Avalon.

905
01:05:45.840 --> 01:05:47.579
I wasn't sure who that was.

906
01:05:47.639 --> 01:05:50.039
I thought, and I think I told you as well.

907
01:05:50.099 --> 01:05:52.199
I thought it was that woman in like the very last episode.

908
01:05:52.260 --> 01:05:54.000
I thought that...

909
01:05:54.059 --> 01:05:55.260
I got them mixed up.

910
01:05:55.320 --> 01:05:56.039
Understandable.

911
01:05:56.099 --> 01:06:00.119
But you don't, but you understand, Brett?

912
01:06:00.179 --> 01:06:00.840
I didn't.

913
01:06:00.840 --> 01:06:02.460
You're very kind.

914
01:06:02.519 --> 01:06:05.460
But going into this, I was really surprised.

915
01:06:05.519 --> 01:06:07.139
Yeah, that theme tune set it up.

916
01:06:07.199 --> 01:06:15.119
For me, in my head, listening to this, this was like, Blake 7 reboot on Netflix. for me.

917
01:06:15.719 --> 01:06:30.300
And, but then as it went on, you know, yeah, I got to know Avalon, you don't need to, you don't need to know anything before for this one, I don't think, because it is set parallel to, you know, the 1st episodes, Blake 7.

918
01:06:31.260 --> 01:06:33.599
But as it went on as well.

919
01:06:33.719 --> 01:06:37.380
In my mind, it felt like a Jenna box there with Avalon.

920
01:06:37.440 --> 01:06:41.760
And it's only at the end when Jenna went off, I was like, oh, yeah, it's an Avalon box.

921
01:06:41.820 --> 01:06:43.260
Jenna's just guess starring.

922
01:06:43.320 --> 01:06:45.480
These were like Jenna the series to me.

923
01:06:45.539 --> 01:06:48.059
It's a great Jenna story though, isn't it?

924
01:06:48.119 --> 01:06:50.280
It's the best Jenner story.

925
01:06:50.340 --> 01:06:52.440
I mean, because she didn't have nothing to do on the TV show.

926
01:06:52.860 --> 01:06:59.460
Like, as a cold smuggler who's mistrustful of people, doesn't want people.

927
01:06:59.639 --> 01:07:09.179
I just want to hang out with people or form any kind of a band, but that was great, her going on about how she doesn't want to be part of a rebellion, and we know what's awaiting her at the end.

928
01:07:09.239 --> 01:07:11.219
But there was a great beer.

929
01:07:11.280 --> 01:07:21.659
A really fantastic bit where Lions... says what she's been doing on Earth, which is like undercutting the Federation and giving supplies to the people.

930
01:07:21.719 --> 01:07:24.360
And I goes, well, what the hell's that doing?

931
01:07:24.420 --> 01:07:26.159
That's not achieving much.

932
01:07:26.219 --> 01:07:29.159
And she goes, I'm denying the Federation a revenue stream.

933
01:07:29.219 --> 01:07:36.179
And then Avalon comes back straight away saying, no, you're making the people complacent so they don't fight back against the Federation.

934
01:07:36.239 --> 01:07:40.260
And all of that stuff. exploring that those sort of moral issues.

935
01:07:40.320 --> 01:07:42.300
That's what I want from these audios.

936
01:07:42.300 --> 01:07:45.300
Because there's stuff they're just ripe to be explored.

937
01:07:45.539 --> 01:07:47.639
It's all her strengths.

938
01:07:47.699 --> 01:07:51.719
And her little gang, I felt I felt like we were just brought right into that.

939
01:07:51.780 --> 01:07:53.579
Is it, is it crass?

940
01:07:53.639 --> 01:07:55.980
Crass, yeah, crass, can you Fay?

941
01:07:56.039 --> 01:07:56.820
Yeah.

942
01:07:56.820 --> 01:08:00.000
Yeah, just I'd love, I just was thinking, this is a great scene.

943
01:08:00.059 --> 01:08:01.679
I just want a whole series of these guys.

944
01:08:01.739 --> 01:08:09.059
It was the best self-sacrifice ever where he went off and go and went, oh, I don't really want to do this, but...

945
01:08:09.119 --> 01:08:09.960
Yeah.

946
01:08:10.019 --> 01:08:18.420
There's also an element with the character Fay, where they make it clear that she's about 16 years old and she's going out and doing all this gung-ho stuff.

947
01:08:18.479 --> 01:08:30.840
So the others are protective of her without ever saying, well, you're just a kid, you don't know anything, but it's more the protectiveness of, and I think this is what inspires crass, is he's like, I can't let a kid go die.

948
01:08:31.560 --> 01:08:39.539
You know, not that he believes she's not capable because he can see that she is and she's proved herself throughout the whole story.

949
01:08:39.600 --> 01:08:44.340
And I think it ties in thematically. who are you fighting for if you're not fighting for the children?

950
01:08:44.460 --> 01:08:47.039
Jenna's reaction to him going as well.

951
01:08:47.100 --> 01:08:51.180
Instead of, you know, giving him a salute, she goes, oh, I didn't think he had it in him.

952
01:08:51.479 --> 01:08:53.640
She's so gross.

953
01:08:53.699 --> 01:08:57.060
She's she's like Avon in this, you know, she is cutting at times.

954
01:08:57.359 --> 01:09:01.079
I like this sort of hard bitch, Jenna.

955
01:09:01.140 --> 01:09:07.260
Yeah, what happened to her in series 2 when she was just pressing the teleport button and wearing cocktail dresses.

