#35. Brother (11.1) by Nigel Fairs
Avon is reinvented as the son of a mad xenophobic preacher, and a participant in religious genocide. Gustav Nyrron strikes again in this sobering parable about gay oppression! I mean, fair play for writing about something you're passionate about, but that's no excuse for the story being shit. None of this feels like Blake's 7.
#34. False Positive (2.2) by Eddie Robson
This episode reminds me a lot of Thunderball, which is never a good sign. There's a dull boat chase, a forgettable pompous fool for a villain. No real point to it. Very by-the-numbers.
#33. Risk Management (5.2) by Una McCormack
Nothing really happens. It's like listening to Blake tell someone a long, rambling anecdote. I appreciate the attempt at a more humorous, lower-stakes story, but it feels more like a no-stakes story.
#32. Solitary (1.2) by Nigel Fairs
There's a vaguely interesting mystery about why Vila's lost his memories, but it never goes beyond vaguely interesting. Anthony Howell does fine as Gustav Nyrron, but even leaving aside the fact that Nyrron is unjustifiably brought back time and time again, he just isn't all that compelling in this particular story. Mainly because all of the Nigel Fairs stories try to be very personal about the crew, and so you automatically want to see them interact with the other established characters. It's not as if Nyrron is just here to come along on an adventure and see the stars, no, it's always deep drama. If you're going to do that, you need a very strong character worthy of the ones we already know.
#31. Escape from Destiny (11.3) by Andrew Smith
I didn't like the original Mission to Destiny to begin with, so I'm probably not the target audience for a sequel. There's a pretty cool doomladen atmosphere when they visit Destiny, but the planet doesn't prove to be nearly as dangerous as these early scenes suggest. And the twist that (spoilers! Destiny's government is colluding with the Federation) isn't particularly original.
#30. The Magnificent Four (2.1) by Simon Guerrier
Blake has a fanboy who puts together his own ship and crew to fight the Federation, but then takes things way too far. The Hard Road improves on this concept in every conceivable way. But also, it's just wasted here. The fanboy is nothing more than a cookie-cutter antagonist and his crew are nameless lackeys, meaning that all the potential moral discussions and comparisons to be made with our main characters are completely ignored. For some reason, Blake isn't even in this, making the concept even more pointless.
#29. Ministry of Peace (10.3) by Una McCormack
I got the vibe that this was written for Blake's character, but McCormack had to hurriedly substitute Avon. And whilst this has happened in the past (see: Deliverance), it just didn't make sense here. Especially at the end, with that ludicrous scene of Avon phoning Servalan to complain about her committing genocide. In Series A!
#28. Jenna's Story (6.2) by Steve Lyons
Answers the question of how exactly Jenna died, but not in a particularly interesting or memorable way. The fact that she died to further the rebel cause rather than for smuggling as the show implied is kinda touching, but also less badass. The guest star is entirely forgettable, and is the main reason this feels like a letdown. Knyvette has to carry the whole thing on her own.
#27. Retribution (10.2) by Andrew Smith
A very silly runaround where Avon and Vila are hunted by a Scottish Michael Keating (he is voice-modulated to make it seem like there's a third actor), and have to fly around in the mountains with batsuits in order to escape. Doesn't do much for me.
#26. Disorder (7.2) by Eddie Robson
Avon and Vila entering the world of Dilbert has a lot of comic potential, but it's abandoned early on for a heist story focusing purely on Vila. Which also has a lot of comic potential, but then that's abandoned for some kind of Jigsaw-type twist where Avon was pulling the strings the entire time. Meaning that nothing that happened mattered. Also, Darrow is barely in it, which is a major letdown for an Avon/Vila story.
#25. Wolf (2.3) by Nigel Fairs
The clone of Auron scientist Gustav Nyrron swears vengeance on Servalan, who is having peculiar recollections of some childhood game at the same time. Also, Cally wants Servalan dead too. I kinda like this one just because the fury Nyrron has against Servalan is palpable (and also perfectly understandable). It's full of the typical Fairs weirdness, but the sheer venom and cold intellect with which Nyrron executes his plan to take down Servalan is great.
