Blake's 7

[Bonehead]

Thanks Joe. It all kind of leaves a bitter taste in the mouth. It's crazy how complicated and uneccessary things become. I remember a couple of viewers polls held in tv guides in recent years, asking people which show they would most like to bring back here in the UK. Blake's 7 won hands down each time.

[Joe Nazzaro]

Regarding the B7 revival, I can tell you what I know, but I think there are a few holes in the chronology that IÆm not 100% sure about. I know that the producer originally approached Paul Darrow, who agreed to get in touch with Terry NationÆs widow Kate and his agent to obtain TerryÆs B7 rights. Bear in mind that the rights to B7 are divided between the Nation estate and the BBC, but I donÆt know who owns what; in fact, I donÆt think anybody is entirely sure, which has probably caused a lot of the legal problems these past couple of years. Anyway, in return for obtaining the rights, Darrow was also going to appear in the initial part of the project, which would be based on NationÆs ideas (Avon as a Napoleon-like exile), but I donÆt know if he would be killed off, written out or appear sporadically in the subsequent series revival. Darrow was also going to be made a producer on the project, which would give him a vested interest in the project.

HereÆs where things get really sticky. As far as both parties were concerned, I believe they each felt they owned the DVD rights. The BBC went ahead and hired Kevin Davies to dig up archive material for the DVDs as well as create a huge four-part behind-the-scenes documentary that would run over all four DVD sets. IÆve seen some of the footage and it was immensely enjoyable, and I know Kevin did his best to contact every cast and crew member he could. I actually went to the recording studio with Sheelagh when she was being interviewed, which I believe was between Gareth Thomas and director Pennant Roberts, and I remember seeing KevinÆs interview schedule, which was pretty lengthy. The one notable exception was Paul Darrow, who declined to participate in the DVDs because he was involved with the other camp, who apparently also believed they owned some of the DVD rights and reportedly planned to issue their own release once the legal questions were ironed out.

Just before the first DVD set came out, the situation got worse. Apparently the other party believed he owned the interactive rights to B7, which would include the DVD rights, which generally featured interactive menus, special features, etc. IÆm not sure this would have held up to a legal challenge, but the BBC ultimately decided to strip out most of the special features from their DVD releases, which is why the final releases were nowhere as comprehensive as what was originally promised. Most of KevinÆs material was thrown out, with a few bits re-edited and added back in; part of SheelaghÆs interview for example, appears on the season three set as a separate feature. I know Kevin was heartbroken, because he had spent a number of months busting his ass on the project, and most of it got thrown out.

As for the mini-series, I canÆt say with any authority if anything actually happened. There may or may not have been one or more scripts done on spec or deferred payment, but I donÆt know if anybody connected with the project ever made a dime. I seem to recall there being a question about whether or not the Nation estate ever got paid for the rights in the end, which would basically have invalidated all of the above plans, but IÆd have to call Kate to find our for sure, and I suspect she probably wasnÆt all that happy with what ultimately happened. Right now, I donÆt know if the rights have reverted back to the Nation Estate, or if in fact theyÆd formally changed hands.

As for Darrow, I think he eventually realized that he had been badly used. Not only did anything seem to be happening, but by committing himself to the wrong side, he had basically cut himself off from some of the B7-related projects that were actually happening. At some point, he did get in touch with Kevin to talk about participating in the DVDs, but at that point, I think that ship had sailed. I know he regretted the chain of events and his involvement in them because of some comments that he subsequently made to my wife and I. He just made some bad choices, which is unfortunate for everyone, but I think he felt he was doing the right thing, which was to try and help get a B7 revival off the ground.

ThatÆs about as much as I know. My gut reaction is that the B7 project is not only dead in the water, IÆm not all that sure it was ever happening. And until the rights issue gets unsnarled once and for all, I doubt anything will happen. Opinions may differ. What do all of you think?

[Dr Maturin]

I'll second that recommendation for Amazon.uk's great service. I can order something and have it shipped to my place in Pennsylvania and in my grubby little mitts within seven to ten days at most. And yeah, the exchange rate sucks right now...

Still, my buying that set from there will save me over $50.

[frulad]

A friend of mine here in New Jersey, who's a huge Anglo-phile swears by Amazon UK. Apparently if you're ordering from America, they drop the VAT, which helps compensate for the shipping costs. Bear in mind though, that the dollar is currently very low against the pound, but when the exchange rate shifts the other way (when we have a new president perhaps?) it will be a better deal for UK products.

I'll second that recommendation for Amazon.uk's great service. I can order something and have it shipped to my place in Pennsylvania and in my grubby little mitts within seven to ten days at most. And yeah, the exchange rate sucks right now...

[Bonehead]

Question for Joe Nazzaro

I have a request for Joe Nazzaro.