956
01:09:08.340 --> 01:09:16.260
Something I wonder if it's sort of deliberate because, you know, a lot of this is concurrent with the 1st episode of Blake 7.

957
01:09:16.319 --> 01:09:22.619
And, you know, Jenna is really quite aggressive towards Blake in the holding cells.

958
01:09:22.680 --> 01:09:31.319
And then in this, she hears over the Tannoi that he's been, you know, arrested for the trumped up chargers, but she doesn't know that.

959
01:09:31.439 --> 01:09:36.479
You know, Avalon knows it's a, it's a frame up, but she doesn't know.

960
01:09:36.539 --> 01:09:42.060
So it adds a sort of new layer of context to that that when Jennifer's Meats Blake.

961
01:09:42.119 --> 01:09:49.199
It's kind of like, okay, so yeah, I've been told you're a freedom fighter, but also the tanoi system has said, yeah, you do horrible things to children, you know?

962
01:09:49.319 --> 01:09:54.720
I think as well, this, this is how you plug a gap in continuity perfectly.

963
01:09:54.779 --> 01:09:57.180
This is what Big Finish does really well.

964
01:09:57.239 --> 01:09:59.039
It takes unexplored things.

965
01:09:59.100 --> 01:10:08.699
With Doctor Who, it did it with companions like Perry and Male, you know, doctors like the Safe Doctor. is take a character that's underrepresented and generous.

966
01:10:08.760 --> 01:10:09.899
Let's be honest, yeah.

967
01:10:09.960 --> 01:10:17.159
If Sally Novette was getting scripts like this, she wouldn't have ditched the show at the end of series two.

968
01:10:17.340 --> 01:10:18.960
It's because she had nothing to do.

969
01:10:19.020 --> 01:10:28.380
And what they go through here on earth and how the federation officer sees her in this, that's why she gets arrested.

970
01:10:28.439 --> 01:10:32.039
That's why she's on the ship in the 1st episode.

971
01:10:32.100 --> 01:10:38.520
It explains all of that because we don't really get any march of an X. There's a couple of lines in the way back.

972
01:10:38.579 --> 01:10:41.340
But this really explores all of that.

973
01:10:41.399 --> 01:10:49.140
I mean, I'd quite like to see a box set with all of them with the explanations as to how they got there in the way back.

974
01:10:49.199 --> 01:10:50.220
That is a great idea.

975
01:10:50.819 --> 01:10:55.140
Yeah, yeah, I think because in this, there's 3 in this box set.

976
01:10:55.199 --> 01:10:59.279
I mean, we're just talking about the 1st one, but Cali turns up in in the other one.

977
01:10:59.340 --> 01:11:05.279
I don't know when they're all set or anything, but even for this, you could just go into this not knowing anything about Blake Seven.

978
01:11:05.340 --> 01:11:09.420
This is like a 1st episode of this series you could follow this deer.

979
01:11:09.479 --> 01:11:19.319
It felt like a pilot of a series and it's this horrible, as you say on earth, it's this horrible world, but I thought want to be part of it and you feel the danger throughout the whole thing.

980
01:11:19.380 --> 01:11:21.899
I just, and it just flew by as well.

981
01:11:21.960 --> 01:11:22.800
Yeah, honestly.

982
01:11:22.859 --> 01:11:24.600
And this is the longest of the four.

983
01:11:24.659 --> 01:11:27.000
And yet, it felt for me, it felt the shortest.

984
01:11:27.060 --> 01:11:27.899
Yeah.

985
01:11:27.899 --> 01:11:31.319
I think the most important thing is I really like the new characters.

986
01:11:31.380 --> 01:11:33.899
I think Lions got them just bang on.

987
01:11:33.960 --> 01:11:39.720
And so you put them in a situation, you know, where they're doing their terrorism and all that and the federation are after them.

988
01:11:39.840 --> 01:11:40.680
You really care?

989
01:11:40.739 --> 01:11:41.100
about them?

990
01:11:41.939 --> 01:11:46.739
And what did you say there was a Ptera Nostra spinoff?

991
01:11:46.800 --> 01:11:48.060
Obviously, a Babe and the Butch.

992
01:11:48.119 --> 01:11:49.260
This is what I want.

993
01:11:49.319 --> 01:11:50.699
I want less.

994
01:11:50.760 --> 01:11:56.880
Let's do, let's do copies of episodes set on the Liberator with a space vampire.

995
01:11:56.939 --> 01:11:58.140
Boring.

996
01:11:58.199 --> 01:12:04.319
Let's actually genuinely look at this fascinating universe that Terry Nation created, yeah?

997
01:12:04.380 --> 01:12:10.140
And all of these things happening on the periphery of our heroes, and let's explore some of that.

998
01:12:10.319 --> 01:12:13.439
This is this is my idea of blazing.

999
01:12:13.500 --> 01:12:14.819
Yeah, I really enjoyed this.

1000
01:12:14.880 --> 01:12:16.560
That was, yeah.

1001
01:12:16.619 --> 01:12:20.220
Even not knowing who Avalon was or anything. and you get it straight away.

1002
01:12:20.279 --> 01:12:27.000
You understand what's going on is clear for people like me to know what's going on.

1003
01:12:27.060 --> 01:12:33.720
The highest endorsement we could possibly give this is Mark actually went out and bought the set, didn't you, after this?

1004
01:12:33.779 --> 01:12:35.279
Yeah, yeah, a lot more.

1005
01:12:35.340 --> 01:12:36.840
Yeah. you go.

