The second series of Blake's Seven premiered on 9 January 1979, carrying on almost directly from where the previous series ended, with the crew faced with the prospect of their impending destruction.
During the series' time away it was obvious that someone had decided to throw a bit more money at the programme. When it returned, the regulars all had a number of new and, often quite elaborate, costumes, the model and special effects works seemed to have been spruced up and the Liberator gained a few new rooms and corridors.
One other change, not related to the budget was that of Travis. After Stephen Greif chose to leave the series, the decision was made to recast the character rather than create a new antagonist for Blake. Brian Croucher took on the role, playing it very differently to his predecessor. Alongside him as ever was Servalan, dishing out death and destruction in a variety of increasingly elaborate outfits.
Storytelling in this series became more ambitious. With series creator Terry Nation writing only three episodes this series (as opposed to writing all thirteen the previous season) the use of fresh writers meant a bit variety in terms of the stories. The second half of the season saw a story arc that ran over several episodes, culminating in the season finale. And series B also saw some big changes for all of the regular characters which, for me, is what makes this season so much fun to watch.
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| Series B crew: Gan, Cally, Blake, Vila, Avon and Jenna |
Redemption
Shadow
Weapon
Horizon
Pressure Point
Trial
Killer
Hostage
Countdown
Voices from the Past
Gambit
The Keeper
Star One
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