Writer > Episode 3 > LIBERATOR
Q. You’re the only UK writer to have worked on Star Trek – how did that come about?
A. From a mixture of talent, dedication and luck, I’d say! Back in the day, I used to write for the official Star Trek Magazine and through that I got to know a lot of the writing staff on the Trek shows; I’d always wanted to move from journalism to creative writing, and through my association with the guys at Paramount I got the opportunity to pitch stories for Star Trek: Voyager. I sold two original stories to the show, which became the episodes “One” and “Memorial”.
Q. What are your memories of the original Blake’s 7 show?
A. First and foremost, the Liberator; it was such a striking, iconic design, and it really stuck with me. I’d never seen a spaceship that looked like that before, and the moment I laid eyes on it I wanted to know more about it, where it came from, what it was capable of. And as the show went on, I got drawn into the characters and their world. I have fond memories of sneaking copies of Blake’s 7 Monthly into school to read when I was in maths class…
Q. You’ve heard the new cast perform your script – how did it feel, how did they sound?
A. I was really blown away by the calibre of the actors and their performances on the day. It can be a daunting experience for a writer, because you live and breathe your scripts while you’re writing them, and then you hand them over to someone else who may have a very different take on things; but I’ve learned to embrace it and trust the actors to do what they do best. An actor comes in and puts their energy on a character, and suddenly it’s something bigger than just words on a page.
Q. What will be your overriding memory of the recording?
A. There are a couple of moments in the script that I’m really proud of which came to life perfectly during the recording, when I found myself thinking “Damn! This is going to be great!” That, and all the Tom Baker impersonations in the green room.
Q. The five minute chapter format – how does this work, how did you fit your story into these bite sized chunks?
A. I wrote the third hour of the show, which I broke down into three 20-min storylines; those stories are made up of four “acts”, just like the acts in a television script or a short play.
Q. How did you get involved with the project?
A. I’d been orbiting around the B7 project for a while, discussing some ideas with the producers for the posited animated show. Story editor and writer Ben Aaronovitch knew I had experience writing audio scripts and so when the Audio Adventures got the green light, he asked me to join him and Marc Platt to write the first “season”.
Q. How would you describe your script to someone who’s never seen Blake’s 7?
A. It’s an action movie for the mind’s eye. By the time I come in, we’ve bedded in the core cast of characters, and started getting to grips with the mysteries of the Liberator. My stories up the ante by increasing the pressures on the crew – the tensions between Blake and Avon, between the Liberator crew and Servalan, and… Well, you’ll have to listen in to find out.
Q. Who was your favourite character to write for?
That’s a tough one to call. I really liked writing Avon, Jenna and Travis, but to be honest, all the characters have something compelling about them.
Q. What was it like working with Ben as script editor? Have you worked with Ben and Marc before?
A. They’re both terrible hacks. No, I kid, I kid because I love. Ben has a great eye for the “big picture” of a storyline and he’s not precious about making sacrifices if it’s right for the script; he’s also passionate about the project, which is essential for a guy in his role and which energises the rest of the writing team. Marc is a thoroughly nice chap, one of the most self-effacing guys I’ve ever met, and a very talented writer. I’ve never worked directly with them before, but I’m glad to have had this opportunity. I’ve had to raise my game to keep up with them.
Q. How does your style of writing differ from Ben and Marc’s?
A. Ben’s good at ‘laying pipe’, building convincing worlds/characters through small turns of dialogue and moments of narrative. Marc has an eye for the slightly odd and unusual, and he excels at moments of personal drama. Me, I like to think my strength is pace and action. I do all the race-and-chase, stuff blowin’ up bits.
Q. What should people familiar with your work expect of your scripts? What Swallowesque hallmarks will they spot?
A. The usual mayhem; people shooting at each other and things exploding, tension and thrills, characters on a knife-edge. And a dance number. (Maybe not that last one.)
Q. How does writing for Blake’s 7 compare to writing for Doctor Who?
A. Both of them are iconic bits of British SF, both are things I grew up watching and both are important parts of my personal science fiction landscape – so with both I felt very strongly that it was important to capture the essence of the originals in the stories I wrote, while still putting something of my own stamp as a writer on them. Doctor Who, I think, is the more aspirational of the two, whereas Blake’s 7 has a harder edge to it. The “voices” of both shows are very different, and each one presents its own unique challenges.
Q. What do you think will get people excited about these audio adventures?
A. For starters, Blake’s back and it’s about time! I hope they’ll be intrigued by the top-notch cast we’ve assembled and our new take on the mythos. Also, I think audio is a fantastic medium for telling science fiction stories (because we’re only bound by the limits of our imaginations) and I think the Blake’s 7 concept is so strong that nearly thirty years after it was created, it can still speak to an audience in a compelling way – maybe even more so, given the world we live in now.