1006
01:12:36.899 --> 01:12:39.300
I was not fray on Spotify, is it?

1007
01:12:39.359 --> 01:12:40.800
No, it's not.

1008
01:12:40.859 --> 01:12:41.760
It's a newer one.

1009
01:12:41.819 --> 01:12:43.020
Yeah, it's a newer one.

1010
01:12:43.079 --> 01:12:49.439
But like, you know, I wouldn't, I wouldn't say the, obviously, like the loss of Paul Darrow is enormous.

1011
01:12:49.500 --> 01:12:49.979
Yeah.

1012
01:12:50.039 --> 01:12:57.659
And the debt we owe him for making Blake 7 on TV as good as it was cannot be repaid.

1013
01:12:57.720 --> 01:13:06.659
But if Losing him meant they ditched the forecast audios and started exploring some of this really interesting stuff.

1014
01:13:07.199 --> 01:13:12.479
It's a, it's a good reaction to an unfortunate event.

1015
01:13:12.539 --> 01:13:14.039
Because I think it's more interesting.

1016
01:13:14.399 --> 01:13:17.640
Yes, yeah, I totally agree.

1017
01:13:17.699 --> 01:13:34.079
And the other thing it helps with is, you know, I think, if I were selling a vet or Jan Chappell, even Stephen Pacey and Michael Keating, just, oh, Gareth's gone, Paul's gone.

1018
01:13:34.199 --> 01:13:37.319
Big finish probably won't be hiring me anymore.

1019
01:13:37.380 --> 01:13:41.819
But, you know, it's still giving these actors who've given us so much joy.

1020
01:13:42.119 --> 01:13:53.460
One, good work for them to do, and two, let's let's also be rank, it's giving them pay, you know, to help enhance their lives.

1021
01:13:53.520 --> 01:14:06.420
And I, I have sort of heard apparently, you know, Michael Keating isn't doing them anymore and I think he's 82 or something, which, you know, is totally fine just because Tom Baker was still doing them well into his 80s doesn't mean everyone has to.

1022
01:14:06.420 --> 01:14:07.739
It's interesting.

1023
01:14:07.800 --> 01:14:15.539
You know, there's there's a lot of joking in fan circles about, you know, big finish making a tar and wood beast box set, you know, versus Jackie Tyler.

1024
01:14:15.600 --> 01:14:17.579
I'd buy it Yeah, exactly.

1025
01:14:17.699 --> 01:14:25.680
But the thing I think some people sometimes forget is it is giving these actors work.

1026
01:14:25.800 --> 01:14:26.579
Yeah.

1027
01:14:26.579 --> 01:14:30.060
You know, and we love these actors.

1028
01:14:30.119 --> 01:14:31.020
Exactly.

1029
01:14:31.079 --> 01:14:36.899
But these aren't just the big finished dartboard of random things.

1030
01:14:36.960 --> 01:14:37.739
This has a purpose.

1031
01:14:37.800 --> 01:14:39.300
This is this is being thought through.

1032
01:14:39.359 --> 01:14:46.979
This is we're going to do this with Jenna in this 1st episode and it's going to be, it doesn't feel like it's just a random Let's just get these people.

1033
01:14:47.039 --> 01:14:48.239
That whole world.

1034
01:14:48.300 --> 01:14:49.199
Yeah, absolutely.

1035
01:14:49.199 --> 01:14:54.420
I just want to explore the Federation rule on Earth in more detail.

1036
01:14:54.539 --> 01:14:58.020
It's such an interesting idea, you know, that anti-Star Trek idea.

1037
01:14:58.079 --> 01:14:58.800
Yeah.

1038
01:14:58.859 --> 01:15:06.000
And I think that's where this really succeeds in that it's not another crew out on a ship flying from planet to planet.

1039
01:15:06.539 --> 01:15:15.960
It is on Earth, and if they want to go somewhere else, they're going to have to get false identity papers, and we also see in this episode that doesn't always work.

1040
01:15:16.020 --> 01:15:20.039
They have to get on a ship and they have to go somewhere and risk being recognised.

1041
01:15:20.100 --> 01:15:36.600
I say bravo to be finished for finding creative avenues to continue telling Blake 7 audios when they can't do what they really want to do, which is, you know, audio version of what would be televised episodes.

1042
01:15:36.659 --> 01:15:37.859
That's what that's what they wanted.

1043
01:15:37.920 --> 01:15:42.119
That's what they were doing when they had the opportunity And I mean, what's that?

1044
01:15:42.180 --> 01:15:44.760
I don't know if we, I don't know if it's been mentioned before.

1045
01:15:44.819 --> 01:15:48.000
What's that other company that do those ones where everybody's recast?

1046
01:15:48.060 --> 01:15:49.199
I've never heard any of those.

1047
01:15:49.260 --> 01:15:52.560
Um, oh, B 7 Enterprises.

1048
01:15:52.619 --> 01:15:55.260
Yeah, I've never been interested in anything like that.

1049
01:15:55.319 --> 01:15:57.779
Does she sound like Gisette Simon?

1050
01:15:57.779 --> 01:15:59.460
I don't know who that is.

1051
01:15:59.460 --> 01:16:00.960
It's all of them younger, isn't it, or something?

1052
01:16:01.020 --> 01:16:02.819
I don't I don't remember about them.

1053
01:16:02.880 --> 01:16:03.479
What?

1054
01:16:03.479 --> 01:16:04.619
Blake's some rugrats.

