B07: Killer: Robert Holmes Brings Dark Sci-Fi to Blake's 7

About this episode

The episode discusses Robert Holmes's first script for Blake's 7, highlighting its distinct tone and character dynamics.

Teleporting in... welcome to Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7! The first Robert Holmes script for Blake's 7, and Garry and Adam both agree it has a noticeably different tone to what the show has been doing. Robert Holmes's fingerprints are all over it, and that, concerning this episode, is a good thing. The big talking points: why the Avon and Vila pairing works so well here, what Tynus's betrayal says about the kind of company Avon keeps, and whether Blake's inexplicable calm in enemy territory is great character writing or just a quirk of the production order. Plus: outfits that not even Paul Darrow can carry off, Gan's ghost in the production timeline, and Garry very nearly ordering the Blake's 7 DVD set after a couple of Guinness. We're teleporting out for now! Thanks for listening, and don't forget to follow and subscribe on your preferred podcast app so you never miss an episode. You can also join the conversation and stay updated by following us on Twitter/X and Bluesky . We'd love to hear your thoughts and theories! Join us next time as we continue our journey through the universe of Blake’s 7.

People in this episode

Hosts: Garry Aylott, Adam Charlton

Topics covered

• Robert Holmes
• Blake's 7
• character analysis
• sci-fi
• production insights
• thematic discussion

Keywords

• Blake's 7
• Robert Holmes
• Avon
• Vila
• Tynus
• sci-fi
• character writing
• production order

Mentioned in this episode

Products: Blake's 7 DVD set

Books & works: Blake's 7

More episodes of Federation Strike: A Journey Through Blake's 7

• B11: Gambit: Orac in a Lunchbox... and Our Goodbye to Michael Keating · June 11, 2026 · 1h 12m
• B10: Voice from the Past: Behold, the Plot Shall Wither · June 3, 2026 · 1h 4m
• B09: Countdown: The Bomb Was Never the Problem · May 27, 2026 · 1h 10m
• B08: Hostage: A Trap, A Traitor, and a Very Tired Vila · May 20, 2026 · 1h 21m
• B06: Trial: Could This Be the End for Travis? · May 6, 2026 · 1h 10m
• B05: Pressure Point: When Blake's Big Plan Goes Bust · April 29, 2026 · 1h 13m