I remember following the attempted B7 revival 'Rebellion Reborn' a few years ago from their official webpage. I was involved on the forums there as one of the many angry fans that disliked the way the mini-series was being attempted. (Possibly re-casting Paul Darrow being the main problem)

Anyway, I kind of lost touch with it all after the forum was closed. Now, going back I find the website has gone as well. The only thing left being a small advert for it. I believe the delays and slow release of the DVD's was down to B7e productions owning the rites still, which seems to be confirmed by their logo on the back of my DVD sets.

Anyway, as someone in authority in the genre I was hoping Mr Nazzaro could give us an insite into what went on, why Darrow pulled out, and why the project ultimately died. Also what happened to the proposed animated series. And do you know anything about the rumours that the BBC might be interested in buying it back again after Dr Who's recent success?

[Dr Maturin]

No problem ZD. I mean.....LIM.

Actually I find the Uk Amazon the best around for price these days. Strange, because it used to be one of the dearest. And I would have to say that their sevice is second to none. I remember when I first bought Blake's 7 season 1. I had paid for it, it had arrived and I was happy. A couple of weeks later I received an e-mail from Amazon saying they had decided to lower the price of the set by ú3 and they were giving me a refund to that amount. I know of no other shop or website that would do that. Also I've noticed in recent purchases their packaging for boxsets is much improved. No more squashed corners

Yeah, I've ordered some old school WWE PPVs on DVD that aren't available in NTSC format from Amazon UK. Fast delivery.

[Joe Nazzaro]

A friend of mine here in New Jersey, who's a huge Anglo-phile swears by Amazon UK. Apparently if you're ordering from America, they drop the VAT, which helps compensate for the shipping costs. Bear in mind though, that the dollar is currently very low against the pound, but when the exchange rate shifts the other way (when we have a new president perhaps?) it will be a better deal for UK products.

[Bonehead]

Excellent. Thanks, you Bonehead. I mean...just Bonehead.

No problem ZD. I mean.....LIM.

Actually I find the Uk Amazon the best around for price these days. Strange, because it used to be one of the dearest. And I would have to say that their sevice is second to none. I remember when I first bought Blake's 7 season 1. I had paid for it, it had arrived and I was happy. A couple of weeks later I received an e-mail from Amazon saying they had decided to lower the price of the set by ú3 and they were giving me a refund to that amount. I know of no other shop or website that would do that. Also I've noticed in recent purchases their packaging for boxsets is much improved. No more squashed corners

[Dr Maturin]

I suggest people try good old Amazon.co.uk. That's where I bought mine. They start at Season one for only ú21.97, up to season 4 for ú32.99.

Heck they've even got the limited edition Season 3 with the die-cast Liberator for only ú36.99.

I had assumed that the prices would be the same.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B000085RK5/026-1224864-1121262?v=glance&n=283926&s=gateway&v=glance

Excellent. Thanks, you Bonehead. I mean...just Bonehead.

[Shr'eshhhhhh]

In any other country Jacqueline Pierce and Paul Darrow would have been huge movie stars.

If any show needed a CGI tarting up it has to be B7. The acting is already great.

If Lucas can stick his cardboard characters into realistic looking altered enviroments it would be a delight to see the masterpiece performances of the B7 cast framed in virtual sets that didn't look like Amberbly Chalk pits or the powerstation of the week. It would also be nice to see epic space battles that didn't look like a firework party between a Fairy Liquid bottle vs two hair dryers stuck together.

[Bonehead]

The price in the UK varies from ú39.99 to ú49.99, depending on which set you're after, ú49.99 being roughly $92US, pretty average for a box set.

I suggest people try good old Amazon.co.uk. That's where I bought mine. They start at Season one for only ú21.97, up to season 4 for ú32.99.

Heck they've even got the limited edition Season 3 with the die-cast Liberator for only ú36.99.

[Joe Nazzaro]

Frankly, I'm a bit surprised that David's death hasn't had more attention. His Doctor Who story 'The Deadly Assassin' caused all sorts of controversy at the time because it was singled out by then-TV watchdog Mary Whitehouse for incidents of violence that were supposedly too much for the delicate sesibilities of young viewers. And as producer of Blake's 7, his series was probably just as successful as the current incarnation of Doctor Who. I guess people's memories only go back a couple of years, not a couple of decades.

[Toolpusher]

You could at least do the BBC the courtesy of checking before you slag them off.

David Maloney Dies

Right.

I'm going to keep checking the official Dr. Who site for death notices?

Behave. The man deserved at least a mention on the evening bulletins and that he did not get.

[Dr Maturin]

The price in the UK varies from ú39.99 to ú49.99, depending on which set you're after, ú49.99 being roughly $92US, pretty average for a box set.

Too much. I will wait for an American release or for the PAL version to be resupplied. Either way, I'll probably be waiting for a long time.

[Garibaldi's Hair]

Well if that was reported over I here I must have missed it, although I'm betting the BBC just couldn't be bothered.

RIP.

You could at least do the BBC the courtesy of checking before you slag them off.

David Maloney Dies