1055
01:16:04.680 --> 01:16:06.060
It's a reimagining.

1056
01:16:06.119 --> 01:16:08.100
So, for instance, Blake is Derek Riddell.

1057
01:16:08.159 --> 01:16:10.260
Colin Salmon is Avon.

1058
01:16:10.319 --> 01:16:13.560
So it's the series A crew, basically.

1059
01:16:13.619 --> 01:16:16.859
Craig Kelly from Quera's Folk is Travis.

1060
01:16:16.920 --> 01:16:19.560
These are available on the big Finnish website as well.

1061
01:16:19.619 --> 01:16:21.840
The whole box set is called a rebellion reborn.

1062
01:16:21.899 --> 01:16:30.779
So they did like 31 hour episodes, which was relaunching the series, and then they did a bunch of companion chronicle style stories.

1063
01:16:30.899 --> 01:16:32.159
And you know what?

1064
01:16:32.220 --> 01:16:33.539
They're interesting in their own right.

1065
01:16:33.600 --> 01:16:34.560
It is a reboot.

1066
01:16:34.619 --> 01:16:52.739
It was around the same time as TV series reboot that was going to come out on Sky around 2010, I want to say, and Sky pulled the plug on their funding, but then announced it as this show is cancelled, and B7 media are like, no, no, no, it's not cancelled.

1067
01:16:52.800 --> 01:16:55.500
You've just pulled your funding, but by saying this show is cancelled.

1068
01:16:55.560 --> 01:16:56.399
No one else wanted to touch it.

1069
01:16:56.460 --> 01:16:57.479
Wow.

1070
01:16:57.539 --> 01:17:01.680
Oh my god, lots of us see a modern day version of Blake 7.

1071
01:17:01.739 --> 01:17:03.239
See what on earth they would do.

1072
01:17:03.300 --> 01:17:08.939
No, but I think this is the way to do it if you're not, you know, doing a complete reboot or recast or anything.

1073
01:17:09.000 --> 01:17:09.600
This is what you do.

1074
01:17:09.659 --> 01:17:10.319
You get these.

1075
01:17:10.439 --> 01:17:15.600
I would actually suggest if you wanted an in to Blake 7 audios.

1076
01:17:16.020 --> 01:17:18.300
Don't do the other three.

1077
01:17:18.359 --> 01:17:21.659
Do this one and I know it's not all of the Blake 7 characters.

1078
01:17:21.779 --> 01:17:24.840
It's by far the best listening experience.

1079
01:17:24.899 --> 01:17:29.279
So if you want to see how good these can be, start here, I'd say.

1080
01:17:29.399 --> 01:17:33.119
This is great because, A, it's contemporaneous with the 1st episode.

1081
01:17:33.180 --> 01:17:38.640
It's world building the Federation from the same point that the TV series did.

1082
01:17:38.699 --> 01:17:47.760
And, you know, arguably this is the vision of Blake 7 before Serverland turns up because they do have a major sort of course correction halfway through that 1st series.

1083
01:17:47.819 --> 01:17:50.880
Michael E Bryant's talked about it recently in an interview.

1084
01:17:50.939 --> 01:17:57.479
He directed 5 episodes and he's like, it started to go in a different direction from what he envisioned it going in.

1085
01:17:57.539 --> 01:18:07.079
And he's not cross about that at all, but he's just like, he would have liked to focus more on the Federation being this faceless massive organisation rather than give it a figurehead kind of thing.

1086
01:18:07.140 --> 01:18:10.979
Mark me, Brian, give us the decimas. think he did.

1087
01:18:11.039 --> 01:18:16.380
I don't think he's in any position to go too much about the direction that Black 7 went in.

1088
01:18:16.439 --> 01:18:17.640
Do you remember the decimas?

1089
01:18:17.699 --> 01:18:19.079
Great masks on the head.

1090
01:18:19.140 --> 01:18:21.060
SV 7 is in there as well.

1091
01:18:21.119 --> 01:18:21.960
Oh okay.

1092
01:18:22.020 --> 01:18:22.380
No.

1093
01:18:22.439 --> 01:18:23.760
Sorry, you're not.

1094
01:18:23.760 --> 01:18:30.899
That's interesting because I prefer those early. 1st 10 or so are my favourite episode before it goes off.

1095
01:18:30.960 --> 01:18:31.979
No, I like that style.

1096
01:18:32.100 --> 01:18:42.539
I like it when all that cutting wit comes in, you know, and they're doing heist with gold and, you know, Avon's hunting villa through the ship and all bit, all that stuff.

1097
01:18:42.600 --> 01:18:45.659
So there's 2 box sets of Avalon so far.

1098
01:18:45.720 --> 01:18:47.399
That's correct.

1099
01:18:47.460 --> 01:18:50.819
And they both came out in 2021 and there hasn't been any further announcement.

1100
01:18:50.880 --> 01:18:55.500
But, you know, that doesn't mean anything because they've been doing other stories as well.

1101
01:18:55.619 --> 01:18:57.899
I will definitely listen.

1102
01:18:57.960 --> 01:19:03.359
I want to listen to the other 2 because I think we've got there's a Cal and Travis turns up as well, I think.

1103
01:19:03.420 --> 01:19:04.739
Yes, yeah.

1104
01:19:05.039 --> 01:19:09.600
Interestingly enough, in the Clone Masters range, and I haven't heard this yet.

1105
01:19:09.659 --> 01:19:11.939
There's a story with both Travises.

1106
01:19:12.840 --> 01:19:18.119
Is there a Liberator Chronicle with Brian Croucher as Travis?

