Big Finish Productions’ latest The Worlds of Blakes 7 box set features three episodes from the life of pilot, charmer and rogue Del Tarrant, played by original actor Steven Pacey.
The first, The Authorised Version, explores Del’s origins, with the help of the Dream-makers, to discover (or rewrite…?) the journey from sensible and privileged Terran upbringing to outlaw on course to join the Liberator. We are also introduced to series antagonist Kith Brell, initially Tarrant’s trainer at the academy, who has a nasty habit of turning up in the background of some of Tarrant’s more critical life experiences. Meanwhile, Tarrant tries to tell a story of his past that he is satisfied with: rebellious pilot trainee, lover, smuggler, dutiful son, outcast… but will any of it be worthwhile?
Sadly, no. The story beats covered may stretch the plot too thin, but equally the limited cast are over-stretched, with characters often broadly caricatured (Tarrant’s mother particularly feels like a disappointed 1970s sitcom mother-in-law) making for a story like a Wikipedia paragraph titled ‘Background before the Liberator’ spun out to 50+ minutes.
The second story, Behemoth, sees Tarrant as a Federation space captain, with a worn-out crew of whinging humans and one stoic mutoid for company. When a mysterious and utterly alien ship crosses their path, a taut and claustrophobic exploration of the ship begins, as well as a fight for the crew’s very survival.
Combining shades of Alien and Quatermass and the Pit, Behemoth wisely concentrates most of its effort into characterisation, with snarky back and forths between Tarrant’s fractious crew that have more than a shade of Chris Boucher about them. A good use of echo, movement and voice acting chops give a real sense of place, as well as judicious descriptions of what the characters are encountering in the mysterious ship’s murky interior, while taut plotting creates a ticking time bomb tension even before any countdown element is introduced.
Tarrant’s stern captain role also gives us a glimpse into what kind of trauma can change an ambitious and capable man’s career trajectory in a way that The Authorised Version doesn’t manage.
In the last instalment, Bomb, we are treated not just to Steven Pacey’s Tarrant but also Yasmin Bannerman’s excellent Dayna Mellanby, as these two recent recruits to the Liberator crew are sent on an away mission to test their usefulness (and trustworthiness?) to Avon. They’re tasked with exchanging cash for information from a curious recluse in an abandoned mining facility (with just a little too much time on their hands until pickup by the Liberator…), and the title of the episode might be a mild spoiler for the ticking clock that threatens everyone trapped there.
With a perfectly Blake’s 7 mix of mutual distrust, treachery and double dealing, and great performances all round, Bomb matches the tone of the original series sufficiently well that we came away picturing the scenes as if we had just seen them on TV.