#24. Epitaph (4.2) by Scott Harrison
Jenna's mean brother recruits her for a revenge mission against the man who murdered their father. It was cool getting some background on Jenna and her old crew, and the attack on a Federation facility is classic B7 action-adventure. It's nothing groundbreaking, but good if you want to know more about an underused crewmember. Vila's also in it. And that's about all there is to say about his involvement.
#23. Remnants (11.4) by Simon Guerrier
An interesting look into what would happen if only Jenna and Avon were left of the crew (based on a throwaway line from Cygnus Alpha). Of course, in typical Chronicle fashion, nothing is what it seems. Although the story itself doesn't really hold up to scrutiny, the dynamic between the two characters is really great and the mystery is one of the most engaging we've had in this series.
*This story isn't in any box set, but rather a bonus on the Big Finish website.
#22. Corners of the Mind (12.1) by Andy Lane
A strange little piece about Avon exploring a labyrinth whilst suffering from amnesia. I like this one a lot conceptually, but the execution holds it back. It's more fitted to be a TV story than on audio. There are lots of interesting visual puzzles that are painstakingly described and thus lose their impact.
#21. Defector (9.1) by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright
Tarrant and Grant try to pull off an assassination together. I always found these two to be a slightly odd pairing (mainly because Steven Pacey and Tom Chadbon have borderline identical voices), but it is really cool to see Tarrant's reaction to Grant joining the crew, and to get his point of view on everyone else. I also liked the story's final twist, it's a neat foreshadowing of Series D.
#20. Promises (4.1) by Nigel Fairs
I'm normally pretty happy that no other Big Finish writer touches Fairs's material, but this is the one exception, because the Travis/Cally rivalry set up here was great. I liked how the events of Time Squad are woven into Travis's character, and Cally's PTSD over what happened makes sense. She actually feels like her old ruthless self here, which we haven't seen since her first episode. The problem is that Fairs sets up another confrontation between them in the future that never gets paid off, leaving things awkwardly hanging.
#19. Incentive (6.1) by Peter Anghelides
It's a bit too on the nose about transitioning between Powerplay and Volcano, but I like that the crew put some real effort into finding Blake and Jenna. The interrogations on the crew conducted by Diet Carnell reveal some heartwarming secrets they've kept from each other. Darrow's impersonation of a French pirate is the highlight.
#18. Capital (12.2) by Guy Adams
Begs to be a full cast audio (poor Pacey is left imitating everyone), but it's still a fun action-adventure set on Earth. Mostly just exists to set up the next story. David Warner is always great to have around. It was cool seeing the environment beyond the Dome Cities, and how the Federation's discarded civilians live, similar to the Mutoes in Doctor Who's "Genesis of the Daleks".
#17. Secrets (9.3) by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright
The reunion between Vila and his father is as darkly comical as you might expect. Points for giving Keating the chance to act with some good, meaty material. Grant isn't really vital to the story, but I think his calm presence helps to balance things out.
#16. The Sea of Iron (8.2) by Marc Platt
A moody, lyrical adventure that focuses on Cally, clearly taking inspiration from Sarcophagus. I loved the pairing of Chappell (Cally) and Pearce (Servalan). The flashes to Cally's past on Auron were very touching.
#15. The Turing Test (1.1) by Simon Guerrier
Where Avon falls in love with an android, as you do. Vila presenting Avon as his creation was very funny. Darrow and Keating's double-act never fails. As cute as it is, Avon believing that a robot (an AI) could be alive was out of character for him.
#14. President (8.1) by Simon Guerrier
It's awesome to have Peter Miles back. This is the first Blake's 7 story to feature the President, although Hugh Fraser isn't in it. I suspect this was written to hype up his upcoming introduction in the full-cast audios. Still, his character alone makes a great impact, and we get a much better resolution to Miles' Rontane.
#13. Spy (7.1) by Simon Guerrier
Lighthearted fare with Cally and Vila getting into scrapes at a Federation colony. Vila nursing Cally back to (relative) health and saving the day was gratifying. The villain is a memorable nasty. Not very deep, but the kind of story you can come back to repeatedly for the hijinks.