1107
01:19:18.180 --> 01:19:24.180
No, no. doesn't come back at all. would be truly terrible, but I'd love to hear it.

1108
01:19:24.239 --> 01:19:29.520
I just want a whole hour of him going, I will catch up with you one day, Blake.

1109
01:19:29.699 --> 01:19:32.220
Why can't I catch Blake?

1110
01:19:32.640 --> 01:19:35.399
It's like a brick, isn't it?

1111
01:19:39.000 --> 01:19:50.220
But, um, one last point about this one I'd like to make, and that is, I really liked the rug pool at the end where they say, well, what the hell have we achieved here?

1112
01:19:50.279 --> 01:19:55.920
So they're trying to, um, stop, stop the food games for people, isn't it?

1113
01:19:55.979 --> 01:19:57.060
Because the food is drugged.

1114
01:19:57.119 --> 01:19:58.800
That's what's making them docile.

1115
01:19:58.800 --> 01:20:03.180
And they say, yeah, we've deprived the poorest people of a food supply.

1116
01:20:03.180 --> 01:20:07.739
In order to stop them being drug, we've actually deprived them of food.

1117
01:20:07.800 --> 01:20:15.000
So it's like there are no easy answers to bring it down Federation, which I really like.

1118
01:20:15.060 --> 01:20:18.359
Blake 7's great at doing those rug balls.

1119
01:20:18.420 --> 01:20:19.260
You know.

1120
01:20:19.439 --> 01:20:22.439
And what this really reminded me of.

1121
01:20:22.500 --> 01:20:27.840
And then I discovered this came out a year beforehand was the Star Wars series Andor.

1122
01:20:27.899 --> 01:20:29.279
Right, yes.

1123
01:20:29.399 --> 01:20:34.800
Which, contrary to what a lot of other people think I don't actually rate that highly.

1124
01:20:34.859 --> 01:20:36.779
You better open Nathan, don't listen to this one.

1125
01:20:36.899 --> 01:20:46.140
It's just that it's called Andor and literally any other character in it is far more interesting, watchable and enjoyable than Andor.

1126
01:20:46.199 --> 01:20:48.000
Blake Seven and Blake.

1127
01:20:48.000 --> 01:20:56.460
Andor spends about, oh, half an hour of every episode just going, yeah, I'm not getting involved.

1128
01:20:56.520 --> 01:20:57.899
Yeah, I'm not getting involved.

1129
01:20:57.960 --> 01:20:58.859
I'm not getting involved.

1130
01:20:58.920 --> 01:21:00.060
And it's like, you know what?

1131
01:21:00.119 --> 01:21:02.279
That's fine for 3 or 4 episodes.

1132
01:21:02.340 --> 01:21:03.899
For 12 episodes.

1133
01:21:03.960 --> 01:21:08.699
It begins to make me wonder, when are we going to go back to fabulous modern Moth buck.

1134
01:21:08.760 --> 01:21:09.239
But anyway.

1135
01:21:09.479 --> 01:21:17.520
Well, it's interesting that we're not, I mean, Avalon is in this, but it's not the focus of our conversation because, yeah, true.

1136
01:21:17.579 --> 01:21:18.539
She's there.

1137
01:21:18.600 --> 01:21:30.659
I, but maybe because we know, but maybe because we know Jenna, and that's the point on the TV, maybe, but we're not like, wow, Avalon is this amazing, you know, she's done this groundbreaking.

1138
01:21:30.720 --> 01:21:35.699
I mean, yeah, it is only the 1st one, but it's interesting that I just feel like it's Jenna the series.

1139
01:21:35.760 --> 01:21:39.899
This is a much later audio than fractures.

1140
01:21:39.960 --> 01:21:43.260
I mean, I thought her performance in fractures was appalling.

1141
01:21:43.380 --> 01:21:45.000
All that hysteria she was doing.

1142
01:21:45.060 --> 01:21:48.659
Whereas she's clearly, really relaxed into the role now.

1143
01:21:48.720 --> 01:21:52.739
And actually, I think she's honed with the Jenna voice by this point.

1144
01:21:52.800 --> 01:21:55.500
So in this, I could really hear Jenna.

1145
01:21:55.619 --> 01:22:05.640
Yeah, she's probably, you know, go on and listen to what she's done before because she's, yeah, she takes acting very seriously and she taught acting after she left Lake Seven.

1146
01:22:05.699 --> 01:22:16.260
In terms of Olivia Poulet, I think perhaps I haven't said much about her, just because I think she's a very competent actress, I love her performances in the Avengers.

1147
01:22:16.319 --> 01:22:22.619
I think she does, you know, she gets the hard edges of Avalon exactly right.

1148
01:22:22.680 --> 01:22:25.979
But I think also Avalon is a character on TV.

1149
01:22:26.039 --> 01:22:30.000
There was very little to her because half the time she's an Android duplicate anyway.

1150
01:22:30.060 --> 01:22:34.380
So you've got almost a complete blank slate to work with.

1151
01:22:34.979 --> 01:22:53.640
And it's interesting in that this Avalon is undoubtedly a harder character than the TV Avalon, but there was so little for Julia Vidler to actually do on TV that it doesn't contradict. what we've already seen.

1152
01:22:53.699 --> 01:22:55.380
So this is a recasting.

1153
01:22:55.439 --> 01:22:56.460
I think really works.

1154
01:22:56.520 --> 01:23:02.520
Because basically halfway through episode 2 of this box set.

