The Liberator Chronicles
Big Finish producer David Richardson looks forward to the new audio series…
David Richardson - Big Finish
Blake’s 7 started for me with audio. I was there back in 1978, as The Way Back burst on to our screens on the day after New Year’s Day, and I loved this new show so much that I wanted to keep it. There were very few domestic video recorders back then, so what I did was I taped Blake’s 7 on my audio cassette recorder. And as the weeks, and then the different series, went by I built up this little library of audios. The images might fade in time, but I’d create new ones in my mind’s eye.
I’ve never fallen out of love with the show. I collected the books, then the VHS releases, and then the DVDs. And I went along to a few conventions too, always so impressed with the family atmosphere and the way that the actors were so close to the fans.
But never did I dare dream that one day I’d be producing an audio series of brand new Blake’s 7 stories with the original cast.
As I write, production is confidently underway. The first three scripts are being written, with recording penciled in for late summer and a February 2012 release (in a very striking three-CD box set). Storylines for the second box set are being finalized, and they too should be underway soon.
A few words about me: I’m a producer at Big Finish, and I’m heavily involved in both the day to day running of the audio company, as well as being in creative control of certain lines. I produce several Doctor Who ranges: The Companion Chronicles, The Lost Stories, The Fourth Doctor Adventures and Jago and Litefoot.
Our Blake’s 7 audios – titled ‘The Liberator Chronicles’ – will follow the format of our Companion Chronicles very closely. They’ll be distinct from B7E’s own acclaimed updating of the format, which is a bold and gritty revision for the new millennium with its own cast.
The Chronicles will be two-handers, read by the stars of the TV show. They’ll include narration and dialogue, and be fully-fledged character-driven dramas enhanced with rich audio landscapes and cinematic music scores. And they’ll be set very much during a specific era of the TV series (Box Set 1 takes place between Project Destiny and Breakdown, for example).
So – we’re underway! I’m delighted by the response so far, and can’t wait to start recording. The original rebellion is underway again.