#12. Velandra (10.1) by Steve Lyons
Blake is haunted by the memories of his brainwashing and chases after a woman he's not even certain exists. An eerie, dark story where nothing is certain. The writer was very clearly inspired by the flashback sequence in The Way Back and expands on it with wonderful results.
*This is the last audio drama to feature Gareth Thomas, as well as the only one to have Thomas and Stephen Greif (the original Travis) together.
#11. Counterfeit (1.3) by Peter Anghelides
Of all the audios, I think this one comes the closest to recapturing the feel of a TV episode. If you told me Terry Nation wrote it, I'd believe you. It's all here - valuable crystals, caves, a Federation facility, Blake hogging the limelight... plus, it's a two-hander with Thomas and Darrow, who are my favourite pair in the series.
#10. Kerr (4.3) by Nick Wallace
It's as if someone compressed Avon's entire character arc into one single episode. But what's really cool is that we don't know it is until the end, because we're following Servalan's POV and she's as uncertain about Avon as we are. Having him be a clone makes it doubly intriguing, because he doesn't have the same experiences as our familiar version of the character, nor does he even like Avon. It gives him a very unpredictable aspect.
#9. Poison (11.2) by Iain McLaughlin
A charming romantic comedy with Vila. They've done several variations of this theme (all inspired by City at the Edge of the World), but this is the best one. Samantha Beart and Michael Keating have superb chemistry together and I love that there's a happy ending.
#8. Three (5.3) by James Goss
Servalan gets interviewed by a Federation reporter. At first, it's an innocuous conversation, but it soon takes a dark turn when we find out Servalan really, really hates the press. I make it sound somewhat silly, but the ending to this one is grimdark even by Blake's 7 standards. A reminder that Servalan has no soul.
#7. Blake's Story (6.3) by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright
Series C and D from Blake's POV. I'm resentful that it's only one story and not an entire box set or series. There's clearly more than enough material. Nevertheless, Blake's downfall is wonderfully written and acted, and I love how they managed to incorporate Darrow into it, giving Blake and Avon a chance to have that final conversation we missed out on in Blake.
#6. Punishment (12.3) by Guy Adams
A final adventure between Vila and his father Tavac. They have such a bitter but irresistible back and forth. I could listen to them bicker for hours. But what really makes Punishment a standout is the final act, where Vila shows the depths of his depravity, and proves to be little different from his Federation father. I love finally getting to see why he was considered psychologically disturbed in The Way Back.
#5. Planetfall (9.2) by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright
Blake's 7 as an action-heavy disaster movie. This one is pure fun for me. Darrow, Chappell and Warner are fantastic together, the script is strong and the hijinks are great. This one flew by.
#4. The Hard Road (7.3) by James Swallow
A moody introspective piece where Blake confronts a rebel leader with a ruthlessness far greater than his own. Lots of interesting moral dilemmas and foreshadowing for the events of Series B.
*Blake's monologue at the opening of The Hard Road was later reused in the 40th anmiversary special. That's how good it is.
#3. The Armageddon Storm (3.1/3.2/3.3) by Cavan Scott and Mark Wright
Arguably the most epic Blake's 7 story in scope, Armageddon Storm reunites Avon and Grant to take down the Federation's Death Star equivalent. A good deal of emotional drama, action and character development for the crew. The quality dips slightly in the Vila/Cally segment in the middle, but everything else is so great that I can't put it any lower. Avon's final threat to the Federation is one of the character's most memorable moments.
*This is the only Blake's 7 story to be serialized.
#2. Spoils (8.3) by James Goss
A look into an alternate universe where Blake wins the war and frees humanity... and the horrible consequences that follow. Aside from the idea being fantastic, I'm putting it this high for Gareth Thomas. Blake's turn to evil is so believable that it really affected me. The only low point is the absence of Paul Darrow.
#1. Logic (5.1) by Simon Guerrier
The most in-depth exploration of life in the Federation. Terry Nation's cruel dystopia is on full display here. I've very rarely experienced a story as twisted as this. Louise Jameson is phenomenal in her guest appearance. This is the ultimate Blake's 7 story for me.
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