1155
01:23:02.579 --> 01:23:07.380
Olivia Poulet has played the character for longer than Julia Vision.

1156
01:23:08.939 --> 01:23:20.220
Yeah, it's a bit like that perverse situation that I think John Colshaw has played the brigadier for more episodes than Nicholas Courtney has now.

1157
01:23:20.520 --> 01:23:22.739
A little more nasally.

1158
01:23:22.800 --> 01:23:24.359
The Nicholas Horney did.

1159
01:23:24.479 --> 01:23:35.159
Listen, are you listening to me out there, big Finnish people, because I know big Finnish people, and I know they're big Finnish people that listen to this podcast and my one opportunity to do this.

1160
01:23:35.220 --> 01:23:43.439
Please, get Sally Novette in and we want the Jenna Smuggler Chronicles because I just think it'll be wonderful.

1161
01:23:43.500 --> 01:23:46.619
Just seeing her being given so much to do.

1162
01:23:46.680 --> 01:23:52.020
I think it's so fucking competent and, you know, honestly, a space bitch is wonderful.

1163
01:23:52.079 --> 01:23:57.720
I imagined her having sort of crazy Lisa Goddard terminal style hair in it as well, you know.

1164
01:23:57.779 --> 01:24:00.539
I mean, if it's Barbarellarish. yeah.

1165
01:24:00.600 --> 01:24:01.859
Yeah.

1166
01:24:01.859 --> 01:24:03.359
I don't know, I just...

1167
01:24:03.359 --> 01:24:04.439
Do you hear that theme tune?

1168
01:24:06.960 --> 01:24:10.140
Do the Star Trek TNG thing.

1169
01:24:10.199 --> 01:24:11.579
It's like, oh, okay, are we in the past?

1170
01:24:11.640 --> 01:24:13.920
Beverly's hair suddenly has much less volume.

1171
01:24:13.979 --> 01:24:16.680
It's just hanging straight down now because it's the past.

1172
01:24:16.739 --> 01:24:25.500
I was shocked, shocked, I tell you, to find out that Paul Gates McFadden had to wear a wig until halfway through series 6.

1173
01:24:25.739 --> 01:24:29.880
Yeah, it's not her own hair until halfway through season two.

1174
01:24:29.939 --> 01:24:35.279
Oh, shocked to discover she thought she was given a performance in those 7 seasons. there we go.

1175
01:24:38.340 --> 01:24:40.859
But I mean, honestly, look at the 1st season.

1176
01:24:40.920 --> 01:24:44.520
Someone then decided that that wig was good.

1177
01:24:44.640 --> 01:24:45.239
Or the red one.

1178
01:24:45.300 --> 01:24:47.579
Morris Hurley, probably.

1179
01:24:48.000 --> 01:24:49.560
Oh, God.

1180
01:24:49.619 --> 01:24:50.640
How did we get here?

1181
01:24:52.079 --> 01:24:54.539
With the Jenna Chronicles.

1182
01:24:54.600 --> 01:24:55.920
Bring it on, all right?

1183
01:24:55.979 --> 01:24:57.960
Mark and I will do the title sequence.

1184
01:24:58.020 --> 01:24:58.979
One more time.

1185
01:24:59.039 --> 01:25:01.140
You got to say it 3 times for a big finish to do a boxing.

1186
01:25:01.199 --> 01:25:01.979
Rob Valentine.

1187
01:25:02.039 --> 01:25:03.899
I know you're listening The Jenna Chronicles.

1188
01:25:03.960 --> 01:25:04.319
Get on it.

1189
01:25:07.739 --> 01:25:10.500
To contradict something I said earlier.

1190
01:25:10.560 --> 01:25:15.000
Um, where, so I said, well, what on earth did you choose those for?

1191
01:25:15.060 --> 01:25:16.380
Those were the 4 I would have chosen.

1192
01:25:16.500 --> 01:25:25.920
I actually think as a way of exploring all the different corners of what they do on audio, this was a great, and the quality as well.

1193
01:25:25.979 --> 01:25:28.260
Because I thought, you know, 22 were great.

1194
01:25:28.319 --> 01:25:31.079
One was good and one was pretty terrible.

1195
01:25:31.140 --> 01:25:32.939
So like all of Big Finish.

1196
01:25:33.000 --> 01:25:36.359
There is a spread of quality amongst the releases.

1197
01:25:36.420 --> 01:25:42.239
But, you know, they they can do 1st person narrations where you get close to the characters.

1198
01:25:42.300 --> 01:25:58.380
They can do forecast stories, which are incredibly tedious, and they can do explanations or like plugging gaps between stories like between power play and volcano, and they can go right back to the start and explore the universe as a whole.

1199
01:25:58.439 --> 01:26:10.920
It just means, I just think there is a very tasty field thorough with Blake 7 and it looks like they, they go a long way to exploring a lot of untapped potential.

1200
01:26:15.720 --> 01:26:23.460
So that is all the time we have for this very small smattering of Big Finisher's Bleak 7 output.

1201
01:26:23.520 --> 01:26:45.420
Please come back next time for our series D retrospective, which ask important questions like, would you rather snow, Justin, Gunsar, or be thrown out of an airlock, uh, until next time, you can find us wherever you get your podcast and at maximum powerpodcast.com, and search for maximum power, uh, on your socials of choice.

1202
01:26:45.479 --> 01:26:50.460
Joe and Mark, do you have anything you'd like to mention anything you'd like to plug coming up in the near future?

1203
01:26:50.520 --> 01:26:57.239
On Finish Big, we'll be doing series 5 of Benice Summerfield very soon.

1204
01:26:57.300 --> 01:26:58.079
Gold.

1205
01:26:58.199 --> 01:27:06.060
And then, as we say, going into the 8th Dr. Divergent Universe, then 2000 AD, I think.

1206
01:27:06.119 --> 01:27:09.239
So it's a mixed bag of big finish releases.

1207
01:27:09.300 --> 01:27:17.460
Unfortunately, Blake 7 is quite far away from what we'll be doing, but if you want to discover any other ranges from Big Finish.

1208
01:27:17.520 --> 01:27:18.720
Give us a listen.

1209
01:27:18.779 --> 01:27:21.779
Oh, I gotta say, this does entice me to explore more.

1210
01:27:21.840 --> 01:27:24.720
I can't wait till we get there, but the pace we're going.

1211
01:27:24.779 --> 01:27:27.000
It will be, you know, long into our retirement.

1212
01:27:27.060 --> 01:27:30.359
It'll be on like Avalon series 10 by the time we think.

1213
01:27:30.359 --> 01:27:34.079
Olivia Poulet will be recast.

1214
01:27:34.500 --> 01:27:39.420
Okay, I'll tell you what, why be more interested than peddling out our usual podcast.

1215
01:27:39.479 --> 01:27:41.100
I'm going to think what?

1216
01:27:41.159 --> 01:27:43.020
I'm going to say, I'm going to say yours.

1217
01:27:43.079 --> 01:27:43.560
You say mine.

1218
01:27:43.619 --> 01:27:45.239
That's a nice easy way of doing it.

1219
01:27:45.300 --> 01:28:03.300
Mark does a podcast to watch who, where he watches all of Doctor Who in order, with his best friend Sarah, who is a non-Doctor Who fan, and she generally loves all the terrible stories like the underwater menace, the Space Museum, the Time Monster.

1220
01:28:03.420 --> 01:28:07.920
If it's a shit Doctor Who story, you're going to get a brand new opinion about it.

1221
01:28:07.979 --> 01:28:10.800
They have gone through all of the classic series.

1222
01:28:10.859 --> 01:28:15.899
They have just gone through smatterings of the wilderness years.

1223
01:28:15.960 --> 01:28:18.239
It was a bit of a chore, I think.

1224
01:28:18.300 --> 01:28:23.880
And they're about to head excitingly to the new series.

1225
01:28:23.939 --> 01:28:24.420
Yeah, yes.

1226
01:28:24.659 --> 01:28:27.119
Yeah, what am I going to do here?

1227
01:28:27.180 --> 01:28:29.039
hamster with a blunt pen knife?

1228
01:28:29.100 --> 01:28:34.920
I'm sure everyone's heard of it, where Joe and many, many guests.

1229
01:28:35.340 --> 01:28:41.279
Yeah, 120 guests, not new commentaries, but also you're doing a lot of Doctor Who book reviews.

1230
01:28:41.340 --> 01:28:48.659
Lately, the book club, whether that be new adventures, BBC, past adventures, new series adventures.

1231
01:28:48.720 --> 01:28:49.500
You've got a lot.

1232
01:28:49.560 --> 01:28:51.539
Stranger by Porsche D'Costa.

1233
01:28:51.600 --> 01:28:55.500
The version porn version of Doctor Who Recovered.

1234
01:28:55.560 --> 01:28:56.819
So, yeah, come along.

1235
01:28:56.819 --> 01:28:59.939
Hamster with a blunt pen knife, joined the Doctor Who book club on there.

1236
01:29:01.439 --> 01:29:03.539
Have you done the pit yet?

1237
01:29:03.600 --> 01:29:06.119
No, I'm doing it soon, actually.

1238
01:29:06.180 --> 01:29:07.500
Oh, okay.

1239
01:29:07.500 --> 01:29:09.239
Neil Penswick's criminal classic.

1240
01:29:09.899 --> 01:29:15.180
Because I was gonna say, if you need, there's a particular passage, I can eviscerate.

1241
01:29:15.960 --> 01:29:18.600
I have heard that rumour about you, you know.

1242
01:29:21.659 --> 01:29:23.100
Oh, you mean in the book, yes.

1243
01:29:23.159 --> 01:29:24.000
Yes.

1244
01:29:24.060 --> 01:29:25.439
Well, that too.

1245
01:29:25.500 --> 01:29:39.600
Well, thank you very much for all that wonderful listening chaps and thank you very much for joining us to talk about these big finish adventures and until next time, hey, big finish, the Jenna Stanis adventures.

1246
01:29:39.659 --> 01:29:40.140
Get on it.

1247
01:29:40.199 --> 01:29:42.300
Thank you very much for listening and good night.

1248
01:29:48.659 --> 01:29:50.699
That's the power.

1249
01:29:50.760 --> 01:29:51.779
Go, go!

1250
01:29:51.840 --> 01:29:54.539
Notice, I can just thrust it, Maxi.

1251
01:29:54.539 --> 01:29:57.359
Switching command.

1252
01:29:57.539 --> 01:30:00.000
Maximum power on all drives.

1253
01:30:00.960 --> 01:30:03.479
Max 7 pound.

1254
01:30:12.600 --> 01:30:16.319
Yeah, of course, I don't have to tell you this will be edited, so, you know.

1255
01:30:17.039 --> 01:30:19.500
And also, also, we have the explicit attack.

1256
01:30:20.460 --> 01:30:23.279
We have the explicit tag, so yeah.

1257
01:30:23.819 --> 01:30:25.920
Ah, explicit.

1258
01:30:25.920 --> 01:30:28.500
How explicit.

1259
01:30:28.920 --> 01:30:30.600
That's all right.

1260
01:30:30.659 --> 01:30:33.300
I just point out, you just insulted my mother.

1261
01:30:33.300 --> 01:30:37.800
But anyway, she fancied Abon.

1262
01:30:37.859 --> 01:30:39.539
Oh, does she?

1263
01:30:39.659 --> 01:30:40.739
All the women do, you know.

1264
01:30:40.859 --> 01:30:41.939
Yeah, yeah.

1265
01:30:42.000 --> 01:30:46.619
And from, it must have been from 1984 because I'm a baby in the photo.

1266
01:30:46.739 --> 01:30:49.859
She went to a costume party as Surferland.

1267
01:30:49.920 --> 01:30:51.300
Oh my god.

1268
01:30:51.359 --> 01:30:58.739
I know, when I saw those photographs of you dressed up in the male costume from time on the party with the shoulder pads and everything.

1269
01:30:58.800 --> 01:31:02.640
I was like, you know, well, what could possibly have happened to him for that to have happened?

1270
01:31:02.699 --> 01:31:03.720
Now I know.

1271
01:31:03.779 --> 01:31:05.159
Yeah, there you go.

1272
01:31:05.220 --> 01:31:07.920
Your mother was cosplaying well before you.

1273
01:31:09.119 --> 01:31:11.579
In terms of recasting.

1274
01:31:11.640 --> 01:31:16.800
We do not have the original Avalon actress who I'm going to look up and then re-record this.

1275
01:31:19.079 --> 01:31:21.659
Thank you, Blake 7 Wiki.

1276
01:31:21.720 --> 01:31:27.000
Um, This is why maximum power sounds so uh, professional.

1277
01:31:27.060 --> 01:31:30.180
Yeah, because we do this and the edit is extraordinary.

1278
01:31:30.720 --> 01:31:32.159
Right.

1279
01:31:32.579 --> 01:31:37.020
It'll be on like Avalon series 10 by the time you think.

1280
01:31:37.020 --> 01:31:40.680
Olivia Poulet will be recast.

1281
01:31:41.699 --> 01:31:43.979
With Julia Vidler.

1282
01:31:44.039 --> 01:31:45.300
Oh, Olivia.

1283
01:31:45.300 --> 01:31:48.060
You should be too old.

1284
01:31:50.399 --> 01:31:52.199
Is there anything else?

1285
01:31:52.260 --> 01:31:53.880
You'll start to sound like Stephen Pacy.

1286
01:31:54.119 --> 01:31:55.920
I'll tell you what.

1287
01:31:55.979 --> 01:32:00.420
I'm sorry, I can't be coming to Stephen Pacey because I'm going to tell you a little story now, okay?

1288
01:32:00.479 --> 01:32:07.319
So we went to see a play, an Alan Akborn play, right, at the local Devonshires, and it was so exciting.

1289
01:32:07.380 --> 01:32:14.399
Lisa Goddard, you know, great goldfish bolt lady from Terminus, and Stephen Pacey from Blake 7 were both in it.

1290
01:32:14.460 --> 01:32:16.020
So exciting.

1291
01:32:16.079 --> 01:32:18.359
Anyway, we get there. goes to the loo, right?

1292
01:32:18.420 --> 01:32:20.279
What the hell has this got to do with anything?

1293
01:32:20.340 --> 01:32:23.819
I was thinking, I go to Salute and I come back and who are we there with?

1294
01:32:24.000 --> 01:32:25.800
Was it Nathan?

1295
01:32:25.859 --> 01:32:26.520
Oh, Nathan.

1296
01:32:26.579 --> 01:32:27.119
Oh, there you go.

1297
01:32:27.180 --> 01:32:30.300
Nathan and Mark are looking a bit sheepish.

1298
01:32:30.359 --> 01:32:31.739
And I went, are you all right?

1299
01:32:31.800 --> 01:32:34.319
And they're like, oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, let's just go in.

1300
01:32:34.380 --> 01:32:37.079
Anyway, we sits down to watch this fabulous.

1301
01:32:37.140 --> 01:32:37.920
What play was it?

1302
01:32:38.039 --> 01:32:39.899
I can't remember what it's called.

1303
01:32:39.960 --> 01:32:41.640
Oh, these great light comedies, you know?

1304
01:32:41.760 --> 01:32:43.319
And then the curtain comes up.

1305
01:32:43.380 --> 01:32:47.159
No sign of Stephen Pacey, no sign of Lisa Goddard.

1306
01:32:47.279 --> 01:32:53.100
There was a sign up in the auditor saying they're both ill and they can't be on tonight.

1307
01:32:53.159 --> 01:32:53.880
Oh, no.

1308
01:32:53.880 --> 01:32:54.899
Stephen Paisey.

1309
01:32:54.960 --> 01:32:57.539
I sorry, you can give as many great performances as you want in Blake.

1310
01:32:57.600 --> 01:32:59.340
I will never forgive you for that night.

1311
01:32:59.399 --> 01:33:02.100
I was like, we can't tell you because you were so excited.

1312
01:33:02.159 --> 01:33:05.100
And then this old man came on and you're like, is that Stephen Basey?

1313
01:33:05.159 --> 01:33:10.380
Maybe if I had to see him in the play, it would have prepared me for his voice in his audio.